Influencing policy
Clinical standards
The Alliance believes that national standards are the most effective means of improving the quality of life for people affected by neurological conditions in Scotland and their families and carers. Healthcare Improvement Scotland (formerly Quality Improvement Scotland) is currently implementing an improvement programme to support NHS Boards to meet Clinical Standards for Neurological Health Services in Scotland. Alliance members were involved at all stages of the consultation process in developing the standards; attending open meetings and submitting comments to the draft standards, which were produced at the end of 2008. The final standards were launched in January 2010 and NHS Boards are expected to improve services where necessary in order to meet standards. The Alliance is closely involved with Healthcare Improvement Scotland and other key stakeholders in their implementation across Scotland and will provide regular updates to the programme. Part of the Alliance's role is to ensure that the people affected by neurological conditions are part of this process via the Neurological Voices project. The Clinical Standards, along with the implementation plan can be accessed in our resources section.Representation
The Alliance is represented on the strategic board of the Managed Service Network for Neurosurgery (MSN), which aims to promote a 'single service' approach to neurosurgery in Scotland whilst ensuring the four Scottish units for neurosurgery provide safe, sustainable and high quality local services. Alliance member organisations are also represented on the Operational Management Group, established to undertake the detailed work of the MSN. Current work includes the implementation of Clinical Standards for Neurosurgery in Scotland and gathering of patient experiences, patient feedback on Epilepsy surgery and the provision of Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery. Updates to the MSN can be found in our latest news section and further information can be found here The Alliance has also been represented on a project being run by the Scottish Joint Neurosciences Council, and members were actively involved in the Patient Focus Public Involvement sub-committee of the Neurosciences Implementation Group. The Alliance will continue to be involved in the work of the Scottish Joint Neurosciences Council which brings together clinicians and other professionals in the neuroscience community. The Scottish Neurosciences Council held a successful national event in partnership with the Alliance in 2010 which brought together clinicians, managers and representatives of the voluntary sector to share and discuss current research and practice in neurosciences.
