SIBF’s Note of Dissent
17th December 2015
SIBF detailed commentary of Financial Review Group Draft proposals
8th February 2016
The Health and Sport Committee are due to take evidence on the Penrose Inquiry report on 9 February and I understand that the committee will take evidence from the Scottish Infected Blood Forum (SIBF) on the progress that has been made since the publication of the Inquiry report.
After publication the Scottish Government initiated a financial review of the existing UK-wide support arrangements for those affected by infected NHS blood and blood products. The Financial Review Group included members of the SIBF and was tasked with delivering recommendations to Scottish Ministers by the end of November 2015. The group met eight times and reported to me with final recommendations in December. I am sure many SIBF members are eager to hear the decision of Scottish Ministers with regard to the review.
Our final decision regarding the recommendations will require detailed discussions with the UK Government, the other devolved administrations and the UK-wide financial support schemes. This work is already underway and progressing well. A decision will be made by April 2016 – in real terms this will have to be announced by 23 March given the pre-election period. Our priority in considering these recommendations is getting additional support to those in need as quickly as possible.
I know that the Scottish Infected Blood Forum did submit a Note of Dissent and detailed commentary with regard to the final recommendations of the Group and I will consider that. I am sure Scottish Infected Blood Forum members will also have taken account of the proposals in the recent UK Government consultation with interest. This is a public consultation to which anyone with an interest can respond. However, the proposals for reform and the additional money committed by the Department of Health are for those infected in England only. The Department of Health’s consultation is separate from the Scottish Government’s process to review financial support arrangements in Scotland. It will be for the Scottish Government to decide on what support arrangements are most appropriate for Scotland.
The focus of the proposed additional funding in England would seem to be the Skipton Fund Stage 1 group, subject to medical assessment that confirms ongoing health impact. They are also proposing to fund early access to the new hepatitis C (HCV) treatments via the support schemes – this is not an issue in Scotland to our knowledge and we know that these treatments have not been as widely deployed in England. Access to treatments could conceivably cost a substantial proportion of their announced additional budget. If SIBF members are aware of anyone infected with HCV via NHS blood who has not been able to access the new treatments in Scotland, it would be useful if they could make us aware of this through the SIBF Convenor.
Shona Robison
Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport
1 Comment
Can anyone comment on the state of play regarding ‘eventual’ compensation? (I won’t hold my breath)
It seems that very many months go by without any posts or any further information.,.
Presumably Holyrood has other things to think about at the moment, not least, how to get back into Europe via the back door.
Are any efforts to press Robison on an eventual date for compensation to be made, or are we going to have to wait another 30 years for nothing (except a further promise of six months of Robison’s annual salary (including expenses) as compensation for a lifetime of HCV suffering, ongoing pain, the serious side-effects of interferon/ribavirin, and in some cases a long and painful death.
From The Telegraph. Yonks ago..
Stewart Hosie, (married to Robison) the SNP’s Treasury spokesman, bought a £220,000 flat in London in 2005 and designated it his second home for expenses purposes. He has since used his allowances to reclaim his monthly mortgage interest payments on the property, which increased from about £1,030 in 2007 to £1,039 in March 2008.
Mr Hosie, the MP for Dundee East, claimed for the cost of furnishings including the cushions, and furniture from Habitat.
He is married to Shona Robison, who represents the same constituency at Holyrood and has been the Scottish Public Health Minister since the SNP’s 2007 election victory.
Her two roles together attract an annual salary of £81,449, (less expenses) but her expense claims show that she stays in an Edinburgh hotel when the Scottish Parliament is sitting.
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Nice work if you can get it Robison.. You may be able to fiddle expenses easily, but as a voice for HCV victims, and as a pretend champion of our just cause, you are in my opinion, incompetent, and seriously unfit for purpose.