Whether it intends to issue guidance to NHS boards on managing sickness and absence rates.

The Scottish Government supports health boards in their management of staff sickness absence in a variety of ways.
Foremost amongst these is a coordinated strategy to improve the health and wellbeing of the NHSScotland workforce. This includes the innovative occupational health project known as OHXtra which is currently being rolled out across health boards. Work to date includes a wellness monitoring toolkit, mental health employment support, case management support and campaigns to address the problem of violence and aggression. In addition, Partnership Information Network policies are currently being reviewed in partnership with trade unions.
With regard to the management of sickness absence itself, attention is currently being directed at promoting and extending the use of existing good practice rather than issuing further guidance. There is much being done within NHSScotland that can be held up as models of best practice but we have to ensure that all areas, staff groups and levels of management are indeed following best practice consistently. The Scottish Government has conducted a stock take exercise to identify examples of good practice in the management of sickness absence and followed this up in November 2007 by issuing a compendium of the best examples to all health boards. This work will continue. A specialist group (The Promoting Attendance and Managing Sickness Absence Group) has been established at national level with membership from NHS management, trade unions and the Scottish Government and has within its remit responsibility to identify, disseminate and promote good practice.
Health boards produce attendance management plans and are required to demonstrate publicly through the annual review process and in their local delivery plans, that the issue has ownership at top management level and is being actively addressed.