Chamber and committees

The Scottish IntercollegiateGuidelines Network (SIGN) produced a guideline (No 62) on Prophylaxis of VenousThromboembolism in October 2002. This is now due for review, but the consensusis that its recommendations are not significantly affected by new evidence. SIGNhas also produced a number of other guidelines relevant to venous thromboembolism(VTE): Anti Thrombotic Therapy (March 1999) and Drug Therapy for PeripheralVascular Disease (July 1998). Both are currently under review and their recommendationsare being updated. Prevention of VTE is covered by a number of other Guidelines,in particular Prevention and Management of Hip Fracture in Older People (January2002, due for review).

Implementation of these guidelinesis helping to prevent VTE in hospital patients throughout Scotland.

Acupuncturists werespecifically consulted about possible tighter regulation of skin and bodypiercing activities in order to reduce the risk of transmission of blood-borneand other infections. A full list of the consultees and the analysis of theresponses is available at:http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations/health/rspcp-00.asp.http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/kd01/maroon/piercing-02.asp.

The draft order wasannounced in a News Release on 6 December 2005 and issued for widerdistribution that same day.

In order to assist local authoritiesin taking forward the implementation of the order, the Scottish Executive hasworked with Health Protection Scotland to ensure that all local authoritieshave been provided with best practice guidance produced by the Chartered Instituteof Environmental Health. Further detailed guidance is being developed for Scotland andawareness raising and best practice workshops are being organised for localauthorities.

The Scottish Executive hasbeen providing and will continue to provide guidance where requested both tothe public and to local authorities.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland has made no recommendation on Temozolomide. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC)made the following recommendation regarding Temozolomide in February 2006:

Temozolomide(Temodal®) is not recommended for use within NHS Scotland for the treatment ofnewly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) concomitantly with radiotherapyand subsequently as monotherapy.

Further information on thisdecision by the SMC can be found at www.scottishmedicines.org.uk.

I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-24238 on 27 march 2006. 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.

This information will alsobe placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39499).

Average gross NHS earningsof general dental practitioners (both full and part-time) in Scotland inthe year January 2005 to December 2005 were £102,764¹. This figuretakes no account of income from patients treated privately, income from privatepatient plan arrangements or business costs. It only partly reflects our newallowances being introduced from October 2005. The information is obtained fromMIDAS (Management Information and Dental Accounting System), the payment andinformation system for NHS general dental services.

Note: 1. Average earnings ofNHS general dental practitioners have been calculated as follows: total item ofservice earnings, plus capitation and continuing care earnings, plus earningsfrom grants and allowances, in the year January to December 2005, divided bythe headcount of non-salaried principals active in the NHS general dentalservice at 31 December 2005.The following grants and allowances areavailable:

Clinical Audit;

Commitment Payment;

Continuing ProfessionalDevelopment;

Continuing ProfessionalDevelopment Expenses;

Dental Practice AdviserSessions;

Dental Practice AdviserTravel and Subsistence;

EDI Grant;

Emergency Dental ServiceSessions;

General Dental PracticeAllowance;

Recruitment and Retention;

Long-Term Sickness Payment;

Loss of Remunerative Time -Reg. 3(2);

Maternity Payment;

Paternity Payment;

Practice Improvement Grants;

Reimbursement of Non-DomesticRates;

Remote Area Allowance;

Sedation Allowance;

Seniority Payments;

Vocational Trainer’sAllowance, and

Vocational Training PracticeImprovement Grants.

Source: MIDAS. Data extracted 19 April 2006.

The provision of appropriatesupport services is a matter for each local authority.

None.

It is for each localauthority to decide to provide a meals service, whether frozen or not, based onan assessment of the individual’s care needs. The individual’s care plan, andthe monitoring arrangements for managing that care, should provide theappropriate support to meet the individual’s needs.

The Scottish ExecutiveVolunteering Strategy recognises that decisions on where and how to provideopportunities for volunteers are best taken at a local level.

This is a matter for localauthorities, who have a duty under section 12A of the Social Work (Scotland)Act 1968 to assess the needs of people and decide, in the light of theassessment, which services should be provided and how.