The Medical ACT team has begun a full website refresh. The website had not been fully updated in several years and provided out of date and inaccurate information. As well as updating current and adding relevant information, the team has changed the website layout and has ensured that a landing page is available on the main menu of the Scottish Deanery homepage. This has been an important step to ensure easier more user friendly access for stakeholders and other external parties seeking information on our activities.

It is hoped that improved availability of key information that outlines the context and purpose of Medical ACT will reduce enquiries to the team, increase transparency of process for stakeholders and help build more harmonious and efficient working relationships. 

This is a substantial body of work and will continue throughout 2024-25.

Medical ACT (Additional Costs of Teaching) | Scotland Deanery | NHS Education for Scotland | NES

With the increase in student numbers and subsequent increase in Medical ACT Funding, the team identified a need to collate bids in a consistent manner that would also allow us to monitor performance management data and review and communicate decisions with stakeholders in an accurate and timely manner.

In the short term, a standardised excel template was created and shared with RAWGs following which to complete when submitting bids to NES while the Medical ACT Team worked with NES Digital to develop an online App within Turas that stakeholders could use in synergy with their local processes.

Stakeholder engagement was sought throughout the process and a number of demonstrations and drop-in sessions were held to provide an overview of functionality and provide an opportunity for questions and feedback.

The Medical ACT Bids App went live on 24^th October 2023 following which there was a brief pilot period which allowed for fine tuning before the main bids cycle began for 2024/25.

This has been an exciting development which has enabled the development of a more streamlined bids submission process. Furthermore for the first time we are now able to build trend data around use of Medical ACT funding. The App also acts as a repository for all bids submitted by regional stakeholders alongside the NES funding approvals decision.

We appreciate the engagement and cooperation of RAWG members and colleagues from NES Digital that has allowed us to implement this positive innovation.

Following the Stakeholder Engagement session on 23^rd November 2023, the Medical ACT Team reviewed the timeline and process for submitting bids. This was approved at the next event on 14^th March 2024 and adopted by the team for 2024.

Medical ACT was selected to undertake a review by the Internal Audit Team, alongside both Dental and Pharmacy ACT. The rating outcome for Medical ACT was “significant assurance with minor improvement opportunities. 

The Medical ACT team is extremely grateful to all stakeholders who participated in this process by submitting questionnaires and comments to the Audit team.

The Medical ACT team have become aware through Stakeholder engagement meetings of the need to review the existing NES Travel, Accommodation and subsistence (TAS) policy. The current policy provides guidance on the management of student travel and subsistence costs funded from Medical ACT and describes the over-arching principles that underpin this guidance.

The policy currently states that no more than 5% of the ACT allocation is spent on TAS which may be limiting for Health Boards who have a higher number of remote and rural primary and secondary care placements in an era when there have been significant increases in fuel, transportation and accommodation costs, the policy requires updating which will involve a review of the general principles and consultation with key stakeholders.

NES therefore plans to review this policy during 2024/25, in consultation with key stakeholders.