Chamber and committees

Health Protection Scotland has advised that by treating a minimum of 2,500 people during 2019-20 and 3,000 people each year thereafter, we can eliminate hepatitis C in Scotland by 2024. Case finding and treatment will be guided by the recommendations of the Hepatitis C Case Finding and Access to Care report. The largest cost in delivering hepatitis C elimination is the price of medicines, which is subject to commercial confidentiality.

The Chief Executive of each board is ultimately responsible for all aspects of the performance of the board.

It is up to each NHS board to determine how to fund case finding. The rationale for eliminating hepatitis C is clear both in terms of the benefit to patients and the saving of future costs associated with the consequences of advanced hepatitis C.

We are working with chronic pain services across the whole patient pathway to ensure that people can receive appropriate and timely treatment and care. This will cover all services across primary and secondary care, including specialist chronic pain clinics, with a view to developing sustainable services.

Under the Waiting Times Improvement Plan we have made over £102 million available to Health Boards in 2019-20. These resources will help to reduce waiting times across Scotland in line with the activity agreed in Health Boards Annual Operational Plans, which will be published on Health Boards websites shortly.

The Cullen Centre provides an outpatient service for patients with an eating disorder who require support. This can include home visits where necessary, which would take place if patients have been clinically assessed as requiring it.

I agree with the member’s aspiration that there should be an equitable and consistent provision of services for people with eating disorders across Scotland.

As referenced in the answer to question S5W-24291, we have committed to Scotland-specific clinical guidelines, produced by SIGN. Additionally, we understand that the Mental Welfare Commission intend to publish a needs assessment report in 2020, outlining the current availability of Eating Disorders services. These two pieces of work will inform the level of support and resources that will be required by NHS Boards.

Scottish Government officials have been in discussions with the Royal College of Psychiatry’s Eating Disorders faculty over the course of 2019 in relation to a needs assessment, and a review of the existing evidence base.

As referenced in the answer to question S5W-25424, we understand that the Mental Welfare Commission intend to publish a needs assessment report in 2020. This report will outline the current availability of Eating Disorders services, and together with the SIGN guidelines, will inform future improvement work.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-25421 on  26 September 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

The Scottish Government is clear in our engagement with NHS Boards that patients should be assessed according to their clinical need. Our expectation is that those who need immediate treatment, whether for an eating disorder or for any condition or disorder requiring access to mental health services, will receive that care quickly – whether that takes place in specialist settings, or via the work of community mental health teams.

Community mental health teams already provide a range of services for different conditions, including Eating Disorders, covering a range of intensities. The forthcoming SIGN guidelines for Eating Disorders will outline the evidence for treatment, and will be an important consideration to further inform how local areas respond to individual cases.

The Integration Joint Boards (IJB) Chief Officers Group is currently working to build a picture of which IJBs have formally adopted the terms set out in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) since its agreement earlier this year.

Although this work concluded earlier this year at a national level, timescales associated with local adoption of the MOU are expected to vary depending on the existing arrangements between individual Hospices and IJBs.