Chamber and committees

The median wait from assessment to the fitting of a hearing aid for the quarter ending 30 June 2010, by NHS board is as follows.

Information on waiting times for the fitting of a hearing aid from assessment is published by ISD Scotland as data under development. The quality and accuracy of the data are continuing to be monitored and ISD Scotland are actively working with NHS boards to improve consistency, completeness and timeliness of audiology data.

The Scottish Government has included audiology services in the 18 weeks referral to treatment time target, which is due for delivery by end December 2011. This is the first time that patients requiring audiology services will be covered by a waiting time target. NHS boards are now actively working to reduce waits for this service.

Median Wait for from Assessment to Fitting of a Hearing Aid by NHS Board: Quarter Ending 30 June 2010

NHS Board	Median Waits (Weeks)
Ayrshire and Arran	6
Borders	6
Dumfries and Galloway	12
Fife	0
Forth Valley	*
Grampian	8
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	5
Highland	6
Lanarkshire	2
Lothian	*
Orkney	3
Shetland	4
Tayside	6
Western Isles	*

Source: ISD Scotland.

Note: *Data not available due to system issues.

The information requested is not held centrally.

All NHS boards in Scotland provide a child health programme. As part of the universal programme, all children are offered a Primary 1 health review and some boards may also offer reviews at other stages.

This information is not held centrally. Data from primary care and psychiatric hospital activity does not separately identify veterans.

All NHS boards continue to work with their partners towards improved access to services and outcomes for veterans, their carers and families based on prevention, appropriate intervention and sustained recovery.

These principles are at the heart of new arrangements and investment in place since April 2009 for improved access to specialist and community based metal health services for Veterans and their families.

In partnership with NHSScotland, we have made £1.2 million available each year to fund new arrangements through Combat Stress, the ex-services mental health welfare charity, to provide specialist mental health services for Veterans in Scotland at Hollybush House in Ayr. A range of specialist evidence based treatments, therapies and rehabilitation are available based on comprehensive individual needs assessment. The new arrangements represents almost double the previous annual investment.

We are also funding Combat Stress to provide two Regional multi-disciplinary teams to cover the East and West of Scotland to improve access to community outreach services at nearly £560,000 over three years to 2011. The Teams seek to ensure Veterans with service related mental ill health are appropriately assessed, supported and treated in order that they can maintain their place in the local community and achieve their full potential. We are currently considering arrangements beyond 2011.

In partnership with NHS Lothian we are also investing £930,000 to 2011 for the Veterans First Point pilot in central Edinburgh. Operational since April last year, the community-based service provides a One Stop Shop for assistance to Veterans and their families no matter what that need might be. Over 300 veterans have used the service to date. The pilot will be evaluated and the outcome will inform the further development of improved mental health services for Veterans across Scotland.

In line with our manifesto commitment, the Scottish Government has increased access to sexual health information and advice services across Scotland. Additional funding of £1 million over the years 2008-09 to 2009-10 was provided to help achieve this. As agreed with stakeholders, half of the additional funding for 2008-09 was allocated to NHS boards to assist them to increase access to accurate sexual health information, particularly in rural areas. This funding has been used to create or update local websites and service information, improve public access to sexual health websites and support the provision of information by voluntary organisations.

Last year the Scottish Government launched the Sexual Health Scotland website, which provides information, help and advice. This can be accessed at http://www.sexualhealthscotland.co.uk.

In addition, the availability of local drop-in services for young people, offering general health advice, chlamydia testing, pregnancy testing and condoms has increased in line with our National Outcomes 2008-11.

Each year the Scottish Government also provides funding to a number of voluntary organisations throughout Scotland who provide independent sexual health information and advice services.

I refer the member to the answer to the question S3W-34365 on 21 June 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

NHS workforce data is published by National Services Scotland, Information Services Division Scotland annually, as at 30 September. Data on school nurses by NHS board at 30 September 2007 to 2009 is available at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/FileBuffer?namedFile=Nursing_and_midwifery%202009a.xls&pContentDispositionType=attachment.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government as no direct payments are made to either sports clubs or sports governing bodies to improve club facilities. However, the Scottish Government funds sportscotland, which in turn provides financial support and I have therefore asked the chief executive of sportscotland to write to the member providing the detailed operational information.

The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) publishes statistics of the numbers of probable suicides in Scotland. A suicide is a death which has been classified as either an event of intentional self-harm or an event of undetermined intent, and it is thought that most of the latter type are likely to be suicides. Further information about statistics of probable suicides is available on the GROS website http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/deaths/suicides/index.html.

The following table gives the numbers of probable suicides registered in each year where the occupation of the deceased was simply described on the death certificate as farmer.

Table 1. Probable Suicides of Farmers¹ in Scotland 1999-2009

Registration Year	Not a Retired Farmer	Possibly2 Retired Farmer	Retired Farmer	Total
1999	7	0	1	8
2000	7	1	1	9
2001	2	0	2	4
2002	5	0	1	6
2003	2	0	1	3
2004	7	1	4	12
2005	3	1	1	5
2006	5	0	1	6
2007	4	1	2	7
2008	3	0	2	5
2009	1	1	2	4

Source: GROS.

Notes:

1. It does not include suicides of people whose occupations were described in other ways. For example, it does not include suicides of farm labourers, farm workers, gamekeepers, shepherds, tractor drivers or crofters.

2. The deceased was over 55 years old, but GROS does not know whether or not he/she had retired.

This information is not held centrally. Data from primary care and psychiatric hospital activity does not identify occupation of patients.