Chamber and committees

As I have recently announced, I am taking a number of steps to strengthen the inspection and regulatory regime. However, it is also right that as part of the reorganisation of the inspection regime and the establishment of the Care Inspectorate that we sought to achieve efficiencies and deliver savings.

All of the Care Inspectorates Inspectors are multi-disciplinary and therefore work across the spectre of all care services. All Care Inspectorate Inspectors have completed the Regulation of Care Award or are currently undertaking it.

This information is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government do not provide NHS boards with additional funding for HIV treatment costs. NHS boards pay for HIV drug treatments, as with other treatments, from their overall allocations.

There is no centrally held data on the cost savings of HIV prevention in Scotland specifically, however data exist on cost savings at the UK level.

In 2008, UK data from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) indicated that HIV-related costs would have been reduced by £1.1 billion if those 3,550 HIV infections that were diagnosed in the UK in that year were in fact prevented (HPA, 2009).

Additionally, lifetime costs for HIV treatment are estimated to range between £280,000 and £360,000.

The Scottish Government provides an annual allocation to every NHS board under the Sexual Health and Bloodborne Virus Framework, and a component of this funding is for the prevention of blood borne viruses. NHS boards utilise this funding to address the prevention of hepatitis B and C, as well as HIV.

In 2011-12 the following funding was provided to NHS boards for BBV Prevention purposes:

In September 2011, partnerships were projecting to spend £58.3 million of the £70 million allocation in year 2011-12, with an overall forecast underspend for that year of £11.7 million. This position is likely to change as we progress towards year-end and is primarily a result of this being the first year of the Change Fund. Overall, good progress is being made by partnerships on implementing the Change Fund.

It is for partnerships to agree locally how to deal with underspend or slippage in 2011-12, the initial year of the Change Fund’s operation, as long as this meets the objectives of their Change Plans. Any agreed underspends will be carried forward to 2012-13 and partnerships will ensure this is spent on Change Fund Plans.

It is for partnerships to agree locally how to deal with underspend or slippage in 2011-12, the initial year of the Change Fund’s operation, as long as this meets the objectives of their Change Plans. Any agreed underspends will be carried forward to 2012-13 and partnerships will ensure this is spent on Change Fund Plans.

A mid-year progress report on the implementation of the Change Fund was considered by the Health and Community Care Delivery Group on 6 September 2011. The report identified that by the end of September 2011, Partnerships planned to spend £10.6 million, and a further £47.7 million between October 2011 and March 2012. This position is likely to change as we progress towards year-end.

It is for partnerships to agree locally how to deal with underspend or slippage in 2011-12, the initial year of the Change Fund’s operation, as long as this meets the objectives of their Change Plans. Any agreed underspends will be carried forward to 2012-13 and partnerships will ensure this is spent on Change Fund Plans.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03568 on 8 November 2011. 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.

Local government is fully committed to the preventative spend approach and to making an appropriate financial contribution to the Change Fund.

The expenditure in total across the spending review period is £272 million for the Early Years Change Fund.