Chamber and committees

The number of GPs in Scotland has increased by 7% under this Government, and we want to go further to boost GP numbers as part of a building a strong, multi-disciplinary Community Health Service. In Scotland we are transforming primary care, supported by £85 million of extra investment to put in place long-term, sustainable change within GP services that can better meet changing needs and demands. As part of this, over £2 million is being invested in work to explore with key stakeholders the issues surrounding GP recruitment and retention. We have pledged to increase GP training places for medical students from 300 to 400 a year and are expanding schemes to encourage trained GPs to return to practice in the NHS. We are working closely with the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal College of GPs to reduce workload, including our pioneering agreement to abolish the bureaucratic system of GP payments, and work towards a brand new Scottish GP contract from 2017. A £20 million package to support GPs will also help ease pressures on workload in the short term, and contribute to putting general practice on a more long-term sustainable footing.

In Scotland we are transforming primary care, supported by £85 million of extra investment to put in place long-term, sustainable change within GP services that can better meet changing needs and demands. We have also pledged to increase GP training places for medical students from 300 to 400 a year and are expanding schemes to encourage trained GPs to return to practice in the NHS. We are working closely with the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal College of GPs to reduce workload, including our pioneering agreement to abolish the bureaucratic system of GP payments, and work towards a new Scottish GP contract from 2017. A £20 million package to support GPs will also help ease pressures on workload in the short term, and contribute to putting general practice on a more long-term sustainable footing.

Our expectation is that Freedom of Information (FoI) is fully complied with by all NHS Boards. We also recognise that the Information Services Division’s (ISD) role as producers of official and national statistics means that, on occasion, it is appropriate for Health Boards and ISD to discuss FoI requests. National Services Scotland (within which ISD sits) and NHS Dumfries and Galloway, like other public bodies, are responsible for implementing the FoI Act and the Commissioner is responsible for enforcing and promoting FoI. The Scottish Information Commissioner's finding is a matter for NHS Dumfries and Galloway to respond to. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of transparency for all public bodies and, as such, expects all NHS Boards to fully comply with the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Every health board publishes a Code of Conduct for their board members. Their Code is based on the Model Code of Conduct that was published by the Scottish Government following a period of consultation and the approval of the Scottish Parliament in December 2013. The Model Code is available to view at http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0044/00442087.pdf. The Code highlights the importance of avoiding conflicts of interest and focusses on the key principles of public life for members of public bodies. All members of an NHS board have a responsibility to ensure that they are familiar with, and that their actions comply with, the provisions of the Code of Conduct.In addition to the requirements of the Code, all health board members undertake induction training, which includes highlighting their responsibilities around the issue of conflicts of interest. An easy to read booklet on the important aspects of induction for health board members, including conflicts of interest, was published by the Scottish Government in August 2015 and is available to view at http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0048/00487869.pdf. NHS Boards will also make other opportunities available to both new and existing members to further understand their role in providing good governance through the provision of additional local training and development.The provisions for dealing with alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct is set out in Part 2 of the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000. This also sets out the sanctions that shall be applied if the Standards Commission finds that there has been a breach of the Code.

East Ayrshire, Glasgow City, Perth and Kinross, Western Isles/ Eilean Siar and Fife Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) will be supported to test and implement improvements in the approaches taken to the identification of needs and coordination of palliative and end of life care for people who need this.

The Scottish Government has asked the Chief Executive of Ardgowan Hospice to identify learning from work such as ‘Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief’, ‘Compassionate Inverclyde’ and ‘To Absent Friends’ and provide advice on how best to support the spread of this work and address any gaps.

The Scottish Government plans to issue the strategic commissioning guidance on palliative and end of life care this winter.

The Scottish Government is supporting the development of locally owned improvement and implementation plans through the commissioning of additional improvement support, support for a new educational framework, and guidance for developing plans that take account of local needs.

The Scottish Government plans to issue the first annual learning and improvement report into palliative and end of life care in spring 2017.

The National Implementation Advisory Group met for the first time on 3 June. At this meeting they identified subject matter experts to lead on each of the commitments outlined in the Strategic Framework.