Chamber and committees

No. The Rapid Review Panel assesses equipment, materials and other products that may be of value to the NHS as a whole, including NHS Scotland.

There are different types of public inquiry, but under the Inquiries Act 2005 a Minister (including the Scottish Ministers) may cause an inquiry to be held where it appears that (a) particular events have caused, or are capable of causing, public concern, or (b) there is public concern that particular events may have occurred.

Ministers therefore have the power to instigate inquiries themselves, rather than simply calling for them to be held. The Scottish Ministers can do so if the subject-matter is concerned wholly or primarily with a matter that relates to Scotland and is not a reserved matter within the meaning of the Scotland Act 1998.

The report of the independent external clinical review of anaesthetic services at the Vale of Leven Hospital was published on Friday 15 August.

A copy of the report is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/924/0064627.pdf.

Scottish Power advises that its meter replacement programme is progressing with 81% of prepayment customers in Scotland now having key meters which can be re-calibrated remotely meaning that the issue of back-charging does not arise. The programme is due to be completed by September 2009.

Scottish Power assures me that they make every effort to gain access to homes to recalibrate meters and if they are not satisfied that proper procedures for meter reading and timeous re-calibration of meters has been carried out they will waive back-charges.

I await the findings of Ofgem''s probe into the energy supply market which is expected in September. The probe is intended to make sure that the market is working well for all customers, including those on pre-payment meters.

I am advised by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that one of the two patients who died in June 2008 tested positive for clostridium difficile on 29 April 2008. The second patient was confirmed clostridium difficile positive on 12 June 2008 and died the next day.

It is not possible to provide the breakdown sought for (i) and (ii) as both the Scottish Government and NHS boards invest in a range of measures to tackle all Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI). For example, the Scottish Government invested over £5 million last financial year (2007-2008) in the measures and policies identified in the previous HAI Task Force Delivery Plan (2005-2008). This included funding to support HAI related posts in each NHS board and resources to support our national Hand Hygiene Campaign and the publication of key HAI guidance documents for NHS boards. Within that funding, each NHS board also shared in £1.2 million to support the bids they made for individual HAI related Implementation and Development projects.

The Scottish Government is investing £54 million over the next three years (2008-2011) on an extensive and wide-ranging set of measures to prevent and control all HAIs across NHS Scotland, including a new national MRSA Screening Programme from 2009-2010. NHS boards and our multi agency stakeholders on the HAI Task Force will play a key role in taking forward the comprehensive programme of work in our three year HAI Delivery Plan which came into being on 1 April 2008.

On part (iii) of the member’s Question, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde advise that it is not possible to provide a breakdown of spending on these specific infections at the Vale of Leven Hospital as, in line with all NHS boards, funds are earmarked for infection prevention control and management generally, thus supporting the key message that infection prevention and control is everyone’s business.

NHS Grampian and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde notified Health Protection Scotland (HPS) in accordance with the guidance set out in Annex 4 of the 2003 guidance document Managing Incidents Presenting Actual and Potential Risks to Public Health: Guidance on Roles and Responsibilities of Incident Control Teams. The guidance sets out the circumstances under which HPS should be informed of incidents and outbreaks. On (a) and (b) the Scottish Government was notified of the cases by Health Protection Scotland on 13 May and I was kept regularly briefed by my officials thereafter. Health Protection Scotland were proactive on the matter and sent a letter to all NHS boards on 14 May 2008 to reinforce advice on the measures to control Clostridium difficile and a News Release was issued by them on 15 May 2008. On (c) I refer the member to the question S3W-14687 answered on 24 July 2008.

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/webapp/wa.search.

I would refer to the timeline of events in my statement to the Parliament on 18 June 2008.

Since May 2007, 18 full ward terminal cleans have been carried out in a variety of wards at the Vale of Leven Hospital. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde advise that it is not possible to state when the first terminal clean was carried out at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14339 on 15 July 2008. 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/webapp/wa.search.

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) notified the Scottish Government of this case on 13 May. All the established infection control procedures and steps were followed by the NHS board and, as in all cases of this kind, HPS provided the NHS board with its expert advice and support.