Health Department
Economists in the Health Department are part of the Analytical Services Division (ASD), and work together with statisticians and social researchers to provide an integrated analytical resource for the entire Health Department.
The key objectives of Analytical Services Division are to:
- Support policy development, implementation and evaluation by providing appropriate and relevant evidence, advice and analysis through an integrated analytical approach
- Provide analytical support in the measurement and reporting of the performance of health and community care services
- Work closely with Information Services (ISD Scotland), other NHS organisations and local authorities to ensure the availability and application of high quality information
The Division is structured around four analytical teams to address the department's key priorities:
- Public Health (health improvement, mental health, public health)
- Care (primary and community care, joint future, healthcare planning and strategy)
- Efficiency and Resources (workforce, expenditure, productivity, costs)
- Delivery Directorate Analysis Team ( HEAT IT system for Board performance, Local Delivery Plans, waiting times)
Economists are based mainly within the Efficiency and Resources team, but with some input into the Care and Public Health teams.
The Efficiency and Resources team aims to provide analytical support for the Department's objectives of ensuring and demonstrating efficiency within the NHS in Scotland, and building effective and comprehensive workforce planning. In particular, key work streams involve:
- developing a system of tariffs for cross-boundary activity
- building effective and comprehensive workforce planning, in particular forward planning and the impact of new pay modernisation contracts
- advising on resource allocation issues, including support to the NHS Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC)
- advising on measures to improve efficiency within the Executive's Efficient Government programme
- the measurement of output and productivity within the health sector in Scotland, as part of the Atkinson programme of work. Related to this is work on improving a range of data sources including the Cost Book and wider financial statistics.
Within the Care team economists are working on the measurement of output and productivity within the social care sector as part of the Atkinson programme and contributing to the evaluation of the impact of free personal care, including cost estimates and effectiveness.
In the Public Health team, economists have been involved in the analysis required to support the ban on smoking in public places and on the legislation to raise the age for purchase of tobacco.
In all these areas we aim to work with policy colleagues in the development and evaluation of policy, and to develop the evidence base in order to inform this interaction.