Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30051 on 4 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30051 on 4 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

As made clear by the statement of the Chair of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on 15 January 2016 (available at: www.nhsggc.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/news/2016/01/chairmans-statement/), there are no such formal proposals.

No: as set out in the relevant national guidance (available at: www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2010_01.pdf), only proposed major service change in the NHS is subject to ministerial approval.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, who hold the responsibility for the planning and provision of local services, made the Scottish Government aware of its plans to re-provide the activity from ward six at the Vale of Leven Hospital in late November 2015, following the approval of these plans by the board's Acute Services Committee.

The redesign plans, made to ensure that services are as efficient as possible and due to be implemented in April 2016, will allow the majority of patients currently treated on ward six to be treated in the hospital’s surgical day bed unit, with extended operating hours. The remaining patients (those who require an inpatient stay) will be accommodated in the Lomond Ward at the Vale. As such, the plans will have no effect on the level of surgical service and after care received by local people at the hospital.

Section 52 of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 provides ministers with powers to direct integration authorities, including integration joint boards, in relation to their carrying out of functions conferred on them by the Act.

Integration joint boards will be required to set a budget that allocates their share of the integration funding included within the local government settlement, to meet as a minimum the settlements’ commitments in relation to social care, i.e. in relation to the living wage and changes to the charging thresholds.

The Scottish Government will distribute the £250 million to health boards via their annual allocations, using the same allocation formula as was used for distribution of the Integrated Care Fund. This approach takes account of funding formulae used for the NHS and local government, using a 1:1 ratio of the National Resource Allocation Committee formula for the NHS and grant aided expenditure formula for local government.

The National Scheduled Care Programme known as “Getting Ahead – sustainable whole systems management for elective services” has been discussed in detail with the NHS Scotland Chief Operating Officers Group and other informal discussions with a number of NHS boards as well as the British Medical Association.

The Health Directorate Access Support Team will be meeting with all boards to support them in taking forward this work over the next few months.

Resource transfer arrangements have been superseded by the resource delegation arrangements required by the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014. The legislation requires agreement to be reached on budgets for delegation to integration authorities by 1 April 2016.

The £250 million of integration funding provided for in the local government settlement will be allocated to health boards, to whom ministers will give written direction to delegate the full sum to their integration authorities. Integration authorities will then allocate their share of the resources to their local authorities to meet the commitments set out in the settlement.