Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government’s Quality Strategy commits us to ensure that healthcare services are not only person-centred, but also effective and safe. As such, the introduction of any new health technology should be guided by those principles.

An assessment of the clinical and cost effectiveness of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and its safety, was a central part of the National Planning Forum’s (NPF) original review of TAVI in February 2011.

The NPF concluded that there was insufficient evidence at that point in time, to support a recommendation that a TAVI service should be established in Scotland, on the basis that the long term outcomes are unknown, there is only limited evidence of clinical efficacy and no evidence of cost effectiveness. This conclusion is supported by the most recent findings of the Scottish Health Technologies Group.

The National Institute for Health Research has also commissioned a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) looking at cost effectiveness. Publication of this HTA in December will trigger a further review by the Scottish Health Technologies Group.

As agreed at the time of the original review of TAVI in February 2011, NHSScotland will take this emerging evidence into account in its future consideration of the provision of TAVI by the end of February 2012.

Meantime, we expect that NHS boards should continue to ensure that local arrangements are in place so that people with severe aortic stenosis get access to appropriate clinical treatment. As part of those arrangements, where it is considered clinically appropriate by their doctors, patients can get access to TAVI treatment through consideration by an individual case panel.

As the question relates to local government I have asked COSLA to consider the question and provide a response. Officials from COSLA replied to the member on 23 September 2011.

The National Planning Forum will be provided with an update on transcathere aortic valve implantation treatment (TAVI) when it meets on 13 October 2011.

The Scottish Government announced it's 2012-13 public sector pay policy during the Spending Review statement on 21 September. Employers covered by the policy are required to apply a Scottish Living Wage. The policy is available at:

www.scotland.gov.uk/publicsectorpay.

Pay for other public sector and private sector staff is a matter for these employers.

Since 1999, 24 children have accessed the paediatric congenital heart service at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. The breakdown per year is as under.

With the exception of paediatric cardiac transplantation, a full range of paediatric cardiac surgery services is provided in Scotland by Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow.

In addition, where it is necessary due to rarity and/or complexity, a very few children may require to be referred to relevant centre(s) in England. In such exceptional cases care is jointly shared between the relevant service and Yorkhill.

The Scottish Ambulance Service has advised that the overtime budget since 2007-08 has been:

It is important to note that these figures cannot be compared on a like for like basis. Prior to 2008-09, the budget associated with covering vacancies was included in the basic pay budget. However, as vacancies are covered on overtime, since 2008-09 this provision has been included in the overtime budget. Also in 2009-10, the overtime budget was increased to backfill for 40 additional staff to be trained in specialist operational response procedures.

The budget for 2011-12 is currently £4,363,000 but this figure is subject to revision over the course of the year. The Scottish Ambulance Service are continuing to make every effort to reduce overtime across the service.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02389 on 27 September 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/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.

The information requested has been provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service and has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 53208).

Through representation on the Safe and Sustainable review group we have had the opportunity to ensure that the views of Scottish Government and NHS Scotland are taken into account in the Department of Health’s consideration of the proposals for the future of paediatric cardiac surgery in England.

Whatever the outcome of that review, high quality, sustainable heart transplantation services will continue to be available for patients from Scotland.