– in the Scottish Parliament at on 19 November 2014.
Aileen McLeod
Scottish National Party
10. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help rural NHS boards recruit and retain clinical staff. (S4O-03710)
Alex Neil
Scottish National Party
The Scottish Government remains committed to the delivery of sustainable, high-quality healthcare in remote and rural areas. While it is the responsibility of NHS boards to recruit staff to ensure that they can deliver services, I expect boards to review current service provision where there are recurring recruitment difficulties, including using alternative staffing structures in situations in which that would meet the needs of patients.
We are supporting boards in that work. For example, I recently announced an additional £40 million of funding for general practitioner and primary care services over the next year, which will help fund local initiatives to improve GP and primary care services where there are particular pressures, such as in rural, remote rural and island communities.
Aileen McLeod
Scottish National Party
Having visited the Galloway community hospital with me in August, the Cabinet secretary will be aware of concerns, particularly regarding the recruitment and retention of accident and emergency staff at the hospital in Stranraer as well as around the lack of training opportunities. What measures is he considering to help NHS Dumfries and Galloway to manage that situation?
Alex Neil
Scottish National Party
I had a successful visit to Stranraer, and I can update the member on exactly the point that she raises, although it is the responsibility of the board to ensure that the correct staffing levels are in place to deliver safe patient care.
I have been advised by the board that its medical staffing position has improved and it has recently recruited an additional 2.5 whole-time equivalent doctors. The board has advised that that takes the complement to 4.3 whole-time equivalent doctors out of a funded establishment of 6.5. As a consequence, there are no uncovered shifts in the rotas up to January 2015.
The board continues with recruitment activity. Official Information Services Division statistics show that workforce numbers in Dumfries and Galloway are up by 5.3 per cent under the Scottish National Party and that emergency medicine consultants are up by 307.5 per cent under the SNP, which is equivalent to 3.1 whole-time equivalent positions.
Rhoda Grant
Labour
The Cabinet secretary stated that the £40 million was additional funding. My understanding is that it came out of the integration fund and that it is, therefore, not additional funding. He made that point to the Health and Sport Committee a couple of weeks ago.
Rhoda Grant
Labour
Given that the issue concerns urban and rural areas, is it not time that the Cabinet secretary took control of it and gave us an NHS that is fit for the 21st century?
Alex Neil
Scottish National Party
There are big pressures on GP services and primary care and on acute services. One of the reasons why there are so many pressures on acute services, not only in rural and remote rural areas and island communities but throughout Scotland, is that we need to invest more in our primary care services. For example, we have evidence to show that many people turn up at accident and emergency departments because their treatment is turned around there within four hours, which means that they do not have to wait for days, weeks or longer for a GP appointment. The £40 million is directed at rural areas, deep-end practices and those practices where there is an above-average ageing population, particularly where there is a very elderly population. As rural areas have a disproportionate share of elderly people, they will benefit enormously from that £40 million.
Dennis Robertson
Scottish National Party
With the Government’s emphasis on moving patients away from the acute services into primary care, what steps is it taking to recruit and retain nurses and health visitors in rural communities such as mine, Aberdeenshire West?
Alex Neil
Scottish National Party
We have quite a number and wide range of initiatives. What is important is to ensure that nurses and allied health professionals have the facilities to work with. I would argue that the heavy investment that we are putting into many areas is beneficial. For example, in Grampian, when the new Inverurie centre—which I know has the support of the local member—is built in two or three years’ time, it will be seen to be a very good example of how we retain good-quality staff in rural areas.
I have been round the current Inverurie centre. Although the staff there do a fantastic job, including some operations, the need for a new facility is urgent, which is why we have given the go-ahead and the new facility will be opened in 2017.
Tricia Marwick
None
Questions 12 and 13 have been withdrawn. I have explanations—[Interruption.]
I come back to question 11, from George Adam.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
The House of Commons votes by dividing. Those voting Aye (yes) to any proposition walk through the division lobby to the right of the Speaker and those voting no through the lobby to the left. In each of the lobbies there are desks occupied by Clerks who tick Members' names off division lists as they pass through. Then at the exit doors the Members are counted by two Members acting as tellers. The Speaker calls for a vote by announcing "Clear the Lobbies". In the House of Lords "Clear the Bar" is called. Division Bells ring throughout the building and the police direct all Strangers to leave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. They also walk through the public rooms of the House shouting "division". MPs have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby before the doors are closed. Members make their way to the Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remind the uncertain which way, if any, their party is voting. Meanwhile the Clerks who will take the names of those voting have taken their place at the high tables with the alphabetical lists of MPs' names on which ticks are made to record the vote. When the tellers are ready the counting process begins - the recording of names by the Clerk and the counting of heads by the tellers. When both lobbies have been counted and the figures entered on a card this is given to the Speaker who reads the figures and announces "So the Ayes [or Noes] have it". In the House of Lords the process is the same except that the Lobbies are called the Contents Lobby and the Not Contents Lobby. Unlike many other legislatures, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have not adopted a mechanical or electronic means of voting. This was considered in 1998 but rejected. Divisions rarely take less than ten minutes and those where most Members are voting usually take about fifteen. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P9 at the UK Parliament site.
