This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Out-of-hours health services
12/07/2006
Independent assessment panels judging on the shape of out-of-hours health services should take into account community views as presented to the local NHS Board, Health Minister Andy Kerr said today.
Assessment panels come into play when agreement cannot be reached between a GP and a health board about a GP's wish to transfer the provision of out-of-hours services to the Health Board. Although at present Boards are already able, if they so wish, to carry out engagement with the public on their proposals, in future there will be an expectation that this will be the norm.
Mr Kerr said: "It is important that the community has a strong voice in the shape of their health services.
"The vast majority of out-of-hours services are easily arranged between GPs and NHS Boards. On those rare occasions where there is disagreement, Boards must engage with their community about the issue, as Tayside did recently.
"This means the assessment panels will, in reaching an impartial and objective decision, be able to assure themselves that they have carefully considered the views of the affected local communities.
"Chief Executives are being informed of the new arrangements now".
Background
The design of out-of-hours health care services is a responsibility that transferred to national health service boards on the introduction of the new general medical services contract.
The National Health Service Reform (Scotland) Act 2004 places a duty on NHS boards to involve the public in service redesign. In addition, each community health partnership needs to maintain an effective and formal dialogue with its local communities through public partnership forums to ensure the systematic, continuous engagement of local users and carers in determining priorities and the quality of the services that are delivered to local people.
Guidance for assessment panels was issued in 2004 and this will now be revised.
So far there has only been one assessment panel, in December 2005, addressing NHS Tayside and services covering the Kinloch Rannoch area. That panel agreed that the GP opt out of 24 -hour medical cover could proceed, and that Kinloch Rannoch would become part of the Tayside-wide service.