Following the work of the Falls Prevention Group, the Scottish Government published guidance last year for health boards, community health partnerships and others on actions to prevent falls by older people and improve bone health. The guidance is available on the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/care/OlderPeopleCare/fallsgroup.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that patients have rapid access to the full range of services they need from the NHS. Specific targets are in place for first out-patient appointments following referral by a general medical or dental practitioner, for acute hospital admissions following a decision to place a patient on the waiting list, and for treatment for specific conditions, including heart disease and cancer. But the Scottish Government is also committed to improving access and reducing waiting times for a broader range of services, and is supporting the NHS in Scotland to drive down waiting times for services not presently covered by waiting times targets.

For example, we have published targets and commitments for change and improvement in mental health services to make specific, measurable improvements across the range of service users. We have also allocated £25 million to NHS boards this year specifically for tackling alcohol misuse, up from £10 million last year. This will support boards in ensuring that screening for alcohol misuse and delivering brief interventions, where appropriate, will become standard NHS practice.

The Scottish Government is grateful that the Scottish Transplant Group has agreed to oversee implementation in Scotland, and it has already begun work on this. We have also agreed with the Department of Health (DH) in London Scottish representation on the group which is being established to take forward implementation across the whole of the UK, as well as links with the National Clinical Director for Transplantation recently appointed by DH.

Detailed work is being undertaken on the number of donor transplant co-ordinators that will be required in Scotland under the new arrangements.

Fuller details on the estimates can be found in Cost to Society of Alcohol Misuse in Scotland: An Update to Alcohol Misuse in Scotland Trends and Costs (Scottish Executive, 2005).

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/webapp/wa.search.

The report provides current service examples and offers guidance on steps that can be taken to encourage and arrange access to the arts; creativity; physical activity; learning; volunteering and other approaches for the positive impact these pursuits can have on mental wellbeing.

That report, Developing Social Prescribing and Community Referrals for Mental Health in Scotland (Bib. number 45194) provides current service examples and offers guidance on steps that can be taken to encourage and arrange access to the arts; creativity; physical activity; learning; volunteering and other approaches for the potential positive impact these pursuits can have on mental wellbeing. The report sets out roles for community mental health partnerships and others.

Attention on progress is maintained through our focus on delivering the now four HEAT targets for mental health which include action on alternatives to medication and on reducing admissions to hospital care both of which have relevance to the social prescribing objectives. In addition, work is underway on the contribution that community mental health nurses can make to community referrals/social prescribing and the attention we are promoting to increase access to psychological therapies.

Further, the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 requires local authorities to promote the wellbeing and social development of those individuals who have or who have had a mental disorder, including promoting and facilitating access to recreational, social and cultural activities.

As part of the response for the change prompted through the NHS HEAT target for reduction in antidepressant prescribing and national guidelines for the management of different types of depression and anxiety, GP practices are being encouraged and supported by NHS boards, community health partnerships and local mental health teams to refer patients toward non pharmaceutical interventions to address their symptoms of depression and anxiety. This applies for those with or without other long term conditions where clinically appropriate. Alternatives include physical activities, bibliotherapy, volunteering, and others approaches.