Scottish
Parliament e-Brief
SECTION
1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK
Parliament returns from recess next week.
SECTION 2 - NEWS
Changes
to health records
NHS clinicians will be able to
find patient medical details much more quickly, with the introduction of an
Emergency Care Summary (ECS) for every patient, Health Minister, Andy Kerr, has
said. The ECS is designed to allow NHS staff to find a patient's details
much more quickly than is possible under current arrangements. It will
contain important basic information such as name, date of birth, CHI (Community
Health Index) number, medication prescribed by a GP and any adverse reactions to
prescribed medicines.
A leaflet - Your Emergency Care Summary - is being distributed to all 2.5 million households in Scotland with a further 400,000 sent to GP practices, primary and secondary care services.
The leaflet is the first in a series informing the public about the eventual transition to fully electronic health records.
Mr Kerr said:
"At the moment, although GPs have your details, it is difficult for other health workers to access them out of hours, or in an emergency.
"This new shared record means that NHS staff who need it to look after you can get important information about your health, even if they can't contact your GP. Health workers will have a more complete picture of a patient's health and medical background.
"The Emergency Care Summary might be important if you need urgent medical care when your GP surgery is closed, or when you go to an accident and emergency department.
"In the future, all health records will be stored and linked electronically, and that will bring great benefits over the old paper files kept in different places and electronic records that are not linked up."
NHS staff will have to ask the patient's permission before they can look at the ECS, except in the event that the patient is unconscious or unable to give consent. The staff which will be able to access the information will be:
Doctors, nurses and receptionists in out-of-hours medical centres;
Staff at NHS 24 involved in the patient's care; and
Staff in hospital accident and emergency departments.
The ECS is stored electronically using the highest standards of security. It will be possible to check who has looked at a patient's ECS. Patients can also ask their GP to show them the information in their own summary and, if a patient does not want to have an ECS, they can ask their GP surgery to remove their details.
Football
Banning Orders
Football Banning Orders will be
available to Scotland's police and courts from 1st September, it was announced
today. The new orders could ban abusive troublemakers from games and
associated flashpoints, across the UK and abroad, for up to ten years.
This disposal will be available for anyone convicted of a football-related
offence.
Chief Constables will also be able to apply to the courts to ban an individual from matches involving the national team and SPL or SFL clubs for up to three years, even if they have not been convicted of an offence.
Assistant Chief Constable Kevin Smith, who leads on football issues for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS), said:
"The police in Scotland are firmly behind the introduction of Football Banning Orders.
"I believe that it will be an important 'tool in the toolkit' for dealing with football hooligans, whether that is those who see themselves as part of an organised hooligan element, affiliated to a particular club or the individual who believes that he is a genuine fan but who behaves in a violent, disorderly, racist or sectarian manner.
"Fortunately, in Scotland, we do not see the level of organised football disorder and violence experienced elsewhere. That is a credit to the vast majority of football supporters in Scotland, the clubs that they support and our football authorities. However, we cannot be complacent and Football Banning Orders will give us an extra option in dealing with organised football hooliganism."
Football Banning Orders were introduced in the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006. They will be available in two ways. First, a court can impose a banning order on an individual convicted of a football-related offence instead of, or in addition to, any sentence the court could impose for the offence. Banning orders imposed following conviction can last for up to ten years. Secondly, a Chief Constable can make a summary application to a Sheriff Court for a football banning order to be imposed against an individual whose behaviour has given cause for concern, although there may not be enough evidence to mount a prosecution. Banning orders imposed without conviction can last for up to three years.
Offences that might result in a Football Banning Order include sectarian chanting, physical assault, or shouting racist remarks. Anyone who fails to comply with the terms of the order can be fined up to £5,000 and/or imprisoned for up to six months.
The 'Straight Red' campaign is a high-profile campaign communicating the purpose of Football Banning Orders. The campaign includes radio adverts, posters and branded beer-mats.
SECTION
3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS
Parliament returns from recess next week.
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