- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 25 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the measurements of deprivation used in rural areas and islands where the population is spatially dispersed.
Answer
There are no measurementsof deprivation specific to rural areas and islands where the population is spatiallydispersed. In terms of resource allocation different funding streams consider deprivationmeasures in the context of the basis on which the funding is made available e.g.to fund health boards through the Arbuthnott formula, to fund local authoritiesthrough grant aided expenditure and to fund area regeneration through the CommunityRegeneration Fund. Each of these key blocks of funding take account of deprivationas appropriate.
Additional measurementsinclude household income and poverty. Information on the percentage of rural populationthat is classified as living in relative poverty was published on the Scottish Governmentwebsite at 9.30am on Friday 21 September.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 24 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is developing an integrated care plan involving a single point of contact for people with mental health and substance misuse problems.
Answer
Delivering for Mental Health (Bib. number 41410) includedan undertaking at Commitment 13 to translate the principles of Mind the Gapsand A Fuller Life to practical measures and advice on what action needs tobe taken to move the joint agenda forward and support joined up local delivery forthose with mental health and substance misuse problems.Consultations on adraft report, Delivering for Mental Health: Mental Health and SubstanceMisuse http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultationswere completed on 13 September 2007. We are now consideringthe responses made with a view to publication by the year end.
Our objectives setout in the draft report are to improve the awareness of co-occurring mental healthand substance misuse problems; improve support and service provision for peoplewho have both mental health and substance misuse problems, and to enable individualsto improve their life chances and live to their full potential.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 24 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS boards and partner agencies adequately train staff to identify and address co-occurring substance misuse and mental health problems.
Answer
Consultations on adraft report,
Delivering for Mental Health: Mental Health and SubstanceMisuse (
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations)were completed on 13 September 2007. We are now consideringthe responses made with a view to publication by the year end.
The report includesa specific recommendation on training, calling on agencies to equip substance misusestaff with the values, knowledge and skills required to respond appropriately tothe needs of those with co-occurring substance misuse and mental health problems.
Overall our objectives,through the report and follow up, are to improve the awareness of co-occurring mentalhealth and substance misuse problems; improve support and service provision forpeople who have both mental health and substance misuse problems, and to enableindividuals to improve their life chances and live to their full potential.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 24 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many psychiatric hospital readmissions there have been as a result of substance misuse in each year since 1999.
Answer
The numbers of firstadmissions and readmissions with a diagnosis of substance misuse (illicit drugsand alcohol) since 1999 until 2005 (most current calendar year with complete data)are contained in tables 1 (drugs) and 2 (alcohol). A copy has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 43666).
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 24 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that all substance use services and mental health agencies have assessment processes which identify co-morbidity in order to match care to level of need.
Answer
Consultations on adraft report, Delivering for Mental Health: Mental Health and Substance Misuse (
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations)were completed on 3 September 2007. We are now consideringthe responses made with a view to publication by the year end.The report includesspecific attention and a recommendation on assessment procedures to ensure mentalhealth and substance misuse agencies follow best practice to identify co-occurringdisorders systematicallyand match care to needs.
Overall our objectives,through the report and follow up, are to improve the awareness of co-occurring mentalhealth and substance misuse problems; improve support and service provision forpeople who have both mental health and substance misuse problems.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 24 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive which detoxification and rehabilitation units also diagnose and treat underlying mental health conditions and which mental health issues are treated at each unit.
Answer
This information isnot held centrally.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 20 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how access to NHS dental services will be improved, given recent research from the University of Dundee that concluded that 3% of dental graduates are committed to work wholly in the NHS.
Answer
Most high street dentistsundertake a mix of NHS and private treatment.
The number of dentistsproviding general dental services has increased from 2,301 in March 2006 to 2,474in March 2007.
In Scotland we have introduced a bursary scheme which allows studentsstudying from year 2 at the two Scottish Dental Schools to apply for a dental undergraduatebursary. Students receiving this bursary require to commit that their NHS earningswill represent not less than 80% of their total earnings for up to five years followinggraduation. In 2006-07 approximately 440 dental students were in receipt of a bursary.One hundred and twelve of these were final year students representing 90% of thatyear’s graduate cohort.
A number of otherfinancial recruitment and retention measures are in place to attract dentists towork in the NHS and remain in Scotland.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 13 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are for recruitment and training of staff to take on the responsibilities associated with cognitive behaviour therapy.
Answer
We are working withNHS Education for Scotland (NES) to improve training for a range of staff in cognitivebehavioural therapy (CBT) through a variety of initiatives. This includes workingwith partners to develop a national approach to training professionals in all disciplinesin CBT at different levels, from specialist fully qualified CBT therapists to abroader range of staff, to support a stepped care model of delivery.
NES are in also indiscussions with NHS board areas to provide a resource to co-ordinate the implementationof this training and are collaborating with Skills for Health in the developmentof a core competency set for use alongside a range of psychological therapies (includingCBT).
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 13 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will increase the capacity for cognitive behaviour therapy and whether programmes of this therapy will be extended to all areas of Scotland.
Answer
We are working withNHS Education for Scotland to increase access to a range of evidence-based psychologicaltherapies (including cognitive behavioural therapy, CBT). The 2006 discussion paper
Increasing the Availability of Evidence- Based Psychological Therapies in Scotland:a phase 1 plan outlines in detail the steps towards building national capacity,which includes training a range of staff at a range of levels in CBT to provideappropriate targeted support to a stepped care delivery model.
The plan will be implementedover the next three to five years and is available at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/mental-health/servicespolicy/DFMH/psychtherapies.We are discussingthe development of providing CBT based self-help in a variety of ways on a nationalbasis to people with mild to moderate mental health problems. This will build onlessons learned from the Doing Well by people with Depression initiativeand the on-going work of the Development Network.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 13 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether mental health issues are taken into account in the assessment, referral and treatment of people with drug and alcohol addiction.
Answer
Mental health issuesshould be taken into account in the assessment, referral and treatment of peoplewith drug and alcohol addiction.
A range of initiativesto improve mental health services were launched in December 2006. These includea specific commitment to building on existing work to publish practical measuresand advice on better responses to those with co-occuring mental health and substancemisuse problems. The report is currently out for public consultation and will belaunched in December 2007.
