Chamber and committees

The supporting information published alongside Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s ‘Chronic pain Services in Scotland: Where are we now?’ report, which is available at:

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/our_work/long_term_conditions/chronic_pain/where_are_we_now.aspx, notes that all of the chronic pain Service Improvement Groups/Managed Clinical Networks will make plans publicly available on their local pages of the new national chronic pain website from April 2014. The website can be accessed via: www.chronicpainscotland.org

NHS boards are required to include chronic pain service improvement in their local delivery plans for 2014. The Scottish Government will monitor progress through the NHS board annual review process.

Information on the levels of funding for each NHS board chronic pain service is not held centrally. Scottish Ministers have made it clear that we expect chronic pain services to be the delivered through existing funding provided to boards in their annual allocations. The detailed planning and delivery of services is a matter for individual NHS boards taking account of their resident populations and assessment of needs.

The retention of police officers is a matter for Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.

Police Scotland has set out in its recently published Corporate Strategy, plans to diversify its workforce through the promotion of attractive, inclusive and responsible practices. Police Scotland also set out in its 2013 Equality and Diversity Report, that Police Scotland will continue its commitment to the principles of positive action in respect to recruitment, retention, progression and development in order to achieve an equitable work environment.

The recruitment of police officers is a matter for Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.

Police Scotland has set out in its recently published Corporate Strategy, plans to diversify its workforce through the promotion of attractive, inclusive and responsible practices including exploring alternative, flexible recruitment options to build a more diverse workforce. Police Scotland also set out in its 2013 Equality and Diversity Report, that Police Scotland will continue its commitment to the principles of positive action in respect to recruitment, retention, progression and development in order to achieve an equitable work environment.

The recruitment and promotion of police officers is an operational matter for Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.

Police Scotland has set out in its recently published Corporate Strategy, plans to diversify its workforce through the promotion of attractive, inclusive and responsible practices including exploring alternative, flexible recruitment options to build a more diverse workforce. Police Scotland also set out in its 2013 Equality and Diversity Report, that Police Scotland will continue its commitment to the principles of positive action in respect to recruitment, retention, progression and development in order to achieve an equitable work environment.

£2 million over two years has been allocated to the implementation of the Sensory Impairment Strategy.

An additional £2 million has been made available over two years for the implementation of the Sensory Impairment Strategy which was launched on 24 April 2014.

Implementation will be led by local partnerships and driven by local partnership leads with support from Scottish Government officials.

Outcome measures will be agreed to allow measurement and reporting of improvement.

One of the recommendations of the Sensory Impairment Strategy is that local partnerships should audit service patterns on sensory impairment.

Funding is available to support the implementation of the strategy over the next two years.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20941 on 8 May 2014. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.