A report of the meeting can be found here on the www.ghpscot.org.uk website. The course was excellent and it is hoped that it will be an annual event in the future.
The meeting was addressed by M Fuller and Janis Millar from SPRIG on the topic of Agenda For Change (AfC). Although intended to last for about an hour, the topic was discussed for the majority of the meeting with some very spirited debate. Subsequent to the meeting, a joint letter from ASTCP, GHP, RPSiS and Amicus was composed and sent to Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm requesting a meeting to discuss AfC and the effect on pharmacy services should it be implemented in it's current form.
The paper was launched by the Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm, accompanied by Deputy Health Ministers Frank McAveety and Mary Mulligan. The message was that the overall direction indicated in "Our National Health" was not changing. The intentions were still to improve the health of the people of Scotland and to modernise the NHS.
The meeting was held to discuss "Partnership For Care" and addressed by Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm and NHSScotland Chief Executive Trevor Jones. A separate report of the meeting can be found on the www.ghpscot.org.uk website. I took the opportunity during the question and answer session to broach the subject of pharmacists in AfC and the problems both they and the service faced ifthe current proposals were adopted unchanged. The Minister asked the Chief Executive to respond and he stated that he did not have the detailed information to answer the question. During a subsequent discussion over coffee, I was asked to write to him, explaining the problems. I have done so and await a response.
Scottish Executive Group meeting 9/3/03:
Senior Reps Course February 2003:
Agenda For Change:
There is to be a major roadshow in each Trust in Scotland and this will be used as a means of cascading information downwards. They will probably take place throughout April. If the ballot results in an across the board rejection of AFC by all the unions then we retain the existing negotiating machinery. It was noted that BMA discussions on a Scottish Consultants Contract appear to be floundering. If the Early Implementers go ahead, there will be a paper exercise in St Johns, Livingston and the Golden Jubilee Hospital, Clydebank, shadowing the process. A recent announcement indicated that the DoH expected most trusts to become Foundation Hospitals in the fulness of time. There is therefore concern within NHSScotland that Foundation Hospitals' experience will not give Scotland the information it requires. The unions prime concerns are
The NAC meeting on 28th March has still to determine whether it is to be a two vote ballot. Although publicised as being a possibility, it seems to be being taken as fact. Unison have announced their plan to have two ballots and the TGWU are considering it. The RCN definitely do not want a two vote ballot. The NAC meeting on 27th February ruled out any analysis of the vote by profession or region in favour of having one result - either a "yes" or a "no". However, a previous agreed motion means that the value of that vote must be spelled out on the ballot paper. Apparently the DoH is as concerned as Amicus about the timescales and the rush. They want a consensus amongst the unions and are keeping the door open for negotiations. However, the NHS is the biggest aspect of public expenditure and the Government wants to modernise the NHS in time for the next general election. This is why the timescales are as they are. It was agreed that the SNHSC put a motion to the NHS NAC to delay any recommendation on the ballot until more information is available at the end of April.
Scottish Partnership Forum (SPF):
Health White Paper:
Human Resources Forum (HRF):
Recruitment:
Political Fund Ballot:
Joint Futures:
Public Health Practitioners:
Executive Managers Group:
Healthcare Scientists Forum:
The Right Medicine:
Partnership for Care:
Other topics considered included emergency planning, workforce planning, supplementary prescribing and the ASTCP website.
Submissions were made to both the OFT Report and Patient Safety Consultation. Both responses were circulated to ASTCP, RPSiS and SPGC and are available from the www.ghpscot.org.uk website.
Membership of the list is increasing all the time. The first AfC Bulletin was issued on 20th March along with the report of the Liverpool Group meeting. Both feature in the AfC resource page of the www.ghpscot.org.uk website, but the link for the bulletin is to an advert for the mailing list and GHP membership. The bulletin itself is not on the website, but will be issued to anyone joining the Guild and/or the mailing list.
Colin Rodden 21 March 2003