Scottish Parliament e-Brief

Issue 122, 8^th July 2002

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

Parliament is in recess.

SECTION 2 - NEWS

STRATEGY TO IMPROVE ORGAN DONATION
Proposals for increasing organ donation rates across Scotland - outlined in the Scottish Transplant Group's first ever report - were published today.

The Group, set up by the Executive last year to provide advice on organ donation and transplantation, recommends the following steps:

• Creation of a non-heartbeating donation programme, to open up the possibility of becoming an organ donor to a much wider range of people;
• Development of a major publicity campaign by the Executive to raise public awareness of organ donation;
• Increasing the numbers of kidney transplants by live donors;
• Introduction of the subject of organ donation in schools;
• Replacing the Human Tissue Act 1961 with separate legislation governing organ retention, organ donation and transplantation; and
• Carrying an organ donor card should be considered an advance directive - an expression of what the person concerned wishes to happen to them when they are no longer in a position to decide for themselves. These wishes should be respected by doctors and relatives.

The report was issued today for consultation with NHSBoards, health professionals and interested members of the public.

The Scottish Transplant Group (STG) includes key health professionals, patients' organisations and the general public. It was set up at the start of 2001 to advise the Scottish Executive on all aspects of organ donation and transplantation. The Group identified the severe shortage of donor organs as the most pressing issue affecting transplant programmes in Scotland and has devised a strategy for increasing donation rates.

The publication of today's report is part of a continuing process to increase organ donation in Scotland. Following the consultation, which will run until 7^th October 2002, the STG will remain in place to monitor the implementation of any changes to organ donation policy, arising out of the consultation.

Non-heartbeating donation was used when organ donation started in the 1960s. Today most organs are donated in a setting where a patient has been declared brain stem dead but their heart is still beating. However, because of the shortage of donors in the last few years, interest has arisen again in non-heartbeating donation.

The report outlines both the advantages and concerns about the practice.

The Transplant Group's report can be downloaded from the Internet at http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/ in the 'Latest Publications' section.

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DEAL TO UPGRADE COMMUNITY PHARMACIES
An additional £500,000 to upgrade community pharmacies and an increase from £750,000 to £1 million in the funding available for 'model schemes' for pharmaceutical care, has been announced.

The extra funding forms part of a deal between the Executive and the Scottish Pharmaceutical General Council on the remuneration of community pharmacists for providing pharmaceutical services to NHS patients in 2002/03.

The full settlement package includes:

• A 3.6% rise in community pharmacists' remuneration;
• £500,000 to help upgrade community pharmacies and improve facilities for patients;
• A £250,000 increase in the funding available for model schemes, which help develop the role of pharmacists in palliative care, mental illness and caring for older people, to £1 million; and
• An increase in the standard dispensing fee from 94.6 to 94.7p from 1^st April 2002 and to 95.2p from 1^st October 2002, along with abolition of quantity related fees (QRFs) and the remaining container allowance.

QRFs are an additional fee paid to pharmacists, depending on the quantity of the drugs dispensed. A container allowance is a special allowance to cover the cost of the containers in which the drugs are dispensed. Now that most drugs are dispensed in patients packs, the demand for such containers has fallen considerably.

The Executive is committed to having a framework for the modernised community pharmacy contract in place by 2005.

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SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

Parliament is in recess. 

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