Chamber and committees

NHS Lothian’s local prescribing formulary includes evidence-based antibiotic guidelines for hospital and community-based prescribing. They will always give a first line treatment and an alternative for those with a penicillin allergy. The guidelines for NHS Lothian can be found at:

http://intranet.lothian.scot.nhs.uk/Directory/amt/Pages/
Antimicrobial%20Management%20Home%20Page.aspx .

It is for NHS Boards to put in place local prescribing formularies which are based on a range of issues including the general population, prevalence, clinical decisions and appropriateness for the patient concerned.

Ultimately, prescribing decisions are matters for each GP or prescribing clinician in consultation with the patient, taking into account the individual circumstances, including any allergies and treatment needs.

All health boards in Scotland have local antibiotic guidelines for hospital and community prescribing and these include alternative treatments for patients with a recorded penicillin allergy for all types of infection. Since 2009, following guidance from the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group, all Health Board guidance has been based on an evidence based template developed and maintained by Public Health England and recently merged with NICE guidance on Antimicrobial Prescribing:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/managing-common-infections-guidance-for-primary-care

Local antibiotic guidelines are reviewed and updated where required every 3 years (or sooner if necessary) and approved by Health Board Antimicrobial Management Teams, sub-groups of their Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees and are available electronically in all GP practices clinical systems.

The Scottish Government received the 2018-23 noise action plan from Edinburgh Airport on 18 th December 2018. This was formally adopted by Scottish Ministers on 17 January 2019 and then published on the European Commission’s website, where all of the noise action plans for Scotland can be viewed.

Thought Field Therapy is not included as an evidence based treatment in standard UK clinical guidelines. In particular, it is not included in “The Psychological Matrix” (2015) which is a comprehensive guide to delivering psychological therapies in Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on current medical research, or ongoing medical trials. We expect NHS services to consider all credible options of improving treatment for patients.

Since the Scottish Government became aware of the SMC’s now announced decision not to recommend Orkambi® or Symkevi® for routine availability on the NHS, officials have held a number of meetings with the SMC, with the manufacturer and with other interested parties. The purpose of these meetings has been to seek to develop the principles of a solution that can make possible the widest availability of these medicines, wherever clinically appropriate. Further meetings are planned and work continues as a matter of urgency.

The SMC considered in relation to the two applications that it did not consider the cost to be justified in light of the continuing uncertainty about clinical effectiveness. The SMC takes decisions independently of the Scottish Government.

As outlined in the Tackling Child Poverty Deliver Plan First Annual Progress Report, £4.9 million has currently been committed for 2019-20 from the Tackling Child Poverty Fund. Anticipated investment is set out in the following table:

The following table incudes Scottish public sector contracts awarded to Multiplex through the Public Contracts Scotland web portal. Brookfield is the parent company of Multiplex.

Under the terms of Non-Profit Distributing (NPD) contracts, the unitary charges become payable when the contractor has met its obligations and the procuring authorities “take the keys” to the facility. This is the contract completion date. For buildings, this date will generally be before the procuring authority takes occupation or is delivering services (i.e. becoming operational). This is an essential part of the project where an authority would be required to fit out the facility with for example, equipment and move staff into the facility as well as aligning the opening of a facility with for example, a new College term. This element does not form part of the NPD contract and the time required for this type of activity varies from project to project.

In addition, NPD projects can sometimes have more than one phase so it would be normal for example, to hand over part of a campus or a section of road once completed, with the associated unitary charge payments being adjusted to reflect this.

The following table includes those NPD contracts from 2007 onwards and information relating to the date that the associated unitary charge payments commenced and the date that the facility was opened for use (i.e. operational). The table also includes further information, which provides details of activity between the date unitary charge payments commenced and the date the facility opened for use. Details on all the associated NPD unitary charge payments can be found at the following web links:

www.gov.scot/publications/NPD-hub-projects

www.gov.scot/publications/NPD-projects-pre-November-2010

The Scottish Government is aware of the importance of making these processes easier and quicker where possible without detracting from the crucial safeguarding of children that these processes seek to ensure. The Scottish Government recognises that permanent, loving, nurturing relationships are what matter most to children, and that this is best delivered by giving them the legal certainty that their relationships are permanent. Since 2014 the Scottish Government has funded the Centre for Looked After Children (CELCIS) to deliver the Permanence and Care Excellence programme (PACE). PACE supports improvement projects in local authorities, designed to identify areas of blockages or difficulties in securing permanence for looked after children and to reduce delay where it is appropriate to do so. In line with the commitment in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2018/19 all local authorities have now been offered support from the PACE programme.

Through the Children and Young People Act 2014, the Scottish Government has placed Scotland’s Adoption Register on a statutory footing. The Register provides opportunities for children to be matched with families across Scotland if they cannot be matched locally, and is now used by all local authorities to further reduce the delays in children being matched with adoptive families, and finding permanent homes.

The Scottish Government is committed to working in partnership with the adoption sector to ensure that we improve the outcomes of adopted young people and their families. Adoptions are completed as quickly as is appropriate and possible, without detracting from the crucial safeguarding of children that these processes seek to ensure. The majority of adoptions happen within a year, however the complexities of some adoptions require additional time and such decisions are taken in the best interests of the child or children concerned to ensure the match with adopters meets their long term needs.