Chamber and committees

Gross Ingredient Cost of drugs prescribed in NHS Tayside for the treatment of Diabetes, in each of calendar years 2007 to 2009 is shown in the following table.

NHS Tayside: Gross Ingredient Cost for Drugs Prescribed to Treat Diabetes, 2007 to 2009

Calendar Year	Gross Ingredient Cost (£)
2007	4,203,516
2008	4,204,014
2009	4,474,227

Source: Prescribing Information System, ISD Scotland. Ref: IR2010-01324.

Information is given in the following table on the number and rate per 1,000 of acute hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of diabetes for financial years 31 March 2006 to 2009 for Angus and Dundee Community Health Partnerships. Information at intermediate geography zone level is not included due to the small numbers and the associated risk of disclosure of information on individual patients.

	2005-06		2006-07		2007-08		2008-09
	No of Admissions	Rate per 1,000 pop	No of Admissions	Rate per 1,000 pop	No of Admissions	Rate per 1,000 pop	No of Admissions	Rate per 1,000 pop
Angus CHP	101	0.93	104	0.95	114	1.04	138	1.25
Dundee CHP	142	1.00	141	0.99	174	1.22	162	1.14

Source: ISD Scotland.

Our Better Health Better Care Action Plan launched in August 2007, set out our commitments to a robust NHS partnership with staff, patients and carers. Actions include:

The Better Together, Patient Experience Programme launched in 2008, which encourages and empowers patients, carers and staff to work together in partnership to provide patient centred care and improve NHS services for the benefit of everyone;

 The Patient Rights (Scotland) Bill, introduced to the Scottish Parliament in March, which aims to improve patients'' experiences of using health services and support people to become more involved in their health.

More recently we have also launched the Quality Strategy which will see the quality of care provided by the NHS measured for the first time through patients'' experience and the information used to drive up standards. The Quality Strategy will put patients at the heart of everything the NHS does and give people a new confidence in the health service.

Recruitment to vacant hospital pharmacist posts in Scotland is a matter for NHS boards. However, where any board is encountering difficulty in recruiting to a vacancy, it is open to them to apply for a local recruitment and retention premium which allows the salary on offer to be increased beyond the nationally agreed rate in an attempt to aid recruitment and/or retention. No such applications have been received to date for pharmacists.

I am aware of results from the Pharmacy Establishment and Vacancy Survey which suggest there are recruitment and retention difficulties in areas of Scotland amongst the more junior hospital pharmacy grades. Officials are currently conducting a full analysis of any issues and the results will be considered in partnership. Findings will then be included in this years evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body together with proposals detailing what, if any, further action is required.

MMR vaccination uptake rates by NHS board are published on the Information Service Division (ISD) Scotland website under Child Health at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1987.html.

Uptake statistics by five years of age are only available from 2006 onwards. In Scotland uptake rates have historically been reported by one, two and six years of age. In 2006, Scottish uptake rates of MMR vaccination by five years of age began to be reported, in line with other parts of the UK. Table 8 in the workbook in the above website shows the trend in uptake by six years with data going back to 1996.

The diabetic retinopathy screening programme in NHS Tayside has robust processes in place to ensure that all people who are eligible for diabetic retinopathy screening are offered regular appointments.

Invitations to attend for diabetic retinopathy screening were sent out to 17,355 people during the period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 in NHS Tayside. The number of invitations issued is higher than the number of people eligible for screening, due to people who did not attend appointments being invited again and to the fact that some people with diabetes require to be screened more than once a year.

Twelve thousand, eight hundred and ninety-four people aged 12 and over with diabetes in NHS Tayside who were eligible for diabetic retinopathy screening were screened during the period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010. This represents 83% of those eligible. The NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) standard is that 80% of people who are eligible are screened within each twelve month period.

During the period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 there were 15,590 people aged over 12 with diabetes in NHS Tayside who were eligible for diabetic retinopathy screening. This figure excludes those people who were suspended by their GP from the diabetic retinopathy screening programme for clinical reasons, and people under the care of an ophthalmologist.

During the period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010, 494 people aged 12 and over with diabetes in NHS Tayside were referred to ophthalmology as a result of diabetic retinopathy screening.

MMR vaccination uptake rates by NHS board are published on the Information Service Division (ISD) Scotland website under Child Health at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1987.html.

Uptake statistics by five years of age are only available from 2006 onwards. In Scotland uptake rates have historically been reported by one, two and six years of age. In 2006, Scottish uptake rates of MMR vaccination by five years of age began to be reported, in line with other parts of the UK. Table 8 in the workbook in the above website shows the trend in uptake by six years with data going back to 1996.

The following table shows the percentage of qualifiers from the University of Abertay and the University of Dundee who were in full-time employment six months after qualifying. This is based on the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey carried out by higher education institutions and collated by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). This survey is not repeated at 12 months so data for the percentage of qualifiers in full-time employment at that stage is not held centrally.

Percentage of Qualifiers from Abertay and Dundee in Full-Time Employment after Six Months by Institution: 2005-06 to 2007-08

	2005-06 (%)	2006-07 (%)	2007-08 (%)
University of Abertay Dundee	49.3	45.8	35.7
The University of Dundee	70.9	72.8	68.5

Notes:

1. Data supplied by HESA.

2. Underlying values are weighted to take account of non-response.