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Deputy First Minister and CabinetSecretary

for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy

Nicola Sturgeon MSP

T:0845 7741741

E: scottish.ministers@scotland.gsLgov.uk

Ms Kezia Dugdale MSPThe Scottish Parliament

EDINBURGH

EH991SP

Your ref: GC-05/10/11Our ref: 2011/1020977

s " O October 2011

The ScottishGovernment

DELIVERINGA GAMES LEGACY FOR SCOllAND

Thank you for your letter of 5 October regarding the terms and conditions of staff in the

Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS).

You have raised a number of issues, the first of which concerns your understanding of the

status of the Ambulance Service. It has been suggested several times recently that the SAS

is not classed as an emergency service but, rather, as an essential service. This is not a

distinction that I recognise and in my view, the Ambulance Service is a blue light emergency

service. SAS officials have previously asked their legal advisers for a view on this and they

have confirmed that, on reviewing case law and legislation, ambulance staff would be

defined as emergency service personnel. If there is anything which requires to be done to

put this beyond doubt I would certainly be happy to consider it.

Turning to the points you make about different retirement ages of key public service

professions, it is important to note that the ambulance service is part of the NHS family andits employees are able to join the NHS pension scheme along with other NHS workers, just

as fire fighters and police officers are eligible to join their respective pension schemes. Each

scheme is different and whilst the normal age of retirement has historically been earlier for

police and fire service personnel, it is important to note their contributions to their respective

pension schemes have also been higher.

The interim arrangements for rest breaks which I announced on 6 October allow talks to

continue to try to find a longer term solution to the rest break issue which staff feel able to

support. Whilst these talks are ongoing it would not be appropriate for me to comment on

the detail of what is being discussed. Please be assured, however, that it is a key aim of the

Scottish Government to continue to support a negotiated agreement which provides a cost

St Andrew's House, Regent Road. Edinburgh

EH1 3DG www.scotland.gov.uk

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effective solution to this long running issue and ensures patient safety as well as protecting

the health and wellbeing of staff.

Finally, you also asked if the Scottish Government would consider doing more to raise public

awareness about what constitutes an emergency. I can confirm that NHS Boards were

asked in 2009/10 to develop their own social and marketing campaigns based on the

successful pilot campaign Know Who To Turn To  which was run in NHS Grampian and

funded by the Scottish Government. This campaign tested how information on unscheduledcare services might be communicated more effectively to the public so they would know

when it would be more appropriate to use the NHS 24 Service, call an ambulance, or attend

an emergency department. I was pleased to see that every NHS Board in Scotland is now

using the campaign materials provided to them in the national toolkit to create better

awareness of the services available in their area.

To build on that work a portal on the NHSlnform website is also being established through

which members of the public will be signposted to the various unscheduled local care

services and advised when they should be ac~essed. It is e~pected that the site pages will

go live by end November 2011. -

I hope you find this information helpful.

NICOLA STURGEON

St Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh

EHl 3DG www.scotland.gov.uk