Chamber and committees

Current spend on mental health services, including dementia, is drawn from the record funds allocated to NHS boards and local government. For 2008-09, £10.6 billion has been allocated to Health and £11.2 billion to local government.

We are also investing over £1.5 million over the next three years through the Dementia Clinical Research Network and on our work with Alzheimer Scotland and the Dementia Services Development Centre to design effective, practical steps for better and earlier identification and interventions for dementia.

Following research into public attitudes and understandings of dementia in 2008 we will shortly launch a pilot public awareness campaign in Tayside which is intended to increase the number of people with dementia coming forward for diagnosis. We will evaluate the outcome of that campaign and use the learning from it to inform possible future national campaign work.

The Scottish Government recognises the impact that caring for someone with dementia can have on the carer and family. Under the GMS contract, GPs are paid to maintain a register for those with dementia and undertake an annual review assessment. These reviews are expected to address the support needs of the individual with dementia as well as the information needs of those caring for that person and the impact of caring on the carer.

Through the Scottish Enhanced Services programme, eight NHS boards have developed enhanced services for carers, including those families looking after patients with dementia. Participating GP practices in these areas provide an enhanced care package that includes better identification of carers, assessment of health and support needs and signposting or direct referral to carer support services.

We are also investing £9 million to support NHS boards in implementing their Carer Information Strategies. These strategies are supporting real improvements in carer identification, and the provision of carer information and training. This can include the provision of information and training on caring for someone with dementia. In continuing to recognise the importance respite can play for the carer and cared for, we are working closely with COSLA to deliver the concordat commitment to deliver an additional 10,000 respite weeks. And have provided an additional £4 million to enable local authorities to deliver this commitment by 2011.

NHS Health Scotland and Alzheimer Scotland have also made widely available their updated booklet coping with dementia A practical handbook for carers (Bib. number 47699) providing information and advice for people who care for someone with dementia.

We have a specific timetabled target for NHS boards, linked to the GMS contract, to achieve improvements in the early diagnosis and management of patients with dementia by March 2011. The Mental Health Collaborative is supporting NHS boards in this work and has produced a toolkit designed to analyse their dementia services from the perspective of those using the service.

NHS boards are also introducing standards for integrated care pathways (Bib. number 44374) for those with dementia to ensure the right care is available at the right time.

NHS Education for Scotland has also recently commissioned the Dementia Services Development Centre to design and deliver training to support early interventions. By the summer, 40 nurses and Allied Health Professionals from across Scotland will have completed this training.

We are also investing £600,000 in our work with Alzheimer Scotland and the Dementia Services Development Centre to develop better structured intervention, support and information services immediately following first diagnosis. This work will further develop our understanding of how we can best offer these services in a way that meets the needs of patients and carers in an understanding and sensitive manner.

I refer the member to answer to question S3W-20486 on 26 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx. NHS bo

Our new Energy Assistance Package, which we will put in place from April, has four stages which in practice may run concurrently. Stages 1 and 2 will provide energy efficiency advice to all comers and benefits entitlement checks to a wide range of clients at risk of fuel poverty. Stage 3 will ensure installation of standard insulation measures to eligible households under the Carbon Emission Reduction Target programmes run by energy companies. Stage 4 will offer a package of enhanced energy efficiency measures to the most vulnerable - those living in energy inefficient housing in the private sector who are either older pensioner households, low income pensioner households or low income households with a child under 5 or a disabled child under 16, and to all private sector pensioner households who have never had a central heating system.

We plan to offer at stage 4 replacement LPG heating systems to those already using this fuel if that is their preference rather than electric storage or air source heat pumps.

Yes. Arrangements are currently being considered to collate data held on facilities used by GPs, dentists, pharmacists and opticians and integrate such premises into the wider estates strategies of NHS boards. A revaluation exercise is currently being undertaken for dental premises and a procurement exercise will be launched for GP premises in autumn 2009.

From 1 April 2009 NHS boards have a specific HEAT target to reduce energy consumption by 2% per annum (climatically adjusted). An additional £15 million of capital resources have been identified over three years to support carbon reduction measures within NHS boards

The Scottish Government will also require all NHSScotland bodies to apply the BREEAM Healthcare sustainability assessment tool to new capital investment and require an excellent rating for all new health facilities.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20510 on 25 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

NHS Education for Scotland have responsibility for the delivery of an educational framework on equality and diversity for the NHSScotland workforce. The Equality and Planning Directorate at NHS Health Scotland host a network of Equality and Diversity lead officers from across NHSScotland, who support this work across their organisations.