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New strategy for healthcare science
26/11/2007
An action plan highlighting the positive contribution of healthcare scientists to the NHS has been launched.
Safe, Accurate and Effective: an action plan for healthcare science addresses the key challenges identified by healthcare scientists as health care changes and aims to maximise the contribution of healthcare science to improving the health of the people of Scotland.
Launching the report, the first to outline the future role of healthcare science in Scotland, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon said:
"I am delighted to have this opportunity to launch the action plan for healthcare science and at the same time highlight the vital contribution that healthcare scientists make to the NHS.
"Although people working in this role only make up around 5 per cent of the total NHS workforce almost 80 per cent of patient diagnosis and treatment will depend on the work scientists do in laboratories, clinics and community settings.
"Undeniably the service they provide is crucial yet the work of healthcare scientists is not highly visible and may not be understood by patients or indeed other healthcare staff in the NHS. But the work they do is behind many of the diagnostic and treatment decisions that affect hundreds of thousands of people in Scotland each year.
"The action plan is the first policy document to outline the future of healthcare science in Scotland. It will set out a strategic vision for decision makers, workforce planning, healthcare scientists and other healthcare professionals to ensure that their expertise will be utilised to the full in contributing to the delivery of safe, accurate, effective and patient centred care and the development of sustainable clinical teams.
"The document will ensure that the vital skills of scientists are harnessed to deliver many of the key targets for NHS Scotland including the new 18 referral to treatment target, MRSA screening targets, cancer waits, hearing aids, wheelchair services and genetics to name but a few.
"I am committed to ensuring that healthcare scientists can deliver solutions that will influence, shape and deliver services that meet the needs of the NHS which is why, subject to the approval of the Draft Budget by Parliament, £2 million pounds will be allocated over the next three years to support the implementation of the action plan recommendations."
"Safe, Accurate and Effective: an action plan for healthcare science" has been developed over the last year in consultation with healthcare scientists from NHS Boards via a series of workshops across Scotland which culminated in a consensus event in May 2007, where the key themes which underpin the action plan were finalised. The action plan addresses the key challenges identified by healthcare scientists as health care changes and builds upon the vision outlined in the Kerr Report. These include; visibility and influence, workforce, role development, and education and training.
The action plan has three main purposes:
- To maximise the contribution of Healthcare Science to improving the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland through safe, accurate and effective Healthcare Science interventions as part of the total patient journey
- To enhance the contribution by Healthcare Science to the development of sustainable clinical teams, strategic planning at all levels to meet national and local priorities that improve the quality of care and outcome for patients
- To ensure that the clinical leadership, research capacity and capability of the Healthcare Science workforce is harnessed and to consider appropriate educational solutions to meet the Healthcare Science workforce needs
Healthcare Science (HCS) is characterised by 3 core streams of science; life, physiological and physical sciences. Together they encompass around 50 different specific disciplines that underpin diagnosis, testing, interpretation and actual direct treatment of patients, Healthcare science is delivered by a range of practitioners, broadly these are; Biomedical Scientists, Clinical Scientists, Clinical Physiologists, Clinical Technologists and Healthcare Support Workers. The Healthcare Professions Council (HPC) regulates Biomedical Scientists and Clinical Scientists. Clinical Physiologists and Clinical Technologists are expected to be admitted onto the register after 2009, pending the outcome of the UK-wide White Paper 'Trust, Assurance and Safety'.