Questions and answers

Question reference: S1W-08709

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 July 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 25 August 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7082 by Susan Deacon on 19 June 2000, which health boards offered additional payments to GPs for flu vaccinations in 1999-2000; what criteria health boards use in deciding whether to make such payments, and what the total amount paid to GPs by each health board for flu vaccination was.

The answer is set out in the following table:

Health Board	Health Board Criteria	1999-2000 £
Argyll and Clyde	No payments	0
Ayrshire & Arran	target payment of £193.82: paid where 70% of 75+ population were vaccinated, abated where target percentage was not reached.	35,000
Borders	£25,000 for administration costs of identifying and vaccinating 75+ population and £12,000 for administration costs of vaccinating residents of nursing and residential homes and elderly people at risk in the community.	37,000
Dumfries and Galloway	to fund an influenza vaccination programme, payments in proportion to the number of 75+ on the practice list, plus more resources to recognise general winter increase in workload.	35,003
Fife	Distributed per GP. Noted that much of this work is carried out by Practice Nurses: Treatment Room Nurses and Nurse Practitioner posts are currently fully funded.	20,000
Forth Valley	to cover 65+ and at risk groups; included evaluation at £10k.	280,000
Grampian	£90,000 for a programme of clinics in Aberdeen, managed by Aberdeen Inner City LHCC; included appointment of a project manager, phased invitations to clinics. £54,706 for bulk purchase of the vaccine giving savings of 53%. £12,930 to City chemist contractors for promoting the campaign. £5,719 evaluation of Aberdeen City programme. £15,394 funding to practices outwith the City to carry out flu vaccination at practice level.	178,749
Greater Glasgow	No payments: encouraged GPs to follow the CMO guidelines.	0
Highland	£30,000 block payment to the PCT to remunerate GPs for additional efforts over winter, including flu vaccination.	30,000
Lanarkshire	No payments: activity undertaken as part of general medical services in accordance with Scottish Executive advice.	0
Lothian	£132,977 for patients 75+ and GP and nursing home staff @ around £5.50 per vaccination. Targeted payment but GPs were encouraged to vaccinate all other at risk patients.	132,977
Orkney	No payments	0
Shetland	£4,737.50 patients 75+ @ £6.25 per vaccination. Practices reminded that the other target groups should be offered vaccination. GPs agreed to do so as part of GMS.	4,737.5
Tayside	£50,000: £1.20-1.70 per vaccination for patients vaccinated according to CMO guidelines.	50,000
Western Isles	£3,163 for at risk patients as defined in the CMO Guidelines: target payment: £1 per vaccination paid where 40% of at risk patients immunised: an additional 5p on top of the £1 paid for each additional 1% vaccinated up to 80%.	3,163
TOTAL		806,629.5

Question reference: S1W-08151

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 August 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many retailers have been prosecuted in Scotland under the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991 following the issue of the Scottish Office Home and Health Department Circular No. 1992 (GEN) 9.

Question reference: S1W-04232

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 21 August 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee working group on recruitment, training and retention of medical laboratory scientific officers will produce its report.

Question reference: S1W-08958

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 July 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 21 August 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S1W-7831 and S1W-6761 by Susan Deacon on 17 July and 7 June 2000, and with reference to the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report on osteoporosis published in 1997, what structures are in place to monitor and evaluate programmes to reduce the incidence of falls amongst those with low bone density.

There are no formal structures at the national level to monitor and evaluate programmes to reduce the incidence of falls amongst those with low bone density. There are, however, a number of local projects aimed at reducing falls amongst those most at risk. Responsibility for monitoring and evaluating such projects rests at the local level.

The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report was issued to Health Boards on the basis that it provided valuable advice and evidence relevant to the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis. It is the responsibility of individual Health Boards to decide what action is required in their area, taking into account all available advice on the subject of osteoporosis and the needs of the local population.

Question reference: S1W-08959

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 July 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 21 August 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many osteoporosis sufferers are receiving treatment to prevent further bone loss in each health board area.

Question reference: S1W-08957

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 July 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 21 August 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive with reference to the recommendations of the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report published in 1997, what measures are in place to collect information at (a) health board and (b) national level on the subject of osteoporosis.

The Executive does not hold details of measures in place at Health Board level to collect information on osteoporosis.

Information is gathered centrally from those General Practitioner practices participating in Continuous Morbidity Recording (CMR). The Scottish Morbidity Record (SMR) series record inpatient and day case discharges, including those for osteoporosis. Hospitalisations will be recorded on the acute hospital data set (SMR01).

The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report was issued to Health Boards on the basis that it provided valuable advice and evidence relevant to the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis. It is the responsibility of individual Health Boards to decide what action is required in their area, taking into account all available advice on the subject of osteoporosis and the needs of the local population.

Question reference: S1W-08827

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 July 2000
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 21 August 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive when those patients currently experiencing delays in discharge from the State Hospital, Carstairs, will be released to appropriate local secure facilities.

Question reference: S1W-08829

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 July 2000
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 21 August 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to implement fully the national strategy for the care of mentally disordered offenders.

Health boards and local authorities throughout Scotland are working with others to determine how existing patterns of service can be utilised or adjusted to better reflect the national strategy aims and provide the safest and most appropriate configuration of services and accommodation for this care group.

Progress is monitored but given the different starting points, full implementation will vary from area to area.

Question reference: S1W-08685

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 July 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 21 August 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reason is for the 43% increase in water charges for Band D customers in 2000-01 by North of Scotland Water Authority, and whether the increase is consistent with the Minister for Transport and the Environment's announcement that the overall revenue increase for the authority for that period would be 35%.

When the Authority was set up in 1996, it inherited a range of water and wastewater charges from the various councils. It has gradually moved to harmonise charges throughout its area. With the new charges for 2000-01, this process is now complete for domestic customers. In addition there has been some rebalancing of charges from non-domestic to domestic customers to reflect actual costs. Taken together, these factors have meant that charges for some groups of customers have risen by more than 35% to bring them into line with the rest of the area. Charges for some other groups have risen by less than 35%.

This approach is entirely consistent with a requirement for a total revenue increase from all customers of no more than 35%, needed to meet very significant investment needs of the Authority.

Question reference: S1W-08906

Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 July 2000
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 17 August 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive which health boards submitted bids to the Mental Health Development Fund for funding for the years 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01 for the treatment of anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

Chamber and committees