Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2145 today. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

Availability Status Codes were introduced to accommodate the abolition of the deferred waiting list on 1 April 2003. These codes replaced Guarantee Exception Codes and were available for use on NHS waiting lists from November 2002 to allow the smooth transition of cases from the deferred waiting list to the true waitinglist prior to the formers abolition. A comprehensive National Statistics notification describing these changes and their likely impact on waiting lists can be found at: http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/acute_activity/change_notification.doc.

Due to the changes described above it is not possible to provide a trend in the use of Availability Status Codes. The table prepared presents data for each quarterly in-patient/day case waiting list census from 30 June 1999 to 31 March 2003, and incorporates information on the use of Guarantee Exception Codes/Availability Status Codes, number on the deferred waiting list and total- this latter category being the nearest equivalent of the total number of cases with an Availability Status Code under present recording definitions.

The information was placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 28791) on the 20 August 2003.

The Partnership Agreement makes a commitment to support measures to improve the availability of affordable, quality healthy food in low-income areas. Work is delivering improvements to food access and availability through retailing, community and local planning processes and through the development of local nutrition action plans. The outcome of a Food Access conference held on 11 June 2003 will also guide future policy development in this area.

The number of hospital discharges following admission from the deferred waiting list for in-patient or day case treatment in acute specialties, by NHS board area of residence, for each quarter from 30 June 1999 to 31 March 2002, is given in the table. Final figures for the quarters subsequent to 31 March 2002 are not yet available.

The deferred waiting list was abolished on 1 April 2003.

NHS Scotland: Discharges fromAcute¹ Specialties Following Admission from the Deferred Waiting List, by NHS Board Area of Residence. Quarters Ended 30 June 1999 to 31 March 2002.

NHS Board	Quarter Ended
	30 Jun 1999	30 Sep 1999	31 Dec 1999	31 Mar 2000	30 June 2000	30 Sep 2000
Argyll and Clyde	1,295	1,350	1,311	1,716	1,735	1,534
Ayrshire and Arran	754	871	864	858	727	738
Borders	134	112	142	125	115	114
Dumfries and Galloway	152	210	215	326	307	251
Fife	369	355	365	325	387	404
Forth Valley	597	633	605	650	548	603
Grampian	1,150	1,221	1,059	1,050	913	964
Greater Glasgow	1,196	1,310	1,393	1,834	1,692	1,925
Highland	602	598	567	552	522	632
Lanarkshire	984	1,108	1,079	1,308	1,298	1,319
Lothian	891	872	922	1,097	1,050	934
Orkney	24	15	16	19	11	11
Shetland	63	62	41	50	49	39
Tayside	353	288	287	205	233	302
Western Isles	62	61	56	71	51	62
NHSScotland	8,645	9,084	8,948	10,202	9,661	9,848

 

NHS Board	Quarter Ended
	31 Dec 2000	31 Mar 2001	30 Jun 2001	30 Sep 2001	31 Dec 2001	31 Mar 2002
Argyll and Clyde	1,631	1,756	1,624	1,642	1,796	1,391
Ayrshire and Arran	813	1,008	844	957	901	943
Borders	126	132	132	135	100	117
Dumfries and Galloway	255	347	252	234	221	264
Fife	394	455	393	401	373	341
Forth Valley	544	528	495	613	561	500
Grampian	887	964	745	871	806	772
Greater Glasgow	1,915	1,857	1,943	1,924	1,805	1,905
Highland	616	588	515	567	603	565
Lanarkshire	1,369	1,372	1,201	1,178	1,216	1,181
Lothian	996	1,004	868	922	926	750
Orkney	21	11	17	12	17	18
Shetland	46	39	53	68	68	109
Tayside	335	339	295	256	270	320
Western Isles	55	61	63	68	88	93
NHSScotland	10,021	10,482	9,463	9,876	9,776	9,285

Source: ISD Scotland, SMR01.

Note:

1. The acute sector relates to those specialties primarily concerned in the surgical, medical and dental sectors. Specifically excluded are obstetric, psychiatric and long stay sectors.

The number of hospital discharges following admission from the true waiting list for in-patient or day case treatment in acute specialties, by NHS board area of residence, for each quarter from 30 June 1999 to 31 March 2002, is given in the followingtables.

Final figures for the quarters subsequent to 31 March 2002 are not yet available.

NHSScotland: Discharges from Acute¹ Specialties Following Admission from the True Waiting List, by NHS Board Area of Residence. Quarters Ended 30 June 1999 to 31 March 2002.

NHS Board	Quarter Ended
	30 Jun 1999	30 Sep 1999	31 Dec 1999	31 Mar 2000	30 Jun 2000	30 Sep 2000
Argyll and Clyde	8,760	8,492	8,635	8,429	8,712	8,152
Ayrshire and Arran	8,360	8,479	8,348	7,697	8,122	8,555
Borders	2,574	2,314	2,339	2,247	2,368	2,153
Dumfries and Galloway	3,314	3,618	3,430	3,837	3,406	3,392
Fife	8,867	8,894	8,391	7,180	8,490	8,552
Forth Valley	5,617	5,796	5,421	5,766	6,097	6,113
Grampian	11,351	11,172	11,021	11,358	11,182	11,016
Greater Glasgow	20,921	20,346	20,549	20,346	19,778	18,862
Highland	4,708	4,514	4,492	4,235	4,581	4,631
Lanarkshire	12,029	11,229	11,824	11,788	11,706	10,605
Lothian	14,779	15,260	14,567	14,915	14,227	13,787
Orkney	431	418	417	367	499	533
Shetland	562	575	529	524	544	579
Tayside	10,760	10,446	9,939	8,782	9,182	9,745
Western Isles	679	652	652	628	730	678
NHSScotland	113,989	112,468	110,789	108,310	109,865	107,582

 

NHS Board	Quarter Ended
	31 Dec 2000	31 Mar 2001	30 Jun 2001	30 Sep 2001	31 Dec 2001	31 Mar 2002
Argyll and Clyde	8,495	8,267	8,071	8,047	8,086	8,265
Ayrshire and Arran	8,599	8,777	8,084	7,515	7,903	9,116
Borders	2,359	2,153	2,211	2,167	2,328	2,023
Dumfries and Galloway	3,251	3,586	3,147	2,976	3,012	2,874
Fife	8,724	8,624	8,052	7,487	7,744	7,715
Forth Valley	6,054	6,085	6,254	6,331	6,298	6,328
Grampian	10,825	11,181	10,869	10,776	10,385	9,927
Greater Glasgow	19,564	20,240	17,776	17,972	18,525	19,250
Highland	4,184	4,221	4,311	4,287	4,279	4,412
Lanarkshire	12,003	10,839	10,345	10,293	11,145	12,138
Lothian	13,583	13,449	12,415	11,811	11,925	11,532
Orkney	472	442	506	455	422	479
Shetland	461	515	614	542	529	550
Tayside	10,003	9,623	7,702	7,345	7,423	7,918
Western Isles	641	692	692	668	660	746
NHSScotland	109,435	108,918	101,260	98,929	100,920	103,548

Source: ISD Scotland, SMR01.

Note:

1. The acute sector relates to those specialties primarily concerned in the surgical, medical and dentalsectors. Specifically excluded are obstetric, psychiatric and long stay sectors.

The information requested is not available centrally. Information on waiting lists is collected centrally by means of a quarterly census which records how manypatients are waiting on the census date, but does not record information on additions to a waiting list between census dates.

Figures for the deferred waiting list, by NHS board and NHS trust, for each census date since 30 June 1999 are available on the NHSScotland Acute Activity, Waiting Times and Waiting Lists website at http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/acute_activity/hb1.asp?month=May_2003

The deferred waiting list was abolished on 1 April 2003.

Informationon waiting lists is collected centrally by means of a quarterly census which records how many patients are waiting on the census date, but does not record information on additions to a waiting list between census dates.

Figures for the true waiting list, by NHS board and NHS trust, for each census date since 30 June 1999 are available on the NHSScotland Acute Activity, Waiting Times and Waiting Lists website at

http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/acute_activity/hb1.asp?month=May_2003.

There are no specific guidelines; this is a matter of good clinical care. However, in May 2002, a "best practice statement on nutrition - assessment and referral inthe care of adults in hospital" was issued by the Nursing and Midwifery Practice Development Unit. The best practice statement covers the following areas which includes reasons for the statement and how to demonstrate these are being achieved.

Admission to hospital

Nursing management of nutritional care

Nutritional screening and documentation

Criteria for nutritional referrals

Education and Training

NHSQuality Improvement Scotland has consulted on a Standard for Food Fluid and Nutritional Care in hospitals to help ensure that patients needs are met.

Specific guidance on items of food and drink would be a matter primarily for local NHS systems who will consider the needs of people with special dietary requirement staking account of the individual needs of each patient.

The National Care Standards address the issue of nutrition in care homes and day centres. The standards say that meals should be varied and nutritious, reflect the service user's preferences and any special dietary needs including ethnic, cultural and faith ones. Meals should be well prepared and cooked, and attractively presented. The Care Commission, in carrying out its regulatory function, will expect providers to demonstrate that they are meeting the standards. The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) aims to provide adequate and nutritious food and offer a balanced diet and is working towards national targets within the framework for promoting health in the SPS. NHS Quality Improvement Scotland has consulted on a new standard for food, fluid and nutritional care in all Scottish Hospitals. It is expected to be published in September.

The information requested is not held centrally.Temporary closures of this nature are usually of very short duration, and when they occur, arrangements are put in place to ensure that patients requiring urgent treatment are diverted to another hospital and that elective admissions which have to be cancelled are re-scheduled as soon as possible.