Description
The Health and Sport Committee is interested in hearing your views on the Scottish Government's Draft Budget 2014-15, on issues which fall within its remit.
The Scottish Budget Draft Budget 2014-15 was published on 11 September 2013.
The Health and Sport Committee’s role is to examine the Scottish Government’s Draft Budget and report its findings to the Parliament’s Finance Committee.
Background information on the Scottish Parliament’s budget scrutiny process can be found on the Finance Committee’s webpages.
Subject committees are required to report their views to the Finance Committee by mid November 2012; therefore, the deadline for submitting written evidence will be tight. Details can be found below.
In relation to health spending, the Committee’s scrutiny will focus on the broad themes of prevention and integration, as well as such matters as cost pressures and prioritisation of front line services, and monitoring of efficiency savings.
Against the backdrop of the health and social care integration agenda – the Committee is currently considering the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Bill – and that desire to shift the emphasis from acute care to the community, the Committee is also keen to follow the budgetary implications of that policy.
It would be particularly helpful to the Committee if, when considering the themes above, you could address them via the following seven questions
1. What are the pressures on health spending and how do we mitigate them?
2. Are we spending wisely?
3. How are we ensuring that services are efficient?
4. Are the Scottish Government’s targets for health, as set out in the National Performance Framework, appropriate and is progress acceptable?
5. What are we doing to ensure that the quality of service regarding outcomes for patients is protected?
6. How are we planning for change (particularly with regard to the integration of health and social care)?
7. What will be the impact of this budget, in a health context, on (i) equality groups and (ii) climate change policy?
In order to inform its scrutiny, the Committee welcomes views on the particular areas highlighted and the questions above as they relate to the spending plans included in the Draft Budget.
On 13 November the Committee received a letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing regarding the further information offered at the Committee meeting on 29 October.
The Committee received the following responses:
If you have any questions regarding this call for evidence, please contact the clerks by email using the address above, or phone the committee office on the telephone number below.
Rodger Evans, Senior Assistant Clerk, Health and Sport Committee, Telephone: 0131 348 5247