- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will carry out a comprehensive review of all the procedures pertaining to the appointment of GPs to ensure fairness and accountability and to improve the information flow to, and involvement of, patients and their representatives.
Answer
The arrangements for the appointment of GPs under the new general medical services contract came into effect on 1 April 2004. There are no plans to review them at this time.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the procedure was to enable a single GP practice to become a multi-GP practice between 1995 and 2004 and what the current procedure is.
Answer
Under the NHS (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995 it was a matter for each GP on the medical list to decide whether to practise on their own or in a group practice. Any change to the arrangement had to be notified to the NHS board and patients.
The NHS (General Medical Services Contracts) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 provide that any variation to the contract held by a doctor or doctors must be notified to the NHS board and agreed in writing before it can take effect.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what period it considers to be acceptable between the advertisement of a vacancy at a GP practice and the deadline for submitting applications for that vacancy.
Answer
The period in which an application could be submitted was entirely a matter for a NHS board.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many single GP practices have been (a) advertised and (b) filled in each year since 1995, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
The information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the procedure for filling the vacancy for a single GP practice at the Rowallan Medical Centre in Blantyre was governed by the National Health Service (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995 and whether these regulations applied to the rerun of that appointment.
Answer
The provisions in the NHS (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995 which dealt with vacancies for GPs contained various stages. Where more than one application was received a NHS board was required to select a candidate and report to the Scottish Medical Practices Committee which would approve the addition of the candidate’s name to the NHS board’s medical list. By the time the selection process was rerun for the Blantyre vacancy that committee had been abolished, the 1995 regulations were revoked and the new GMS contact was in place. It was not therefore possible to complete the process under the 1995 Regulations. To deal with such a situation the General Medical Services(Transitional and Other Ancillary Provisions) (Scotland) Order 2004 came into effect on 1 April 2004. It provides that the provisions in the 1995 regulationsup to and including the selection stage remain in force to deal with outstandingcases. It makes clear that once a NHS board has selected a candidate that doctoris offered a contract to provide general medical services under the new arrangements.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers personally approved appointments of GPs between 1995 and 2004 and whether such appointments are currently personally approved by ministers or delegated to officials within the Executive and, if so, to whom.
Answer
The appointments of GPs between 1995 and 2004 was for the Scottish Medical Practices Committee and did not require the approval of ministers. Nor do ministers or officials of the Executive approve such appointments at present.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what rules and regulations covered the advertisement, recruitment, selection and appointment of GPs by an NHS board or trust between 1995 and 2004; what rules and regulations are currently in operation in respect of such appointments; whether there have been any breaches of such rules and regulations since 1995 and, if so, when any such breaches took place, what the breaches were and within which NHS board areas.
Answer
The procedures for the admission of GPs to the medical list of a NHS board between 1995 and 2004 were contained in the NHS (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995. Since 1 April 2004 the NHS (General Medical Services Performers Lists) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 apply.
The only breach of procedure which has come to the attention of ministers in that time was revealed in an appeal by a doctor who was not selected for a vacancy in 2004. An application in the name of a practice rather than an individual medical practitioner was accepted by Lanarkshire Health Board.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures were in place for ministers to approve the advertisement, recruitment, selection and appointment of GPs between 1995 and 2004 and what the current procedures are for GP appointments.
Answer
Between 1995 and 2004 ministers had no role in any aspect of the appointment of GPs in individual cases unless an appeal was submitted by an unsuccessful applicant. If an appeal revealed a defect in any aspect of a case the NHS (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995 enabled ministers to give a NHS board any directions they considered desirable to ensure the proper determination of an application. Generally similar provisions are contained in the NHS (Primary Medical Services Performers Lists) (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many GP practices were initially appointed as single practices and subsequently became multi-practices in each year since 1995.
Answer
The information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers ministers have had since 1995 to intervene in the advertisement, recruitment, selection and appointment of a GP by an NHS board or trust; how often such powers have been exercised; on what basis such powers were exercised, and within which NHS board areas.
Answer
The NHS (Scotland) Act 1978 provides that ministers may give directions to NHS Boards on the exercise of their functions. No general directions have been made since 1995 in respect of advertisement, recruitment, selection and appointment in respect of GPs.
The NHS (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995 and the NHS (Primary Medical Services Performers Lists) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 enable ministers to give particular directions to a NHS board when they remit a case for reconsideration following an appeal by a doctor.
Since 1995 a direction has been given in one case. Following an appeal by a doctor who was not selected for a medical vacancy a direction was given for there-advertising of the vacancy, and for consultation with local interests, to Lanarkshire health board.
