Hansard

The Convener Lab

Agenda item 6 is an evidence-taking session on four Scottish statutory instruments that, taken together, provide for the regulation of independent healthcare...

Maureen Watt SNP

Yes, please, convener. Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to explain the rationale behind the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 (Inde...

The Convener Lab

Thanks, minister. The first question is from Fiona McLeod.

Fiona McLeod (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP

The instruments are very much about phase 1 of a three-phase approach towards the regulation of the industry. Can you give us any idea of a timetable for the...

Maureen Watt SNP

Phase 1 commenced in 2014 and we are obviously at the end of that stage now. Phase 2 will commence in April 2016, on the completion of phase 1, and we expect...

Dr Sara Davies (Scottish Government)

Yes. For phase 2, there have been preliminary discussions through the expert group, but the proper work for phase 2 will need to be scoped and provided to th...

Fiona McLeod SNP

It helps to get that explanation. Thank you.

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (Lab) Lab

So to an extent, the distinction between phase 1 and phase 2 is that, in phase 1, the responsibility for inspection and regulation will be that of Healthcare...

Maureen Watt SNP

We would need to see exactly what the outcome will be after consultation. Local authorities may well have a bigger role in the second phase than they do in t...

Malcolm Chisholm Lab

Is what is proposed fundamentally what was proposed a long time ago in the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 in relation to the inspection of independen...

Maureen Watt SNP

Yes. I was not around then, obviously, but I do not think that that was taken forward to regulation. It was then superseded by the Christie commission and th...

Dr Davies

Not at all. As the minister said, there was the work from 2002. Then there was the Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee—SMASAC—report, after wh...

Malcolm Chisholm Lab

Some concerns were raised in evidence. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons was concerned about “some situations where non health care prac...

Dr Davies

I will answer the first question. If a beautician is working in an independent clinic providing certain services, it may well be that there is a nurse there....

Richard Lyle SNP

I want to ask about that very subject, because I was quite shocked on hearing the evidence about teeth whitening. When I was driving one day, I noticed an ad...

Dr Davies

The legislation is clear that teeth whitening is a role for dentists. That has possibly always escaped people’s awareness. Teeth whitening has to be done by ...

Richard Lyle SNP

There are adverts on the television inviting people to send away for such kits. Anyway, I will leave that to one side and I will come on to my main question...

Maureen Watt SNP

I take your point but, as I said in my opening statement, HIS is working on full cost recovery, and the same work must be done regardless of the person makin...

Dr Davies

As you heard from HIS at your previous meeting and as we have heard from HIS previously in relation to people putting in applications, the registration proce...

Richard Lyle SNP

If someone applies, can they sit down with HIS, prior to handing over their money, and talk through what they want to do? That might allow them to conclude t...

Dr Davies

Yes.

The Convener Lab

I take the point. The evidence that we have received confirms that there are few independent midwives, but they are there and they are doing a job, and they ...

Dr Davies

As I think we heard from HIS previously, the idea of the regulation is to review current practices in a range of areas. That is about clinical governance as ...

The Convener Lab

But she is already complying with standards and is, I presume, paying a registration fee as a nurse or midwife. She is regulated by all of that, which assure...

Maureen Watt SNP

There is a big difference between operating in a hospital, a dentist’s premises or an independent hospital and working in a person’s home. As Sara Davies sai...

The Convener Lab

At last week’s committee meeting, there were questions about how dentists are currently inspected and there was a request that any inspections that are carri...

Maureen Watt SNP

At your evidence-taking session before the recess—

The Convener Lab

Right enough, the meeting was two weeks ago. The recess flew by.

Maureen Watt SNP

I think that people were surprised to hear that private dentists are not regulated at all, even though people who go to private dentists can pay a lot of mon...

The Convener Lab

Yes, but that regulation will be different. There was an opportunity to ensure that all dentists were regulated in the same way.