National Advisory Committee for Neurological Conditions minutes: May 2024

Attendees and apologies

• Stephanie Fraser (Chair) (SF), Cerebral Palsy Scotland
• Dr Jenny Preston  (Deputy Chair) (JP), NHS Ayrshire and Arran
• Susan Walker  (Deputy Chair) (SW), NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
• Dr Michael Blackmore (MB), GP, NHS Forth Valley
• Nicola Fleming-Stewart (NFS), Senior Nurse, Specialist Services, NHS Tayside
• Dr Alison Hunter (AH), Rehabilitation Medicine Consultant, NHS Fife and NHS Lothian
• James Magro (JM), Allied Health Profession (AHP) Advanced Practitioner, Department of Neurosurgery, NHS Tayside
• Judith Newton (JN), National MND Nurse Consultant - University of Edinburgh (covering all boards)
• Morna Simpkins (MS), Chair of NAoS
• Amy O’Sullivan (AO), Clinical Services Manager NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (observer)

Attendees - Scottish Government Officials

• Keith Willcock (KW), Clinical Priorities Policy, Neurological Conditions Team Leader
• Richard Brewster (RB), Clinical Priorities Policy, Framework Delivery
• Anissa Tonberg, Clinical Priorities Policy, Neurological Conditions
• Craig Kennedy, Clinical Priorities Policy, Neurological Conditions (Minutes)
• Euan Bailey, Clinical Priorities Policy, Neurological Conditions
• Susan Dillon (SD), Regional Co-Ordinator, West
• Karen Ormiston (KO), Regional Co-Ordinator, East

Apologies

• Dr David Breen, Consultant Neurologist, NHS Lothian
• Dr Callum Duncan (CD), Consultant Neurologist, NHS Grampian
• Wendy Forrest, Clackmannanshire & Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership
• Jennifer Hall (JH), Deputy Chair of the Neurological Alliance of Scotland (NAoS)
• Stephanie McNairney (SM), National Centre for Sustainable Delivery, NHS Golden Jubilee
• Dr Maggie Whyte, Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist, NHS Grampian
• Will Wood, Clinical Priorities Unit Head

Items and actions

Welcome, Introductions and Apologies

Members were welcomed to the meeting and apologies noted.

Minutes and Matters Arising from Last Meeting

Minutes of 29 February 2024 were agreed with no amendments suggested.

Matters Arising: these mainly relate to linking on Proactive Preventative Care and the committee was asked to note that progress had been made across all of these actions. Regular progress updates are available through the PPC newsletter. These links have led to engagement with Public Health Scotland’s Long Terms Conditions Strategy. The Scottish Government Team will continue to link with this work.

Framework progress update

Written update in Paper 2.

This was noted by the committee.

​​​​​​​Service Improvement Forum

The following updates were provided:

• The Nurse Census work, led by NES, is complete and will be presented to SIF on 29 May.
• Nurse Competency Mapping work is nearing completion, developing generic core competencies for neurology.
• Discussions have taken place with NES with regards to work that is underway on a national census for the AHP workforce. We are considering how neurology could link into this.
• The Healthcare Science Review was published in March. An adjunct paper on training pathways will be published in September. This has particular relevance to neurophysiology.

Self-evaluation of Neurology Standards

SD, KO and RB presented analysis of self-evaluation of neurology standards returned by NHS boards. The presentation slides were circulated to all committee members prior to the meeting.

The committee voiced their recognition to NHS Boards for the volume of work that had gone into completing the self-evaluations, and to the Scottish Government Neurology Team for their work in producing the analysis.

It was agreed that Scottish Government would not ask statutory health and social care organisations to undertake further self-evaluation during 2024-2025, and focus on consolidating and implementing the improvements identified through self-evaluation already completed.

The committee then discussed the key points arising from the presentation.

Post Framework Update

KW provided an update on activity underway in Health Quality and Improvement Division and the impact on thinking beyond the Framework end point of 2025.

Whilst post-Framework strategic plans are still to be decided the committee agreed that existing priorities for 2024-25 should be supported through to completion. The committee have agreed to reflect on progress made throughout the Framework’s duration, and to also identify gaps and areas to continue to focus on delivery and implementation moving forward.

AOCB

No other competent business was raised.