Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government provides policies, frameworks and resources to NHS Boards to allow them to deliver services that meet the needs of their local populations.

Within this context, the actual provision of healthcare services, including (a) a dedicated psoriatic arthritis integrated clinic and (b) the provision of mobile MRI and ultrasound scanners to treat people with psoriatic arthritis in Lothian region is a matter for Lothian Health Board, taking into account national guidance, local service needs and priorities for investment.

Information collected by National Records of Scotland is set out in the following table.

Deaths where Alcoholic Liver Disease [1] was the underlying cause, Scotland, 1999 to 2015

[1] Deaths classified under the International Classification of Diseases. 1999 figures based on the 9^th revision (ICD-9) using codes 571.0 to 571.3. 2000 figures onwards based on 10^th revision (ICD-10) using code K70.

[2] Deaths registered during the calendar year.

I refer the member to the Scottish Government website where marketing spend for 2014-15 and 2015-16 was published on 1 November 2016. Please see the following links:

https://beta.gov.scot/publications/advertising-spend-2015-2016/

https://beta.gov.scot/publications/advertising-spend-2014-2015/

The Scottish Government’s award-winning marketing promotes Scotland around the world as a modern, creative and dynamic nation; and helps people in Scotland make informed choices, improve their opportunities and understand the positive role of public services in their lives.

Our marketing work is an integral part of our life-saving and improving campaigns. For example, our Detect Cancer Early campaign resulted in an 8% increase in early stage diagnosis of breast, lung and colorectal cancers from baseline and a 35.6% increase in proportion of lung cancers diagnosed at the earliest stage, alongside a 50% increase in women consulting their GP with breast symptoms and increased uptake of the national bowel screening programme.

However, we continue to pursue cost-effective means of public engagement, and have cut marketing costs by 12% in the last year.

Decisions on the type of Opioid Replacement Therapy (ORT), including methadone, to prescribe are for clinicians, in close discussion with their clients. The use of ORT is done in line with UK guidelines on the Clinical Management of Drug Misuse and Dependence. These guidelines state that for those individuals who are in receipt of longer-term prescriptions, that they should be reviewed at regular intervals (usually at least three-monthly), and should be part of a broader programme of care planned social and psychological support.

It is not possible to say how many people have ceased drug use completely since the publication of The Road to Recovery as this information is not held centrally. The Scottish Government is currently working closely with Information Services Division Scotland, national commissioned organisations, ADPs and services to develop a new data collection system (Drug and Alcohol Information System ) which will collect and report on drug and alcohol treatment and outcomes information, including abstinence.

Recovery for some individuals is not the same as abstinence. The Road to Recovery set out the importance of developing a system of care which ensured that individuals were offered a treatment and recovery package that best met their needs and aspirations.

Scottish Government analysts have been working with NHS Health Scotland on a review of evidence on social isolation and loneliness. This will help identify the adequacy of data collection in this area and will feed into our strategic approach to social isolation, which will be developed over 2017. We plan to consult with stakeholders in early 2017.

The new Scottish Government cancer strategy Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action was published in March 2016 and is a blueprint for the future of cancer services in Scotland, improving the prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and aftercare of those affected by the disease.

£5 million investment has been allocated directly to NHS boards in 2016-17. This revenue is targeted to patient need, as determined at NHS board level, and is particularly focused on the breast, colorectal and urological cancer pathways. This will support immediate improvement in diagnostic, imaging and treatment capacity and ensure timely access that patients deserve.

NHS Scotland operates independently from the rest of the UK and does not refer to Never Events for data capturing purposes.

Following on from the Programme for Government, we committed in the Fairer Scotland Action Plan, to developing a new approach to social isolation over 2017. We intend that this will build on existing work, that it will draw on the findings of the previous Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee’s Inquiry into Social Isolation and Loneliness as well as the Befriending Networks Summit held in September 2016 and that it will be informed by the best available evidence and research. We will engage with partners and a wide range of interests in the development of our approach.

Sativex is currently licensed to treat patients with moderate to severe spasticity due to Multiple Sclerosis. In Scotland, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) provides advice to NHS Scotland on the clinical and cost effectiveness of all new medicines. They do this following submissions made by the manufacturer. For Sativex, whilst the manufacturer does hold a product licence, they have not yet made a submission to the SMC to have Sativex considered for routine availability on the NHS in Scotland.