Thank you for visiting this website which provides information on the National Delivery Plan for Children and Young People's Specialist Services in Scotland . The commitment of £32 million over three years (April 2008 - March 2011) gives Scotland an opportunity to improve the quality and availability of specialist services at local, regional and national levels and to direct funds at those areas most identified as being in need.

The Implementation Group was established in September 2008 to co-ordinate the implementation process for the Delivery Plan and to drive forward improvement in both services and health outcomes for the group of children and families who require specialist children's services. The Group comprises Directors of Planning from each region, clinicians, voluntary sector representatives and others (full membership list here).

Investment to date has already resulted in the appointment of additional frontline staff to provide care and improvements in service provision throughout Scotland , the expansion of valuable infrastructure such as telemedicine equipment and the development of vital education resources to upskill specialist staff. While we cannot expect the NDP alone to meet all the identified needs within specialist children's services, we recognise that this investment affords a tremendous opportunity to boost existing services and we look forward to continued improvements in the coming months.

We will continue to work with patients and their families, carers and staff to continue to improve access to and the quality of services for children who need specialist children's services.

Caroline Selkirk
Chair
National Delivery Plan Implementation Group