While appreciating the contribution which dispensing opticians make to eye care, NHS boards are under no statutory duty to include dispensing opticians in any discussion regarding eye care, as they are not one of the groups with whom boards make arrangements for the provision of NHS services. NHS boards can, however, decide locally to include such groups in any discussions.

Table 1 shows the number of patients discharged from NHS general hospitals with a mental illness and alcohol-related diagnosis between 2002-03 and 2006-07 in Scotland.

Table 2 shows the number of patients discharged from NHS psychiatric units and mental illness hospitals with a mental illness and alcohol-related diagnosis between 2001-02 and 2005-06 in Scotland.

Table 1: Patients Discharged from General Hospitals¹ with a Diagnosis of Mental Illness and Alcohol Misuse in any Position: Scotland 2002-03 to 2006-07^P

	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07P
Scotland	2,986	3,332	3,878	4,040	4,416

 

Table 2: Patients Discharged from Psychiatric Hospitals² with a Diagnosis of Mental Illness and Alcohol Misuse in any Position: Scotland 2001-02 to 2005-06^P

	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06P
Scotland	1,183	1,165	1,121	1,048	1,002

Source: ISD Scotland (SMR01 & SMR04), Data Extracted: 30-04-2008.

Notes:

1. Excludes mental illness hospitals, psychiatric units and maternity hospitals and transfers.

2. Excludes acute and maternity hospitals.

Current guidance to NHS boards draws their attention to the need to ensure information is widely available about the options available to patients for reimbursement of travelling expenses.

In particular, boards are advised to arrange for notices providing information about the schemes to be displayed in all patient areas and to include details of the schemes and local transport and concessionary fares arrangements with appointment or admission letters.

The information requested is shown in the following table:

Cause of Death	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007 (Provisional)
Coronary thrombosis - all cases are due to it (1)	6,962	6,311	6,046	5,494	5,337
Coronary thrombosis - most cases are due to it (2)	4,346	4,340	4,123	3,782	3,756
Cerebral thrombosis (venous and arterial) - all cases are due to it (3)	44	33	31	20	21
Cerebral thrombosis (venous and arterial) - most cases are due to cerebral or pre-cerebral thrombosis (4)	3,365	3,258	2,922	2,834	2,734
Peripheral arterial thrombosis - most cases are due to it (5)	248	245	265	302	277
Venous thrombosis at various sites - all cases are due to it (6)	2	6	4	1	3
Venous thrombosis at various sites - most cases are due to it (7)	170	161	142	137	127
Other conditions caused by thrombosis - all cases are due to it (8)	0	0	0	0	0
Other conditions caused by thrombosis - most cases are due to it (9)	17	21	15	10	20

Source: General Register Office for Scotland.

The figures provided for 2007 are provisional, pending the publication of the Registrar General''s Annual Report in August. The table uses groups of causes of death which are defined in terms of the tenth revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). In the case of some of the groups, it is thought that all the deaths from those causes are due to the specified type of thrombosis. In the case of the other groups, it is thought that most of the deaths from those causes are due to the specified type of thrombosis.

We agree with the conclusions of the UK National Screening Committee that it would be inappropriate to introduce population screening for Venous Thromboembolism (VTE). The UK National Screening Committee considers each proposal for screening on its merits and will keep the issue of Factor V Leiden screening under review.

It is however now fairly commonplace for people at risk of a predisposition to thrombosis, including relatives of patients who have Factor V Leiden (and other similar genetic conditions) to be offered screening.

This information is not held centrally.

This information is not held centrally.

There are currently two patients'' travelling expenses schemes A non-means tested Highlands and Islands Scheme for patients resident or working in the former Highlands and Islands Development Board area and a means tested scheme covering the rest of the country. Under the schemes eligible patients and, where considered medically necessary, their escorts, travelling to hospital for treatment, are reimbursed, either fully or partially, their travelling expenses. In addition, the cost of overnight expenses can be reimbursed if it is considered that an overnight stay is, in practice, unavoidable.

The Highlands and Islands Scheme provides for the reimbursement of travelling expenses in excess of £10. Eligible patients are those who are resident or working in the former Highlands and Islands Development Board area. The distance travelled from the patient''s home (or place of residence) to hospital must be 30 miles or more or involve a journey by sea of more than five miles. Patients in receipt of income support, income-based job seekers'' allowance, pension credit guarantee credit, are entitled to, or are named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate or who are assessed as eligible on low income grounds, may not be required to meet any of the costs.

Eligible patients under the means tested scheme are those who are in receipt of Income Support, Income-based Job-seekers'' Allowance, Pension Credit guarantee credit, are entitled to, or are named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate or who are assessed as eligible on low income grounds.

Patients treated in hospitals could be seen in a variety of settings, including accident and emergency attendances, out-patients, day cases and in-patients.

Centrally held information on accident and emergency attendances and out-patients does not include detailed information on diagnosis.

Centrally held information on hospital discharges includes information on whether a patient was admitted to hospital with a drug-related diagnosis by NHS board area of treatment. It is not possible to distinguish between people who were treated in hospital and people who were admitted to hospital, but not treated.

Table 1 shows the number of patients discharged from NHS general acute hospitals with a drug misuse diagnosis between 2002-03 and 2006-07, by NHS board of treatment, for people aged (a) under 15, (b) 15 to 18, (c) 19 to 21 and (d) over 21.

Table 2 shows the number of patients discharged from NHS psychiatric units and mental illness hospitals with a drug misuse diagnosis between 2001-02 and 2005-06, by NHS board of treatment, for people aged (a) under 15, (b) 15 to 18, (c) 19 to 21 and (d) over 21.

Table 1: Patients Discharged from General Acute Hospitals¹ with a Diagnosis of Drug Misuse^2,3 in Any Position by Age Group⁴: NHS Board of Treatment 2002-03 to 2006-07^P

Age in Years	Ayrshire and Arran	Borders	Dumfries and Galloway	Fife	Forth Valley	Grampian	Greater Glasgow and Clyde
2002-03	436	53	78	196	112	321	1,578
Under 15	3	z	z	-	1	2	12
15-18	37	x	10	15	8	22	50
19-21	54	12	x	30	6	39	100
Over 21	342	31	61	151	97	258	1416
2003-04	359	40	62	181	85	297	1,136
Under 15	5	z	-	2	-	1	3
15-18	26	x	z	11	6	14	37
19-21	33	z	x	11	8	25	72
Over 21	295	27	46	157	71	257	1024
2004-05	348	36	55	198	86	268	949
Under 15	4	-	z	2	-	-	2
15-18	30	6	z	15	x	12	62
19-21	24	6	x	23	z	34	60
Over 21	290	24	43	158	76	222	825
2005-06	264	38	59	210	59	225	775
Under 15	2	z	-	5	-	-	4
15-18	24	x	z	19	z	11	46
19-21	23	8	x	19	x	25	58
Over 21	215	22	49	167	55	189	667
2006-07p	326	37	68	175	57	266	845
Under 15	7	z	-	2	-	-	5
15-18	35	z	z	16	z	7	35
19-21	32	z	x	15	z	15	72
Over 21	252	29	55	142	52	244	733

 

Age in Years	Highland	Lanarkshire	Lothian	Orkney	Shetland	Tayside	Western Isles
2002-03	62	179	417	4	4	140	6
Under 15	-	-	5	-	-	2	z
15-18	z	13	34	z	z	11	z
19-21	x	22	49	z	z	18	-
Over 21	54	144	329	z	-	109	z
2003-04	57	158	481	x	4	111	7
Under 15	-	3	2	-	-	2	z
15-18	x	11	37	-	z	9	-
19-21	z	7	56	-	z	14	-
Over 21	43	137	386	z	z	86	x
2004-05	62	139	485	x	9	92	9
Under 15	-	5	4	-	-	-	-
15-18	z	9	32	z	-	14	z
19-21	x	15	48	z	z	10	z
Over 21	53	110	401	z	x	68	z
2005-06	81	130	517	x	11	107	10
Under 15	-	5	5	-	z	-	z
15-18	14	7	39	z	-	7	z
19-21	11	9	57	-	z	15	z
Over 21	56	109	416	-	x	85	x
2006-07p	75	143	528	x	8	141	8
Under 15	-	1	7	-	-	1	-
15-18	13	7	38	-	-	11	z
19-21	5	11	48	z	-	20	-
Over 21	57	124	435	z	8	109	x

^PProvisional.

Source = ISD Scotland (SMR01).

Notes:

1. Excludes mental illness hospitals, psychiatric units and maternity hospitals and transfers.

2. Diseases recorded using the World Health Organisation''s International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD10). Drug related conditions: F11, F12, F13, F14, F15, F16, F18, F19.

3. Excludes misuse of alcohol or tobacco.

4. Age on admission.

- (zero).

z Number not shown where number of patients discharged in a single year and Health Board is <100 and number of patients in a specific age group is <5. For island health boards all numbers <5 are suppressed.

x Number not shown to prevent calculation of small numbers (<5) that have been suppressed.

Table 2: Patients Discharged from Psychiatric Hospitals^1,2 with a Diagnosis of Drug Misuse^3,4 in any Position by Age Group⁵: NHS Board of Treatment 2001-02 to 2005-06^P

Age in Years	Ayrshire and Arran	Borders	Dumfries and Galloway	Fife	Forth Valley	Grampian	Greater Glasgow and Clyde
2001-02	187	27	61	68	79	50	444
Under 15	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
15-18	12	z	z	z	z	z	19
19-21	21	z	x	x	z	x	35
Over 21	154	19	44	58	73	39	390
2002-03	140	38	46	59	58	66	342
Under 15	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
15-18	12	-	z	z	z	6	13
19-21	13	5	x	z	x	9	33
Over 21	115	33	36	54	49	51	296
2003-04	125	25	38	63	56	46	284
Under 15	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
15-18	5	z	z	z	z	5	13
19-21	8	z	z	x	z	8	22
Over 21	112	21	35	53	53	33	248
2004-05	113	36	41	73	63	46	254
Under 15	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
15-18	5	-	z	z	x	x	6
19-21	13	z	z	x	z	z	12
Over 21	94	x	35	61	56	37	236
2005-06p	106	24	36	77	50	38	246
Under 15	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
15-18	5	z	z	-	z	z	9
19-21	9	z	z	9	z	z	25
Over 21	92	20	33	68	44	32	211

 

Age in Years	Highland	Lanarkshire	Lothian	Tayside	Western Isles
2001-02	73	124	228	95	3
Under 15	z	-	-	-	-
15-18	x	2	12	z	z
19-21	9	11	29	x	-
Over 21	57	111	187	83	x
2002-03	90	130	180	83	-
Under 15	-	-	-	-	-
15-18	7	7	9	z	-
19-21	6	13	18	12	-
Over 21	77	110	153	67	-
2003-04	70	124	147	70	x
Under 15	-	-	-	-	-
15-18	z	6	4	8	-
19-21	x	9	16	9	-
Over 21	58	109	127	53	z
2004-05	82	121	150	74	-
Under 15	-	-	-	-	-
15-18	x	7	7	z	-
19-21	z	12	8	x	-
Over 21	72	102	135	55	-
2005-06P	75	58	118	80	x
Under 15	-	-	-	-	-
15-18	8	z	13	z	-
19-21	6	z	8	x	-
Over 21	61	50	97	70	z

^PProvisional.

Source = ISD Scotland (SMR04).

Notes:

1. Excludes acute and maternity hospitals.

2. There were no SMR04 submissions from either Orkney or Shetland Health Boards of Treatment between 2001-02 and 2005-06.

3. Diseases recorded using the World Health Organisation''s International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD10).

4. Drug related conditions: F11, F12, F13, F14, F15, F16, F18, F19.

5. Excludes misuse of alcohol or tobacco.

6. Age on admission.

- (zero).

z Number not shown where number of patients discharged in a single year and Health Board is <100 and number of patients in a specific age group is <5. For island health boards all numbers <5 are suppressed.

x Number not shown to prevent calculation of small numbers (<5) that have been suppressed.

The new eHealth Strategy, currently being finalised, proposes a programme to improve availability and use of IT by nurses, midwives and allied health professionals who work in community settings.