Health Tracker: General questions By Katie Mackintosh 01.12.11: Family Nurse Partnerships
The Scottish Government has announced its intention to further roll-out an intensive parenting programme that gives extra support to first-time teenage parents during their pregnancy and throughout the first two years of their baby’s life. Over the next two years, five NHS boards will
be asked to select sites where the Family-Nurse Partnership Programme (FNPP) can make the most difference, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said in response to a question about plans to further roll out the FNPP in Scotland. Sturgeon said this would treble the number of
families on the programme. At the same time, she said the readiness of all of
the NHS boards to participate in the programme will be assessed in preparation for the next phase of the roll-out. SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson asked if the Cabinet
ecretary agreed that the evidence that the Social Research Unit recently presented to the Finance Committee shows demonstrably that investment in FNPs throughout Scotland would produce greatly improved outcomes for children and mothers while delivering a considerable saving for the public purse? Sturgeon replied that she “strongly agreed” with
that. Written question
01.12.11: Electronic cigarettes
Aileen McLeod (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider regulating the sale of electronic cigarettes and what investigations it has carried out on any potential public health risks arising from these products. Public Health Minister Michael Matheson replied: The
World Health Organisation has said that the safety and extent of nicotine uptake from electronic cigarettes has not been established. In some countries electronic cigarettes are
regulated as medicines. The regulation of medicines in the UK is reserved to the UK Government under the Scotland Act. In 2010, the Medicines and Healthcare products
Regulatory Agency (MHRA) undertook a public consultation on the need for regulation of electronic cigarettes. To inform future decisions, it is now undertaking scientific and market research on these products.
Minimum pricing
Mary Scanlon (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the European Commission (EC) regarding notification of proposed measures to prohibit the sale of alcohol below a minimum price and what advice it has received from the EC regarding notification.
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola
Sturgeon replied: Scottish Government officials have discussed with the EC the Government’s intended measures as regards minimum pricing, but no legal advice has been sought or was given.
Events diary
13 December Social Enterprise Cross-Party Group meeting Location TBC, 13.00
16 December Freedom of Information Scotland, a Holyrood magazine event Royal College of Surgeons, Quincentenary Hall, Edinburgh
23 December 2011 – 8 January 2012 Scottish Parliament is in recess
22 December Cervical Cancer Prevention Week
www.jostrust.org.uk
25 January WISH national sexual health and wellbeing event Virtual Conference, Stirling Management Centre
27 January Building on the Rights of Children and Young People, AHolyrood magazine event Location TBC, Edinburgh
12 December 2011
www.holyrood.com 49
Event
22.11.11: Regulators MSPs and their researchers had a chance to find out more about the work of the healthcare professional regulators in Scotland at a Scottish parliamentary event hosted by Bob Doris MSP, the Deputy Convener of the Health and Sport Committee. The event was jointly organised by the Health
“I have just come from speaking at the family-
nurse partnership national conference, where there was a focus on the evidence from elsewhere about the programme’s success and on the evidence and learning that are now emerging in Scotland,” she said. “The emerging evidence in Scotland is that the
programme can have a significant impact not only on the future prospects and life chances of children but by bettering the entire family’s economic circumstances. It is preventative spending in action and is absolutely in line with the Government’s commitment to spend more of its resources preventing some of the problems that take up so much of our resources in later years. I am absolutely committed to furtherance of the programme.”
Professions Council, the General Medical Council, the General Dental Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the General Pharmaceutical Council. Duncan McNeil MSP, the Convener of the Health and Sport Committee, was also able to make an unexpected welcome visit to the event. Cathy Cairns, Assistant Director for Scotland and
Northern Ireland at the Nursing and Midwifery Council, welcomed attendees and talked about how all of the regulators are working closely together with all key partners in Scotland to help improve standards of patient care. Cairns added that this was more important than ever as most healthcare professional regulation is UK-wide while health policy is becoming increasingly divergent between the four UK countries. Attendees got the opportunity to explore the
relationship between healthcare professional regulation, most of which is reserved to Westminster, and devolved health policy. Issues of particular interest to MSPs and MSP researchers included patient confidentiality and consent and raising concerns about poor care. Staff from all of the organisations involved were on
hand to talk through recent developments in healthcare professional regulation and how they affect health professionals in Scotland. They also explained how their organisations did more than just ‘strike off’ poorly performing practitioners - they also set the standards for good practice and for education and training, and made sure only health professionals who met strict
criteria for registration could work in Scotland. Those at the event could test their knowledge through an interactive quiz. Bob Doris MSP said: “This event was an excellent opportunity for MSP
researchers, MSPs and Parliament staff to learn about the extensive work the regulators for health professionals are doing in Scotland. The format was particularly engaging and helped to highlight the regulators’ strong commitment to ensuring the way they regulate in Scotland works well with the wider healthcare environment here and does everything possible to protect patients.”
Bob Shields |
StockPix.eu
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