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Allocations from the Integrated Care Fund (ICF) are part of the overall resources available to Health and Social Care Partnerships and sit within the context of Partnerships’ strategic commissioning plans. From 2016-17 reporting on ICF spend, and outcomes achieved, will be through Health and Social Care Partnerships’ annual performance reports. These will be published from July 2017.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Distribution of the Integrated Care Fund is a matter for local Health and Social Care Partnerships based on their strategic plan and the needs of the local communities that they serve.

The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 requires each Integration Joint board (Health and Social Care Partnership) to publish an annual performance report setting out an assessment of performance in planning and carrying out the integration functions for which they are responsible. Health and Social Care Partnerships will report on the use of the Integrated Care Fund through their annual performance reports.

National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 already states that Scottish Ministers have a duty to secure improvement in the physical and mental health of the people of Scotland. It does not distinguish between the two, nor does it place a higher importance on one over the other. The 1978 Act also states Scottish Minsters have a duty to secure the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illness, and for that purpose to provide or secure the effective provision of services in accordance with the provisions of the Act. Illness in the 1978 Act is defined as including mental disorder within the meaning of section 328 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.

We will also consider how we further improve the physical health of people with mental health problems to address premature mortality as part of ten year vision for mental health in Scotland due for publication later in 2016.

Scottish Government manage and monitor the quality and capacity of trains that ScotRail is required to deliver through the franchise agreement at regular meetings.

Rail services serving Musselburgh and Wallyford station are operated with Class 380 trains which were introduced in 2010 and delivered many passenger benefits such as Wi-Fi, accessible toilets, wheelchair spaces, cycle spaces and power sockets. The on-train facilities are monitored to assess the condition under the Service Quality Incentive Regime, and where standards fail to meet the prescribed level of service, penalties are levied against the franchisee.

With regard to capacity, an investment of £475 million in train improvements is being made resulting in more trains, more seats and more services across Scotland. By early 2018 the new longer, greener, quicker Class 385 trains will serve communities in East Lothian. On peak services when the new six car Class 385 replace Class 380 trains, more than 40% extra seats will be provided. From now until then, ScotRail are committed to ensuring they lay on as much capacity as possible from their current rolling stock to meet passenger demand.

The vast majority of Scotland’s health statistics are collected and published in accordance with the UK National Statistics Code of Practice. National Services Scotland (through Information Services Division) is the main producer of Scottish health statistics.

The UK statistics authority works in partnership with amongst others, the Scottish Government’s Chief Statistician and the Head of Profession at National Services Scotland, to ensure compliance against this code. The code emphasises key aspects of quality and the Scottish Government welcomes the assurance that this provides to all users of Scottish health statistics.

The statisticians and data experts involved in the collection, analysis and publication of health statistics work closely with users of their statistics. User feedback is welcomed and is important to the continuous improvement agenda that is key to the work of those producing Scotland’s health statistics.

It is for independently contracted practices to decide how best to communicate with their patients. There are no current plans to introduce a national text appointments service. Decisions at practice or NHS board level allow solutions to integrate with existing processes and systems, and to be responsive to local circumstances.

The Scottish Government outlined plans on 11 March 2016 to provide £2 million additional funding to improve or upgrade IT infrastructure in GP practices as part of a £20 million package for GPs to ease pressures on the workforce over the next year. This is in addition to the primary care digital services delivery fund, announced in June 2015, which is providing £6 million over three years to improve access to GP digital and online services, enhance GP systems, and encourage innovation and research in GP digital services.

Obtaining informed consent, which is primarily a matter for clinicians working in NHS Scotland and their patients, can only be achieved through partnership and joint decision making. The General Medical Council (GMC) has produced comprehensive guidance, Good Medical Practice and Consent: patients and doctors making decisions together. This sets out the principles on which good clinical decisions should be based. It also provides a framework for good practice that covers the various situations that doctors may face in the course of their work. The guidance can be found at: http://www.gmcuk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/consent_guidance_how_guidance_applies_to_you.asp

The Scottish Government expects all NHS boards and their clinicians to adhere to the GMC guidance and to have clinical governance arrangements in place to ensure that the principles and framework contained in the guidance are applied by all doctors when seeking informed consent to treatment from patients.

Patients are not referred under the terms of the European Cross-border Healthcare Directive. They are exercising an EU Treaty right that allows them to travel throughout the European Economic Area (EEA) to receive treatment that is the same as or equivalent to treatment that is provided by the state in their home country, and to be reimbursed on return to that country.

The home healthcare provider has no responsibility for the quality, safety, outcome or governance of the treatment sought in another part of the EEA. In considering reimbursement (which is restricted to the amount the treatment would have cost if it had been provided by the state at home) the home healthcare provider - in Scotland the relevant NHS board - must ensure that the treatment was medically necessary and that prior authorisation has been agreed (if the patient travelled for specialist treatment). The NHS board must also be satisfied with the supporting documentation from the country of treatment, before reimbursement can be paid. Scotland's European Cross-border Healthcare National Contact Point, administered by NHS inform, provides further guidance on the operation of the directive at: http://www.nhsinform.co.uk/rights/europe/.

The directive was transposed in October 2013, although since then Cross-border healthcare activity has been modest. The 14 local NHS boards would be best placed to provide numbers for both outgoing and incoming patients who have used the Directive to travel in the EEA for treatment.