We will monitor the implementation of the other recommendations and we have written to the relevant health board requesting an outline of their plan to implement the recommendations directed to the board, including the recommendation regarding clinical psychology provision to in-patient services and to small specialist teams such as the Dual Diagnosis Team.

Full explanations of the specific waits queried cannot be provided as this could lead to the patients being identified. However, some cancer journeys can take longer than the average patient pathway. In some instances, clinical teams may conclude that it is not in the best interests of the patient to be expedited along a pathway solely for the purpose of complying with a target. There is a 5% tolerance applied to the target to accommodate these circumstances.

Patients with malignant melanomas are not always referred urgently as they can be undistinguishable from other lesions. Routine referrals do not come under any cancer access target, however this is changing as a result of the new access target announced in Better Cancer Care (a target of 31 days from decision to treat to first treatment) to be delivered by December 2011.

Improvement work is taking place across cancer services to help meet this target.

Source: ISD Scotland (SMR01).

^PProvisional.

Notes:

1. Year ending 31 March.

2. Calculated as the increase in emergency admissions when compared to the previous financial year.

Further information on emergency hospital admissions, including the numerators and denominators upon which the figures quoted above are based, is published on the Acute Hospital Care section of ISD Scotland''s website at:

 http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/4066.html.

(Summary information by specialty and NHS board of treatment tables).

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.

In order to achieve this, a psychological therapies group “ a sub-group of which focuses on older people - has been set up in collaboration with NES to oversee the implementation of the advice in the published The Matrix - a Guide to delivering evidence-based Psychological Therapies in Scotland, its continuous updating, and to expand its coverage to other key priority areas in mental health. The matrix gives advice to health boards on the issues involved in the delivery of evidence-based psychological interventions, including strategic service planning, training standards, and adequate levels of supervision.

At present the matrix highly recommends cognitive stimulation therapy as an appropriate intervention for older people, especially those with dementia.

The national dementia strategy includes a work stream addressing issues around patient pathways - which includes consideration of access to appropriate psychological therapies.

The national care standards require care home providers to ensure that each individual resident''s healthcare needs are met in a way that best suits the resident. This includes any specialist service a resident may require.

The national dementia strategy includes a workstream addressing issues around patient pathways, which includes consideration of access to appropriate psychological therapies.

The Scottish Government has committed to develop an access target for psychological therapies and is giving particular consideration to the needs of older people in that work.

In addition the National Care Standards require that resident''s healthcare needs are assessed at least every six months and that healthcare needs are met. It will be for general practitioners to assess if someone needs to see a psychologist, and if so, this will be arranged by the general practitioner just as it would be for any patient.