Question reference: S5W-00922
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 20 June 2016
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Current status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 18 July 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been given methadone prescriptions in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
In October 2015, Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland published analysis of individuals on methadone based on those prescriptions with a valid Community Health Index (CHI) number. This analysis was published on the ScotPHO website, and can be accessed here, with the caveat that due to sub-optimal CHI capture rates, the estimates should be regarded as a minimum count of individuals on methadone hydrochloride in Scotland. The results of this analysis were:
In 2014-15, methadone 1mg/ml solution was prescribed at least once to 25,170 individuals (based on prescriptions with a valid CHI).
The number of individuals prescribed methadone 1mg/ml solution appears to have reduced from 26,202 individuals in 2011-12.
In 2014-15, 117,578 (or 27%) of prescriptions did not have a valid CHI number. It is not possible to determine how many additional individuals prescribed methadone 1mg/ml solution would have been identified had these data been complete.