- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 12 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what projections it has made of the scale of involvement in primary medical services of private companies such as United Health Care, Boots and BUPA.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-30240 on 12 December 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 12 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29915 by Mr Andy Kerr on 27 November 2006, how NHS boards are expected to determine the needs of the local population and how much involvement the local population is expected to have in determining that need.
Answer
The National Health Service (Scotland) Act1978 requires NHS boards to ensure that the reasonable requirements of patientsfor primary medical services are met. All NHS boards conduct local health needsassessments to determine the services required for their local populations.
NHS boards are expected to workin partnership with the people they serve and to seek their views on the range andquality of services provided following the guidance set out in Communities Scotland’sNational Standards for Community Engagement.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 12 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS board maternity services are compliant with NHS Quality Improvement Scotland standards on ultrasound scanning.
Answer
This information isnot held centrally.I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-30189 on 12 December 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 12 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS board maternity services that previously offered routine anomaly second ultrasound scanning have withdrawn that provision.
Answer
This information is not heldcentrally.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 12 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps NHS boards are required to take to secure the delivery of primary medical services under traditional GP contracts before resorting either to direct provision or tendering and whether traditional GP contracts are the preferred model for delivery of such services.
Answer
None. It is for NHS boards todetermine how best to meet the particular needs of patients in the face of a vacantpractice, and to seek the best solution to fulfil those needs in accordance withthe Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2004 and the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978.
As I said in my letter to themember dated 28 November 2006, the vast majority of contracts between NHS boards andpractices are of the traditional model and I see no reason why that should change,so long as these arrangements continue to work for the benefit of local patientsand the community.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 12 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-30057 by Mr Andy Kerr on 30 November 2006, whether it considers that one public meeting, called shortly before the closing date for expressions of interest in the provision of primary medical services, was sufficient to allow NHS Lanarkshire to take account of the local population and local circumstances, given that other options for the delivery of such services had been discounted.
Answer
In the case of Harthill HealthCentre, NHS Lanarkshire’s foremost priority was to take all reasonable measuresto secure or provide primary medical services for the people of Harthill.A public meeting took place on29 November 2006 and a further meeting was held on Tuesday, 5 December.Public meetings are only one aspect of the board’s public engagement in this exercise;NHS Lanarkshire wrote to all households covered by the practice and they can submittheir views by using the free post service or the dedicated website address (
www.nhslanarkshire.co.uk/consultations)set up by the board. I understand the public engagement process will run until 20 December 2006.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 12 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-30058 by Mr Andy Kerr on 30 November 2006, whether the public should expect to be consulted on matters relating to the responsiveness of NHS boards to “patients’ needs” and “value for money” before options such as the direct employment of GPs, direct contracting with local GPs previously in a partnership, or contracting with GP providers only are discounted by an NHS board.
Answer
Public involvement and consultationshould be appropriate and proportionate to the issue and local circumstances.
NHS boards are expected to workin partnership with the people they serve and to seek their views on the range andquality of services provided following the guidance set out in Communities Scotland’sNational Standards for Community Engagement.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 12 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29915 by Mr Andy Kerr on 27 November 2006, who determines what “local circumstances” are; what rights the local population have to be involved in assessing what these are; what influence they can expect to have over the decisions that flow from that assessment of local circumstances, and at what stage they can expect to influence those decisions.
Answer
Decisions on what constitutelocal circumstances should emerge from the partnership established between the NHSboard and the local community.
Public involvement should beappropriate and proportionate to local circumstances, and follow the guidance setout in Communities Scotland’s National Standards for Community Engagement.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 12 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what rights communities have to be involved in and consulted on the planning of primary care services before contract negotiations begin and what best practice measures it expects to be put in place in such situations.
Answer
As stated in the answer to questionS2W-30058 on 30 November 2006, NHS boards are expected to follow established arrangementsin securing the provision of all health care services, including primary medicalservices, with the key criteria being to deliver safe, high quality clinical carewhich is responsive to patients’ needs and offers value for money.
We would expect NHS boards tofollow Communities Scotland’s National Standards for Community Engagementwhich the Scottish Health Council has endorsed for use in NHS Scotland.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 12 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-30056 by Mr Andy Kerr on 30 November 2006, whether it considers that consultation with the community should take place before NHS boards invite expressions of interest in the provision of primary medical services and discount awarding traditional GP contracts or directly employing GPs to provide such services.
Answer
As I stated in my response tothe answer question S2W-30056 on 30 November 2006, public involvement and consultationshould be appropriate and proportionate to local circumstances.
It is reasonable for ahealth board to consider all options for filling a vacant GP practice and to inviteexpressions of interest in the provision of primary medical services as this willbetter inform the process of consulting with the community.
All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
