A neonatal sub-group of the MinisterialAction Group on Maternity Services has been established to review current neonatalservice provision in Scotland and recommend a framework for a sustainable configurationof neonatal services that provides a safe and effective clinical service for babiesin Scotland. The report of the group will be available in theautumn.

NHS boards are responsible forthe planning and provision of NHS services. Where services are provided as partof NHS provision they will be provided free at the point of delivery.

The following tables containinformation on patients who have had either an implantation of an intracochlearprosthesis or an extracochlear prosthesis.

Intracochlear Prosthesis – Children

Year Ending 31 March

Health Board of Residence	2003	2004	2005	2006
Ayrshire and Arran	-	1	2	1
Borders	-	-	1	-
Dumfries and Galloway	-	2	-	-
Fife	1	2	1	2
Forth Valley	-	-	2	2
Grampian	-	-	-	4
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	10	6	5	7
Highland	2	2	1	3
Lanarkshire	1	2	2	2
Lothian	2	1	4	2
Tayside	1	2	3	1
Western Isles	1	-	-	-
Total	18	18	21	24

 

Intracochlear Prosthesis – Adults

Year Ending 31 March

Health Board of Residence	2003	2004	2005	2006
Ayrshire and Arran	1	3	3	3
Borders	-	-	1	-
Dumfries and Galloway	-	-	3	-
Fife	1	1	3	-
Forth Valley	-	-	3	-
Grampian	4	1	3	1
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	9	11	7	7
Highland	2	3	-	3
Lanarkshire	2	-	1	3
Lothian	3	4	1	1
Shetland Islands	-	-	-	1
Tayside	1	1	-	2
Total	23	24	25	21

 

Extracochlear Prosthesis – Children

Year Ending31 March

Health Board of Residence	2003	2004	2005	2006
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	-	-	1	-
Total	-	-	1	-

 

Extracochlear Prosthesis – Adults

Year Ending 31 March

Health Board of Residence	2003	2004	2005	2006
Fife	-	1	-	-
Forth Valley	-	-	1	-
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	11	8	9	9
Highland	2	1	-	-
Lanarkshire	1	1	3	4
Lothian	-	1	-	-
Total	14	12	13	13

Source: SMR01.

Notes:

1. Information is derivedfrom discharge summaries held in the SMR01 database, which relates to non-obstetric,non-psychiatric specialties in general acute hospitals in Scotland.

2. As a result of data submissionprocesses, there could be minor changes to these figures as time progresses.

3. SMR01 is episode-based.Each episode is initiated by an admission and ended by a discharge. A patient withmore than one episode of care in any year will be counted each time he/she receivesand episode of care.

4. Cochlear Implant is definedusing OPCS4.3 code D24.1 – Implantation of intracochlear prosthesis and D24.2 –Implantation of extracochlear prosthesis.

5. In each discharge summary,SMR01 data records up to four pairs of operation codes. This extract is based onthe presence of the relevant codes in any operation pair.

6. “Children” are defined asless than 15 years of age.

Access to emergency hormonalcontraception (EHC) in community pharmacies is through one of three routes: asa prescription-only medicine prescribed for a patient by a suitably qualifiedprescriber; purchased by a patient as a pharmacy medicine; or through a patientgroup direction under a health board scheme. All three routes are availabledepending on local agreements and the pharmacist’s moral and ethical stance.

Pharmacists who choose notto supply EHC on the grounds of religious beliefs or personal convictions arebound by their Code of Ethics to advise the patient of alternative sources of the service.

The number of training placesfor GPs is determined by local and national workforce planning. In the NHS ScotlandNational Workforce Plan 2006, it was indicated that the number of GP trainingposts from August 2007 would increase by 50.

A survey to collect general practiceworkforce data was developed last year in collaboration with BMA Scotland and theRoyal College of General Practitioners Scotland. The survey identifies the numberof people in general practices working full and part-time and estimates the expectednumber of retirals. This exercise provides evidence and information to support workforceplanning at NHS board and at national level, which in turn informs the number ofGP training posts required.

Shortages of land fordevelopment are addressed by planning authorities through the development planprocess. A new framework for development plans, which will help to deliver up-to-date,relevant development plans, was set out in the Planning etc. (Scotland)Act 2006. The new provisions are expected to come into force in autumn 2008,following the preparation of related secondary legislation. In addition, wherea development plan is not adequately addressing the need for land, for examplewhere it is out of date, planning authorities have powers to grant planningpermission contrary to the development plan, subject to appropriateconsultation and scrutiny.

The budget reviewreport will contribute to our strategic thinking around the spending review. Itwould be inappropriate to comment on the detail or pre-empt any commitmentahead of the spending review 2007.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-231 on 11 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The budget reviewreport will contribute to our strategic thinking around the spending review. Itwould be inappropriate to comment on the detail or pre-empt any commitmentahead of the spending review 2007.