An Audit Scotland report, Emergency departments, says patient satisfaction with emergency care services is high, and four out of five patients we surveyed said the care they received was excellent or very good.
However there is widespread variation in the services provided at hospital emergency departments and a lack of clarity about where best to treat different patients. For example, it can be confusing for patients and staff about when it is appropriate for patients to be seen in a minor injuries unit rather than an emergency department.
Shetland Islands Council has serious problems with leadership, vision and strategic direction, governance, financial management and accountability. The council needs to address these issues urgently by implementing an improvement programme.
Today’s findings have been made following the hearing held by the Commission in Lerwick, Shetland on 28 and 29 June.
The Accounts Commission has launched the first in a new series of publications intended to help councils steer through the tough financial pressures they are facing. Roles and working relationships: are you getting it right? builds on the lessons learned from audits to show how clarity about roles and effective working relationships are essential to improving performance and achieving value for money.
John Baillie, Chair of the Accounts Commission, said:
Councils, the Scottish Government, National Health Service(NHS) boards and other bodies should be managing residential child care services better to help children and young people achieve their full potential. An Accounts Commission and Auditor General report published today, Getting it right for children in residential care, also says councils need a better understanding of the costs involved, so they can consider how their services provide value for money and possible efficiencies.
An Audit Scotland report published today, The role of boards, examines the governance arrangements of NHS bodies, colleges, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, non-departmental public bodies and Scottish Water. The report covers 106 boards which oversee £17 billion of spending a year, about half of the Scottish public budget.
Scotland's national scheme of free bus travel for older and disabled people is widely used. However, there were weaknesses in how it was planned and implemented.
An Audit Scotland report, National concessionary travel, looks at the scheme, which was introduced in 2006 to replace 16 local council-run programmes. National concessionary travel, (NCT) is popular among users, with 80 per cent of over-60s in Scotland holding a bus pass.
An Audit Scotland report, Physical recreation services in local government, says that while regular physical exercise is important for improving people’s health, the outlook for public spending will make it difficult for councils to invest in facilities and sustain services over the longer-term. Councils need more information about local people who are not using their services so they can ensure maximum benefit and encourage those not taking enough exercise to be more active.
The Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) has made improvements to services like criminal justice, training and forensics since its creation in 2007, but is currently unable to meet all the information communication technology (ICT) needs of its customers.
The Accounts Commission finds serious deficiencies in the way that Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) managed and controlled travel expenses. However it welcomes the actions taken by the authority since concerns came to light.
The Commission’s findings and recommendations follow a report by the Controller of Audit which looked at travel expenses and other matters at SPT between 2007-2009.
John Baillie, Chair of the Accounts Commission, said:
Scotland’s public bodies need to cut their energy use to minimise the impact of predicted price rises and to reduce carbon emissions, says Audit Scotland.
