Chamber and committees

Every year since thestart of the seasonal flu vaccination programme, the Chief Medical Officer’s letterhas recommended that health boards and NHS employers in Scotland should offer free influenza immunisation to employeesdirectly involved in patient care. This guidance has not changed.

There has been nosignificant change to guidance following the introduction of free flu vaccinationsto carers in 2005-06, but the definition of carers was amended in 2006-07 to reflectthe definition used more generallyin general medical practice in Scotland.

Additionally, theChief Medical Officer’s letter in 2006-07 indicated that, due to potential vaccinedelivery delays, carers had a lower prioritisation for vaccination than those inclinical at risk groups for the 2006-07 season. No such de-prioritisation was madefor this year’s flu programme.

Every year since thestart of the programme, the Chief Medical Officer’s letter has recommended thathealth boards and NHS employers in Scotland should offerfree influenza immunisation to employees directly involved in patient care. Thisremains the case for the current year’s campaign.

The Royal PharmaceuticalSociety of Great Britain published The Handling of Medicines in Social Careon 16 October 2007. It will be officially launched in Edinburghon 21 November 2007. This new booklet is accessible to all care workers and replacesThe Administration and Control of Medicines in Care Homes and Children Services.www.rpsgb.org/pdfs/handlingmedsocialcare.pdf.

The Nursing and MidwiferyCouncil published new standards in early October, Standards for Medicines Management,which replace the Guidelines for the Administration of Medicines.

www.nmc-uk.org/aFrameDisplay.aspx?DocumentID=325.

The National PrescribingCentre recently published A guide to good practice in the management of controlleddrugs in primary care (England). It is currently being adapted for Scotland.

All of these documentshave specific sections relating to medicines management and administration of medicinesin care homes.

The Care Commissionwebsite and the Care Home Learning Network website contain a number of medicinesmanagement guidelines and links to best practice, safety and drug alerts, safetynotices etc.

There are currently11 local authorities offering three bin systems to some or all of their households.Information on these authorities and their recycling/composting rate for 2006-07,as reported by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is shown as follows:

Council with 3 Bin System	2006-07 Recycling/Composting Rate (%)
Dundee	31
East Ayrshire	35.3
Falkirk	35
Fife	32.5
Glasgow	16.8
Inverclyde	20.1
North Lanarkshire	27.7
Perth and Kinross	34
South Ayrshire	39.3
West Dunbartonshire	32
West Lothian	34.5

 

Across Scotland, the recycling/composting rate in 2006-07, as reportedby the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, was 28.4%.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-5621 on 8 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Help with thecost of NHS dental treatment for pensioners on low incomes is alreadyavailable. Those, and their partners, in receipt of Pension Credit guaranteecredit are entitled to free NHS dental treatment while others on low income maybe entitled to help under the NHS Low Income Scheme. This scheme is designed toprovide help with NHS charges for those who are not entitled to free treatment buthave difficulty in paying. Help under the scheme is income related and based onan assessment of each claimant’s ability to pay in light of their financialcircumstances at the time a claim is made or a charge paid.

Those people, andtheir partners, in receipt of Pension Credit guarantee credit are entitled tofree NHS dental treatment. Help is also available under the NHS Low IncomeScheme for those who are not automatically entitled to free NHS treatment buthave difficulty in paying.

There are nocurrent plans to review NHS dental charges for older people.

There are nocurrent plans to introduce free universal NHS dental treatment for people aged70 and over, although free universal dental examinations are already in place.