Audit Committee,

Meeting date: Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Official Report 182KB pdf

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“Overview of Scotland's health and NHS performance in 2006/07”

We move to agenda item 4. We have a letter from Kevin Woods in response to questions that the committee asked. I put on record the significant commitment that Kevin Woods gave when he gave evidence to the committee on 12 March. He said:

"I can advise the committee that, in addition, we intend to publish a new annual report on the NHS in Scotland during 2008. It will set out an assessment of overall performance in a concise and accessible way. The report will draw together data on boards' performance against all HEAT targets, and it will provide information on progress, related developments, costs, output and quality in a publicly accessible form."—[Official Report, Audit Committee, 12 March 2008; c 449.]

That is a huge commitment and we should commend Kevin Woods for giving it. I suggest that we write to him to acknowledge and welcome the commitment to report annually in a new format, because that will hugely assist Parliament and others in examining the health department's work. Do members have questions or comments?

The answer to our question on why drug-related deaths increased dramatically between 2005 and 2006 is that there was a higher rate of deaths among people aged 35 to 54, and more of those who died were male—81 per cent—and in general poor health. I would like more information on that. Is it because those people were users for longer? Unfortunately, we expect that someone who has been a user since they were 16 will, by the time that they get into the 35-54 age group, be in poor health and more likely to die. Are there more statistics on that? Young people of 16, 18 or 20 can take the wrong type of drug and die, too. I wonder about the significance of the age group. I note that a research project is to be carried out on users aged from 35 to 70.

I am not sure that we can comment on that. I ask Nick Hex whether he has any thoughts.

Kevin Woods provided the annual report of the national forum on drug-related deaths in Scotland. That report gives further detail on what is being done to examine those issues. As Sandra White said, the letter does not make it clear what the factors are. We are undertaking work on drugs and alcohol issues, on which we will not report until next year.

I hope that the research project, which will start in 2008 and will look at the 35 to 70 age group by gender, will help matters.

Dr Woods states at the foot of the second page of his letter that we will ensure that

"children affected by parental substance misuse are safer".

An increasing number of grans and granddads who come to me are in charge of children whose parents are substance abusers. They tell me that they do not feel supported, mainly financially, to look after the children. Although they are delighted and happy to carry out the duty, they do not feel that they get support. I would be interested in picking up on the issue, if it comes to us, of how we deliver support to aunties, uncles, grans and granddads who discharge that duty.

That may well be a matter for another committee. Does the Auditor General have any comment on that?

No.

Do we agree to note the response?

Members indicated agreement.