Chamber and committees

For the fiscal period 2011-12, nine NHS boards reported an underlying recurring deficit. For the same period, the combined underlying recurring deficit for NHS Scotland was £31.29million. For 2012-13 the number of boards reporting an underlying recurring deficit has reduced to seven; with the current combined forecast for NHS Scotland reduced to £16.68million.

The following table details the recurring surplus/deficit reported by NHS boards to Audit Scotland for 2011-12 (actual position) and projected for 2012-13. This information is contained within the Audit Scotland NHS financial performance 2011-12 report. For 2011-12 boards reported a combined underlying recurring deficit of £31.29million. The projection for 2012-13 previously reported to Audit Scotland is for the combined underlying recurring deficit to reduce to £15.04million.

The latest combined information reported by NHS boards to the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates (SGHSCD) from the financial returns covering the period to 30 September 2012 is a forecast for 2012-13 of a recurring deficit of £16.68million (c0.17%).

NHS Fife has an agreed financial plan to achieve recurring financial balance by the end of 2013-14. In the context of an £11.6 billion health budget this is not considered to be a high risk area particularly when the forecast for 2012-13 is that the recurring deficit will substantially reduce from the previous year.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W–11040 on 22 November 2012. 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.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance not only of transparency, but also of consistency of reporting and will provide guidance to NHS boards to further improve the consistency of board reporting in this area.

We fully recognise the important role that technology can play in supporting the care of people with diabetes. This is reflected in our investment of £2.5 million in insulin pump technology earlier this year. We have also invested £115,000 in the “MyDiabetesMyWay” online tool which connects people with diabetes to their clinical data online.

We expect local NHS boards diabetes to take full advantage of new health technologies to benefit people with diabetes once they have demonstrated that they are clinically and cost effective.

NHS boards are supported by well established, robust advice mechanisms, including the Scottish Health Technologies Group, to help ensure that people with diabetes get appropriate access to new treatments.

NHS boards’ diabetes services are responsible for ensuring young people with diabetes get access to the emotional and psychological support they need.

Our Diabetes Action Plan 2010 fully recognises the importance of improving the capacity and quality of emotional and psychological support available to people with diabetes of all ages. It states:

We want to improve the full spectrum of emotional and psychological support for people living with diabetes in Scotland through enhancing the skills of clinical staff and valuing the contribution of voluntary sector support, including peer support.

We are currently supporting a range of projects including the Psychology in Diabetes, Psychology and Diabetes project, which is running within six NHS boards. The project aims to implant psychological care within diabetes services, including two paediatric services, through training NHS staff to improve their skills in behaviour change and psychological support. This initiative provides the opportunity for

increased psychological support to people with diabetes;

integrated care across medical and psychological issues; and

building a skill base in diabetes within the psychology professions.

We are also working with Diabetes UK Scotland in the delivery of a national buddy coordinator project, which will help people with diabetes to access peer support.

Our Diabetes Action Plan, published in 2010, highlights the importance of transitional care in supporting young people with diabetes to effectively manage their condition, and we expect every board to ensure that children are appropriately managed in the transition from paediatric to adult diabetes services.

The Scottish Diabetes Group has appointed an adolescent and paediatric subgroup, supported by national paediatric coordinator for diabetes services. This group and post will help to support an improved and standardised approach to the care of all children and young adults with diabetes in Scotland.

The coordinator visited each NHS board area in 2012 and has confirmed, with services, that transitional arrangement exist in every board area. In addition every NHS board area, where appropriate, now has joint clinics with representation from both adult and paediatric services.

The paediatric subgroup and coordinator now plan to work with NHS boards to build on and strengthen these transitional services.

We want to ensure that all people with diabetes, irrespective of age get access to the best possible care - appropriately tailored to their individual needs.

Our Diabetes Action Plan 2010 notes that:

Over the lifetime of this Action Plan, diabetes care services should become more flexible and effective in their capacity to reach people in all care settings and to provide training and mentoring for non-specialist community care partners.

Diabetes Managed Clinical Networks are currently reviewing the diabetes education available to staff working in residential homes, we expect this work will help strengthen staff’s ability to deliver person-centred care.

From 1 October 2012, the Government implemented the ban on age discrimination enshrined in the Equality Act 2010, giving protection against age discrimination in services provided by the public, private and third sectors.

The annual Scottish Diabetes Survey produced by the Scottish Diabetes Survey Monitoring Group, provides a comprehensive account of the quality of diabetes care across the whole of Scotland. This year, the Survey includes charts that will enable each NHS board and diabetes managed clinical networks to quickly review and compare their local information. The latest published edition of the survey can be found at the following link:

http://www.diabetesinscotland.org.uk/Publications/SDS%202011.pdf

NHS Dumfries and Galloway has confirmed that Jimmy Savile attended a public fund raising event in 1977. Whilst the responsibility for assessing and investigating allegations of criminal activity in Scotland rests with the relevant police force, NHS Dumfries and Galloway are unaware of any investigation by police.

No other territorial NHS boards within Scotland have involved Jimmy Savile in fundraising or promotional activity. However NHS Lanarkshire has confirmed that Jimmy Savile performed the opening of the renal unit and garden area at Monklands Hospital in August 2000.

Responsibility for assessing and investigating allegations of criminal activity in Scotland rests with the relevant police force. The Scottish Government maintains close liaison with the police, local authorities, child protection committees, health boards and voluntary organisations about child protection issues in general, and is monitoring the situation in relation to reports about Jimmy Savile’s activities in Scotland. It has not had discussions with the UK Government on this issue.

If anyone has evidence of, or has, suffered criminal activity or sexual abuse, they should contact the police so that an investigation can be made. Anyone who is looking for support should visit www.survivorscotland.org.uk which gives details of a range of support services which can help.