Press release: Scottish NHS Confederation highlights possible conflict in new health standards body
07 Jun 2002
The Scottish NHS Confederation today backed the Scottish Executive's proposal for a new Quality and Standards Board for Scotland but raised concerns over the new organisation as both setter and enforcer of clinical standards.
Director Hilary Robertson said: "We fully support the Executive's aim of streamlining the current system of setting and monitoring clinical standards and welcome all steps to reduce bureaucracy and unnecessary interference in the work of NHS organisations. However, the board, as currently proposed, would be regulator, investigator and standard setter. Many of our members are concerned that vesting all these functions in a single body would compromise its ability to carry out any of them effectively.
"All NHS organisations are committed to raising standards and accept standard setting and monitoring as a vital part of this process. However, the integrity of a single organisation setting appropriate standards and then monitoring NHSScotland's ability to meet them must surely be in doubt unless rigorous safeguards are in place to maintain a clear demarcation between the two functions."
In its response to the Scottish Executive proposal for the new Quality and Standards Board, the Confederation suggests that the Board should be structured in a way that protects the autonomy of the key standard setting and monitoring roles or that they should be the responsibility of separate bodies.
Ms Robertson added: "A reduction in the number of bodies working in the clinical standards field will help to avoid duplication and so ease the burden on NHS organisations. But the reduction should not be at the expense of effective standard setting or monitoring."
Ends
Notes for editors
.
Contact details
- Contact Media Relations Manager Joanna Clason on 020 7074 3306 or 07798 571078 or Senior Media Officer Amy Darlington on 020 7074 3304 or 07767 770309. For out of hours media enquiries, please call the Duty Press Officer on 07880 500726.
Back to media centre
