Chamber and committees

The role of health boards will continue to evolve and develop to reflect the Executive's wider agenda for the NHS in Scotland. The Scottish Executive's views on their role are already contained in several key documents. The White Paper Designed to Care laid the foundation for dismantling the internal market and for restructuring the NHS in Scotland on the basis of co-operation and inclusion. Our Programme for Government developed our specific commitments for modernising the service. Health boards in Scotland will have an important part to play in taking all of this forward. Their role will remain a central one in shaping and delivering the strategic agenda for the NHS in Scotland and in securing improvements to the health of the people who live in each health board area. It will be a role increasingly carried out in partnership with NHS Trusts, with local authorities, Local Health Care Co-operatives and others who have an interest in health services - including the people who use them.

We have no plans for such a unit, but hope to publish shortly a major review of immunology and allergy services undertaken by the Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee, the recommendations of which should help focus the development of the range of local services required by those who suffer from allergies.

As I made it clear in my statement on 12 January, as part of our continuous improvement of services for patients, the Scottish Executive will review this year's winter planning arrangements, together with NHS staff, professional bodies and local managers and will consider ways of improving winter planning in future years. This will include consideration of measures to alleviate the potential effects of influenza.

Lysovir (amantadine) is available on NHS prescription for the prevention and treatment of the signs and symptoms of influenza A. The use of this treatment for an individual patient depends on the clinical judgement of the medical practitioner concerned.

I refer to the answer given to S1W-3786.

Tayside University Hospital NHS Trust has advised that a combination of staff vacancies and winter pressures has affected its physiotherapy services.Physiotherapists at both Stracathro and Ninewells Hospitals are continuing to see urgent or acute outpatients and inpatients who would suffer potential long-term ill-effects from not receiving physiotherapy. Those with non-acute or chronic conditions are added to the physiotherapy outpatient waiting list. Occupational therapy services are busy and are also experiencing vacant posts but I understand the effect on the level of service has been less marked. The Trust indicates that every effort is being made to fill vacant posts.Further information is available from the Trust.

A prototype of the Scottish NHS Direct service will begin operation later this year.

The time limits for the termination of pregnancies are laid down clearly by the Abortion Act 1967 as amended by section 37 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. Both these Acts are UK legislation and both are reserved to Westminster. An additional time limit for the medical termination of pregnancy was effectively imposed by the UK Medicines Control Agency in 1991 when it granted a product licence for an antiprogesterone drug to be used in the termination of pregnancy up to nine weeks gestation.Health boards have a duty to provide suitable treatment for the termination of the pregnancy of any resident woman who meets the requirements of the Abortion Act. All health boards are aware of the time limits.

Local Authorities are responsible for ensuring that individuals' community care needs are assessed and met in the most appropriate manner. They have a responsibility to ensure that housing and health colleagues are involved in the assessment procedure. Guidance on these matters has been issued.We know that home-based care, combined with suitable housing, is what most people prefer. Modernising Community Care: An Action Plan called for a modern, flexible home-care service, and a shift of community care resources to home-based care. Local Authorities' response to this agenda has been encouraging and we are building on this through an increased incentive fund (£7.5 million in 2000-01).The Joint Future Group which I chair will consider what the balance should be between home and residential care and address charging for home care. Its first meeting was held on 22 February.

I refer to my answers to questions S1W-1994 and S1W-3790.