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Clyde Health Scrutiny Panel
17/08/2007
The Independent Scrutiny Panel which will consider NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde's proposals for future NHS services in Clyde, including those provided at the Vale of Leven Hospital in Alexandria, is to be chaired by Professor Angus Mackay
Professor Mackay, who was awarded an OBE in 1997 for services to medicine and Chaired the Health Technology Board for Scotland, has been appointed by Nicola Sturgeon to head up the Panel which will start its work next month.
The Health and Wellbeing Secretary has also announced the terms of reference for the Panel, which is scheduled to conclude it work by publishing a report at the end of November. NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde will then decide on the service options to take to public consultation, as informed by the Panel's report.
Ms Sturgeon said:
"Any proposals for significant service change in the Scottish NHS will now be subject to rigorous independent scrutiny before public consultation can take place. The Scottish Government intends to consult on proposals for embedding independent scrutiny in the service change process soon.
"NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde approved its Clyde service proposals at the end of June. I do not wish to delay the independent scrutiny of these proposals or to hold up formal public consultation on them. I have therefore decided to put in place a separate arrangement to ensure the robust independent scrutiny of the proposals for service change in Clyde.
"It is important that the Chair of this Panel be someone who is demonstrably impartial and objective; has extensive experience of the NHS; and who has standing within the health service. In Professor Mackay we have an ideal figure to lead the Panel.
"The Panel's terms of reference make it clear how it will consider and report on NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde's service proposals.
"I want to assure local people that I have specifically asked the Panel to consider whether NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde's proposals are - in light of the Government's presumption against the centralisation of NHS services - reasonable and necessary, and whether all viable service options have been considered."
Professor Angus Mackay said:
"I look forward to Chairing the Independent Panel which will consider whether NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde has taken appropriate account of the views of local people in developing its proposals for consultation.
"Local people and clinicians will rightly expect the Board's proposals for consultation to be robust, evidence-based, patient-centred and consistent with clinical best practice and national policy.
"This Panel will assess the safety, sustainability, evidence-base and value for money of the proposals, and will - as informed by a report from the Scottish Health Council - carefully consider whether the Board has appropriately taken account of the views of local communities before reporting on our findings."
The Panel will have three members besides the Chair - a clinical expert, a financial professional and an individual with expertise in the field of public engagement and consumer interests. The panel will also have access to economic advice. The full membership will be announced shortly.
Professor Angus Mackay has had a career of nearly 40 years with the Medical Research Council and the NHS, during which he has been continuously involved in the scientific appraisal of evidence in a wide variety of settings. He has worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist, Physician Superintendent (the last in the UK) and Medical Director in the NHS. Prof. Mackay teaches at the University of Glasgow and taught at the Universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh and St.Andrews on neuropharmacology and psychiatry. He was formerly Clinical Director of the MRC Neurochemical Pharmacology Unit, Cambridge, and served with distinction on numerous national health bodies including the Committee on the Safety of Medicines.
His current appointments include: Professor of Psychological Medicine at the University of Glasgow; a Member of the Board of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (UK); a Member of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland; Honorary Fellow in Neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh; Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee at the Sackler Institute for Neurobiological Research (University of Glasgow); Occasional Chairman of the Appeals Committee of the Scottish Medicines Consortium; and President of the Argyll Division of the BMA.
His past appointments include: Chairman of the Health Technology Board for Scotland; Director of Mental Health Services for Lomond and Argyll; Physician Superintendent at Argyll and Bute Hospital; Medical Director of Argyll and Bute NHS Trust; Chairman of the Working Group on a Scottish Health Technology Assessment Centre; Chairman of the Working Group on Mental Health Services; Vice-Chairman of the Health Services Research Committee; Chairman of the Research and Clinical Section of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (Scottish Division) and Member of the Scottish Executive of the Royal College of Psychiatrists; Member of the Clinical Resource and Audit Group; Member of the Committee on Safety of Medicines; Member of the NHS Policy Board.
Task and Terms of Reference of the Panel
The task of the Panel is to bring to bear independent, expert, probing scrutiny on the relevant service proposals for consultation from NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. The aim of this scrutiny is to provide assurance to the public, through the Panel's published commentary, that the proposals for consultation:
- Are, in light of the presumption against centralisation, reasonable and necessary (i.e. is the Board correct to conclude that there is no reasonable way to sustain the local delivery of services)
- Are safe, sustainable, evidence-based and represent value for money
- Are robust, patient-centred and consistent with clinical best practice and national policy
- Have been prepared taking appropriate account of the views of individuals and communities affected, as assessed by the Scottish Health Council
- And reflect full consideration of all viable service options
In order to carry out its task the Panel will need to:
- Provide a clear, comprehensive and accessible commentary on the proposals, in a form suitable for publication
- Complete this work by November 2007