Annex C
CONTACT BETWEEN
THE MOD
AND THE
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT
Generalbetween August 2004 and October
2007
Contacts on specific pieces
of work, which included the smoking ban and the mental health
of veterans.
Meetings between the Director
General Army Medical Services (DGAMS) and some of his staff and
senior figures in the SG Health and NHS Scotland.
Meetings between the Director
Army Nursing and CNO (Scotland) and between CMO (Scotland) and
DGAMS.
Surgeon General met with CMO
whilst he was DGAMS. He also attended a meeting of the UK CMOs
which happened to be in Edinburgh, although was not formal interface
as such.
Scottish CMO and CNO visited
205 Fd Hosp (V) (the Scottish Field Hosp) in Strensall, near York,
as they trained to deploy to Iraq in Spring 2005.
CNO visited Iraq as part of
an employer liaison visit.
There was also a large meeting
in Summer 2006 where DGSAMS played host to various NHS Scotland
senior management and the CNO to consider remote and rural interface
issues between the military and Scotland, in an attempt to set
up formal links between NHS Education for Scotland and other Scottish
organisations and the military.
Meetings with the Army Medical
Directorate periodically to discuss relevant issues.
Attendance at MoD/UK Departments
of Health Partnership in Excellence Awards Meeting.
Professor Peter Donnelly,
as Scottish DCMO, visited the Hedley Court Rehabilitation Centre
and reported on that visit to the Partnership Board.
Officials in Patient Quality
& Safety Division are in regular contact with their counterparts
in England with regard to the Priority Treatment for Veterans
Scheme.
Mental Health
The Mental Health Division
within the Directorate of Healthcare Policy and Strategy has been
in regular contact with the MoD in respect of funding arrangements
for Combat Stress and the development of pilots for community
mental health services for veterans. The most recent face to face
meeting was on 8 October and there have been telephone conversations
since then.
Veterans
Since October last year officials
in Social Inclusion Division have had the following contact with
MoD at which medical care (more so for veterans rather than serving
personnel) is likely to have been discussed:
5/12/06 | Veterans' Forum meeting
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19/2/07 | Veterans' Programme Scotland Steering Group
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28/3/07 | Veterans' Plenary meeting
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15/6/07 | Veterans' Forum meeting
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31/8/07 | Meeting with MoD Officials
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23/10/07 | Veteran Programme Scotland Steering Group
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24/10/07 | Meeting with MoD Officials
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The First Minister has met with Des Browne
MP, in his capacity as Secretary of State for Scotland, when we
understand there has been some discussion about veterans' issues.
Officials will attend a further Veterans'
Forum meeting on 4 December.
Stewart Maxwell, MSP, Minister for Communities
and Sport will meet with Derek Twigg, Under Secretary of State
for Defence and Minister for Veterans on 11 December.
e-Health
Four times a year we encounter Defence
Medical Services within the context of the UK e-Health Forum.
Housing
In January/February 2007, SG officials
were in regular contact with the MoD's property agency Defence
Estates (Andrew Blessing) in relation to some Parliamentary Questions
asking whether MoD housing in Scotland was required to meet the
Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS). Not medical care as
such but relates to the wider welfare of MoD staff. As the question(s)
also concerned the Tolerable Standard, officials in Housing Markets
Division, were also in touch with MoD officials in London (Marie
Neenan).
Officials in the Homelessness Team had
some contact with MoD officials this summer on the subject of
allocation of houses to ex-service personnel and the issue of
local connection. Discussions are ongoing.
Officials from the Homelessness Division
sit on the Veterans Programme (Scotland) Steering Group which
brings together MoD, the Scottish Government and the services
benevolent organisations to discuss issues relevant to veterans
in Scotland.
Education
There is contact with Royal Army Nursing
Corps re potential joint educational initiatives.
21 November 2007
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