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On 15 March 2010, Practitioner Services notified the Scottish Government of an issue identified with the overpayment of dental registrations which they found to result mainly from incorrect patient demographic data supplied by dentists. The issue was identified as a result of work required to develop the Management Information and Dental Accounting System to support the implementation of non-time limited registrations.

The Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) is in operation in Scotland only. It is a two-tier scheme and this is why two hygiene ratings are displayed on the website.

FHIS was rolled-out in Scotland by the Food Standards Agency FSA) in partnership with local authorities following a two-year pilot (2006-2008) and a UK-wide public consultation which took place in 2008. The consultation showed a strong preference by Scottish stakeholders for this scheme rather than a multi-tier scheme which is in place elsewhere. Both schemes allow consumers to make informed choices about food purchases and are available on a single platform that allows consumers to search for information published anywhere in the UK.

Following inspection by a local authority enforcement officer each food business in the local authority area, is given a FHIS outcome either a ‘Pass’ or an ‘Improvement Required’. These outcomes show how closely the business is meeting the requirements of food hygiene law.

'Pass' – means that the business has achieved an acceptable level of compliance with the requirements of food hygiene law.

'Improvement Required' – means that the business has not achieved an acceptable level of compliance with the requirements of food hygiene law. The enforcement officer will explain to the person who owns or manages the business what improvements are needed and how they can meet legal requirements.

On an occasion where a new food business is registered with their local authority but not yet inspected. On the FSA website an ‘Awaiting Inspection’ rating will be displayed temporarily. This will be changed to ‘Pass’ or ‘Improvement required’ once the inspection has been carried out.

Follow-up inspections will be carried out by local authorities if necessary, in accordance with standard enforcement practice and are dependent on the non-compliance involved. Recurring minor non-compliance will result in a Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) ‘Improvement Required’ outcome but may not merit a follow-up inspection

If an establishment with a ‘Improvement Required’ status has a time interval of more than a year it is due to either the food business not carrying out recurring minor non-compliance or not requesting a revisit to assess if the remedial actions have been addressed and a satisfactory level of compliance achieved. As part of the when a business addresses all non-compliance a revisit to reassess compliance can be requested and the local authority will carry this out within seven days of notification.

It is voluntary for food establishments to display the Food Hygiene Information Scheme ratings. However, all ratings are displayed on the Food Standards Agency website.

The Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) was initially piloted in November 2006 by five Scottish authorities. Following consultation in 2008 on a food hygiene scheme to cover the whole of the UK, local authorities and other stakeholders in Scotland indicated a strong preference for the FHIS. Later in 2008 the Food Standards Agency board considered the strength of feeling highlighted in the consultation and decided that the FHIS should be continued in Scotland and a new six-tier scheme should be developed for the other nations reflecting stakeholder views.

Follow-up inspections will be carried out by local authorities if necessary, in accordance with standard enforcement practice and are dependent on the non-compliance involved. Recurring minor non-compliance will result in a Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) ‘Improvement Required’ outcome but may not merit a follow-up inspection.

At the start of February 2014, the total number of Scottish food establishments on the Food Standards Agency website site is 38,866. Of these records, provided by local authorities, there were 1,581 Scottish food establishments that have an ‘Improvement Required’ hygiene rating for more than one year.

If an establishment with a ‘Improvement Required’ status has a time interval of more than a year it is due to either the food business not carrying out recurring minor non-compliance or not requesting a revisit to assess if the remedial actions have been addressed and a satisfactory level of compliance achieved. As part of the FHIS when a business addresses all non-compliance a revisit to reassess compliance can be requested and the local authority will carry this out within seven days of notification.

The General Medical Services Contract 2014-15, will bring a 30% reduction in the size of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), with a range of services and funding transferred to the core contract.

What this means for GP practices is greater stability of funding, because the funding associated with these QOF points becomes part of their core funding, shared by way of an agreed formula, instead of having to be ‘earned’ through box ticking.

This enables practices to plan ahead and manage their income streams on a longer term basis, as well as the reduced time spent on bureaucracy. It also demonstrates a high level of trust that the profession of general practice will continue to deliver the highest quality of patient care.

As agreed with Scottish General Practitioners Committee, all GP practices will receive the funding based on an average of their achievement over the last three years.

The Scottish Government is pleased to have reached an agreement with the Scottish General Practitioner’s Committee (SGPC) for delivery of General Medical Services in Scotland in 2014-15, within a framework of an even more Scottish contract which builds on what we agreed for this year.

As part of the agreement, GP practices will participate in a quality improvement programme, producing an annual report and participating in a three yearly peer review visit, based on a primary care data set review at GP practice level. Also there will be a process for practices to review their access and consider improvements. This is being developed and reviewed in conjunction with SGPC and will be delivered in partnership with NHS boards. There are no current plans to include patient representation within the three yearly peer review.

The Scottish Government is pleased to have reached an agreement with the Scottish General Practitioner’s Committee (SGPC) for delivery of General Medical Services in Scotland in 2014-15, within a framework of an even more Scottish contract which builds on what we agreed for this year.

As part of the agreement, GP practices will participate in a quality improvement programme, producing an annual report and participating in a three yearly peer review visit, based on a primary care data set review at GP practice level.

This is being developed and reviewed in conjunction with SGPC and will be delivered in partnership with NHS boards.

The Scottish Government has an on-going commitment to Primary Medical Services and we have successfully reached a negotiated settlement with the Scottish General Practitioners Committee (SGPC) for the General Medical Services Contract in Scotland for 2014-15 that, along with delivering a commitment to continuous quality improvement in each GP practice, will have real benefits for patients.

This is an agreement which demonstrates the Scottish Government’s confidence in the general practice profession, removing bureaucracy and freeing up more GP time to spend on face to face patient care. The review of access in particular, to be carried out on an annual basis, will address one of the biggest concerns held by patients, and ensure that practices regularly assess all aspects of access to their practice, thereby maximising access to all of the elements of practice care.

Following the assessment, GP practices will produce a ‘Patient Access Action Report’ for the purposes of discussion and review which will be submitted to NHS boards and GP practices will be encouraged to involve patients in this process and share the contents of these reports in a way which is appropriate and reasonable for GP practices and understandable by patients.