Chamber and committees

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) undertakes a rolling programme of surveillance to monitor progress towards the Scottish Dietary Goals (SDGs). Data on deprivation is presented as quintiles of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and analysed in three year blocks. The most recent results by deprivation are available for 2009 to 2012. Data for 2013 will be available at the end of November 2015.

Differences in diet by deprivation have shown a generally consistent pattern since monitoring began in 2001. Households in the most deprived areas consume significantly less fruit and vegetables, oil rich fish and fibre and consume more added sugars than households in the least deprived areas.

The lack of progress towards meeting the SDGs is apparent amongst households in both the least and most deprived areas and there is no evidence to suggest that the gap in intake between the most and least deprived households has decreased or increased compared to previous years.

The latest Food Standards Scotland report is available at:

http://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/monitoring-progress-towards-scottish-dietary-goals-2001-2012-report-1.

Research shows that the rate of early onset group B streptococcus (GBS) in the UK is comparable to those countries which have population based screening programmes.

The 2012 UK National Screening Committee review highlighted some questions over the benefits of possible prevention methods. To address this, the NSC commissioned a study comparing the different approaches to preventing early onset GBS infection in babies. These approaches include the current high risk management strategy used in the UK, and potential screening strategies used elsewhere. The outcome will inform the next policy review due in 2016.

Source: Scottish Government HL1 dataset as at 31 August 2015

Homelessness statistics can be found online at: http://www.gov.scot/homelessstats.

(a) The Scottish Government funds NHS Health Scotland to develop and publish Ready, Steady, Baby! (RSB), a guide to pregnancy which is given to all pregnant women at their first booking appointment with a midwife. The current edition of RSB contains information on group B streptococcus (GBS). Following the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee closing a petition on GBS in May 2015, the Scottish Government committed to consult the petitioner on the redrafting of the GBS section of RSB. The revised section will be published at the end of January 2016. (b) Healthcare staff are expected to follow professional guidance from their respective royal colleges, such as the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) Green-top Guideline No.36 Group B Streptococcal Disease, Early-onset (EOGBS) which was published in July 2012.

RCOG conducted an audit, commissioned by the UK National Screening Committee, in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and supported by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) examining current practice in preventing early-onset neonatal GBS disease. The first of the two reports from the audit was published in March 2015 and looked at how national guidelines are currently being implemented and identifies areas for improvement in order to reduce the number of neonatal infections due to GBS. The second report, which will be published early in 2016, will focus on patient information on GBS, hospital protocols on preventing EOGBS, a survey of practice in midwifery-led units, and the influence of patient risk factors on practice.

The RCOG and RCM are also currently working to develop educational materials for health professionals, to include details on the appropriate testing methodology, sample site selection and culture methods for GBS carriage in pregnant women.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting people living with diabetes, as well as their families and carers. We want to ensure that everyone who requires care has access to the highest standards of care in every setting, in an NHS facility or their own home. That is why we published the Diabetes Improvement Plan in 2014. It is for each individual NHS board to plan and deliver services to meet the needs of their local population, taking account of available evidence and good practice guidance. We expect NHS boards to ensure that patients who have diabetes have appropriate access to a range of professionals, including specialist nurses, to ensure optimum management of their condition. The number of diabetes specialist nurses in Scotland has increased by over 12% from 93 in September 2010 to 105 in September 2015.

There is already strong international evidence that high levels of inequality impact negatively on a wide range of economic and social outcomes. The Scottish Government will continue to publish a range of statistics on inequalities on a regular basis and there will be an updated Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation published in summer 2016.

There is already a growing body of international evidence indicating that high inequality has a negative impact on long-term economic growth and prosperity. That is why tackling inequality is a central pillar of Scotland’s Economic Strategy, which recognises that improving Scotland’s economic competitiveness and tackling inequality are mutually supportive objectives.

The Scottish Government produces statistical measures on a number of dimensions of inequality such as health, income and wealth, which are published on a regular basis. The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation also provides data on various aspects of inequalities at local geographies, which set out the scale of inequalities both between and within local authorities.

Following any bereavement, bereaved people will receive advice and support from agencies including their GP, the local registrar’s office and the police, on actions which they require to take in relation to the death of their loved one. In addition, where death by suicide is concerned, helpful advice on practical issues, the grieving process and sources of support is available from the Scottish Association for Mental Health's After a Suicide booklet. After a Suicide was developed in association with – and funded by – NHS Health Scotland, who produce and distribute it free of charge.

The number of whole time equivalent (WTE) clinical nurse specialists with the specialty of diabetes employed by each NHS board has increased by 12.1 WTE, or 12.9 per cent since September 2010, and is shown in the following table:

Source: Scottish Workforce Information Standard System, Information Services Division Scotland.

The following symbol has been used:

- nil

Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the role, a nurse may work in more than one specialty, although only one specialist area is recorded for each nurse. The figures shown do not include those who spend part of their time working in diabetes but have been recorded against another specialty.

Annual data on deaths by suicide are published by National Records of Scotland at the following site:

http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/deaths/suicides/the-definition-of-the-statistics

Further analysis of these data is provided by the Scottish Public Health Observatory:

http://www.scotpho.org.uk/health-wellbeing-and-disease/suicide/key-points.