Weekly News
Released on 07/12/2009
Events Diary
9 December
RCPE Christmas Lecture
Who wants to know: the
challenge of freedom of
information
Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh
With guest speaker, Kevin Dunion, Scottish Information Commissioner. See http://events.rcpe.ac.uk/events/70/who-wants-to-know--the-challenge-of-freedom-of-information
for details.
28 January 2010
IHM Scotland
Annual General Meeting + tour of new Victoria Hospital
4pm, New Victoria Hospital, Glasgow
All IHM members in Scotland are invited to attend. AGM takes place at 4pm followed by a tour of the new Victoria Hospital at 5pm. hilary.iannotti@btinternet.com
2 March 2010
NHS QIS
National Clinical Governance Conference: Tomorrow’s World
Glasgow Hilton
Conference programme will focus on HAIs and patient safety. Registration open January 2010. See flyer at www.nhshealthquality.org/nhsqis/files/Flyer_Conferenceabstract.pdf.
This week in Parliament
Wednesday
10:00 Health & Sport Committee
The Committee will continue to take evidence in its short inquiry into the NHS Clinical Portal Programme and the Scottish Centre for Telehealth.
Thursday
11:40 General Questions
Mary Scanlon (Con, Highlands & Islands): whether the Scottish Government considers that rehabilitation services for stroke patients are adequate throughout Scotland; Andy Kerr (Lab, East Kilbride): when did the Scottish Government last meet representatives of NHS Lanarkshire.
12:00 First Minister’s Questions
Committee calls for evidence on Alcohol Bill
The Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee has called for written evidence from organisations and individuals on the Scottish Government’s Alcohol Bill. The Committee is seeking views on all and any aspects of the Bill, including:
· The advantages and disadvantages of establishing a minimum alcohol sales price based on a unit of alcohol;
· The level at which such a proposed minimum price should be set and the justification for that level;
· The rationale behind the use of minimum pricing as an effective tool to address all types of problem drinking;
· Possible alternatives to the introduction of a minimum alcohol sales price as an effective means of addressing the public health issues surrounding levels of alcohol consumption in Scotland;
· The advantages and disadvantages of introducing a social responsibility levy on pubs and clubs in Scotland;
· The justification for empowering licensing boards to raise the legal alcohol purchase age in their area to 21;
· The role of promotional offers and promotional material in encouraging people to purchase more alcohol than they intended.
Details of how to submit evidence can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/hs/AlcoholBill/AlcoholBillCallforEvidence.htm. The closing date for submissions is 20 January 210.
Chief Executive
annual report: ‘record of improvement’
NHS Scotland chief executive Dr Kevin Woods has published his annual report for NHS Scotland for 2008/09. The report highlights achievements and
improvements in a number of areas, including:
· reduced waiting times
· reductions in HAIs
· increased numbers of children registered with a dentist
· faster ambulance response times
· efficiency savings in excess of targets
· reduced staff sickness absence
· achievement of financial balance.
On workforce, the report records increases in numbers in every staff category (except those previously
categorised as unallocated or unknown, who have now been placed in categories including Other Therapeutic Services and Personal and Social Care).
The report outlines the progress made on the Better Health, Better Care action plan and assesses
performance against HEAT targets and also explains the financial and policy context of achievements made and challenges faced by the NHS in Scotland.
Introducing the report, Dr Woods said:
"Today's report is a record of achievement and
improvement in our health service and I would like to pay tribute to the NHS staff whose hard work and dedication has made it happen...
"Reducing waiting times has been a real challenge for NHSScotland but we are now making steady and
sustained progress, something I know patients and their families appreciate.
"We're also making demonstrable improvements in the fields of dentistry, tackling health inequalities and
cancer care - among many others.
"This has all been achieved while once again ensuring financial balance and exceeding our targets for
efficiency savings, all of which are being reinvested in health services.
"We now have a firm foundation to build on and the challenge for all of us is to continue to improve the quality of healthcare services we deliver."
The report can be read at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/12/03133143/0.
IHM members to visit Glasgow’s new Victoria Hospital
IHM Scotland members will be given the chance to take a tour of the new Victoria Hospital in Glasgow’s south side, following this year’s Annual General Meeting.
This is a great opportunity for IHM members to see one of Scotland’s most modern and well-equipped hospitals up close. Expected to be attended by 400,000 patients a year, the £100 million hospital is designed to do
nothing less than revolutionise patient care. Architecturally, the hospital has not only been built to provide an attractive and
welcoming environment for patients and
visitors with light, airy public spaces,
comfortable waiting areas and modern
consulting rooms, but also to maximise therapeutic impact, quality of care and speed of diagnosis and treatment.
All IHM members are invited to take part in both the AGM and the hospital tour. Contact Business Manager Hilary Iannotti at hilary.iannotti@btinternet.com for full details and to book your place.
Updated equipment guidance
The Scottish Government has published new guidance on the provision of equipment and adaptations. It is designed to help the NHs and local authorities work together to integrate and modernise equipment services and provision. www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/publications/CC2009_05.pdf.
New chair for SAMH
Lindsay Burley has been appointed as the chair of the Scottish Association for Mental Health. A former chief executive of NHS
Borders, Ms Burley also chairs the National Waiting Times Centre Board and was a
member of the Millan Committee, whose
recommendations led to the creation of
Scotland’s modern mental health legislation.
