Chamber and committees

It is not possible, from centrallyheld hospital discharge records, to identify explicitly patients who acquired venousthrombosis whilst in hospital. The figures given in the table describe the numberof patients in Scotland discharged from hospital with a main or secondary conditionof venous thrombosis. These figures will include people who acquire venous thrombosisin hospital but may also include patients admitted with venous thrombosis.

AcuteHospital (Non-Obstetric, Non-Psychiatric) In-Patient/Day Case Discharges with anyDiagnosis of Venous Thrombosis (Years Ending 31 March 2001 to 2005)

2001	7,047
2002	6,869
2003	6,886
2004	6,421
2005	6,069

Source: ISD. The data relateto the following International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD10)codes:

GO8.X: Intracranial and intraspinalphlebitis and thrombophlebitis.

126: Pulmonary Embolism.

163.6: Cereb infarct due cerebralvenous thrombosi, nonpyogenic.

167.6: Nonpyogenic thrombosisof intracranial venous system.

180: Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis.

181: Portal vein thrombosis.

182.2: Embolism and thrombosisof vena cava.

182.3: Embolism and thrombosisof renal vein.

182.8: Embolism and thrombosisof other specified veins.

182.9: Embolism and thrombosisof unspecified vein.

K75.1: Phlebitis of portal vein.

O22.2: Superficial thrombophlebitisin pregnancy.

O22.3: Deep phlebothrombosisin pregnancy.

O22.5: Cerebral venous thrombosisin pregnancy.

O87.0: Superficial thrombophlebitisin the puerperium.

O87.1: Deep phlebothrombosisin the puerperium.

O87.3: Cerebral venous thrombosisin the puerperium.

Data on the percentage of patientsreceiving appropriate prevention treatment is not held centrally. The Scottish Surveillanceof HAI Programme (SSHAIP), a national audit of surgical site infection, does, however,include data on the number of orthopaedic patients receiving prophylaxis for venousthromboembolism (VTE), in accordance with SIGN Guideline 62. The SSHAIP data showthat 91% of such patients receive prophylaxis. This can be regarded as indicativeof coverage in orthopaedic patients in general, a group particularly at risk ofVTE.

In addition, maternity unitsin Scotland are working to local protocols for VTE, covering bothprophylaxis and treatment, based on guidelines from the Royal College of Obstetricsand Gynaecology and SIGN Guideline 62.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotlandintends to carry out an exercise taking stock of all the initiatives in place inNHSScotland across different clinical specialties aimed at preventing VTE. The resultswill help to determine how best to raise awareness amongst hospital staff.

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.

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.

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).

NHS 24 carries out quarterlypostal patient/caller satisfaction surveys, the most recent of which was sentout following the festive period. 1,200 questionnaires were sent out and NHS 24received 330 replies. This survey cost £504.

NHS 24 carried out anadditional one-off survey in January 2006 into calls that were handed over tolocal out-of-hours services for local triage by doctors over the festiveperiod. Another 1,200 people were surveyed and NHS 24 received 323 replies.This survey also cost £504.

NHS 24 staff carry out theadministration and appraisal of the surveys as part of their existing workloadand do not incur additional costs.

Reimbursement of rentalcosts was introduced with effect from 1 April 2005.To date interim payments in respect of rent reimbursement have been made to NHScommitted dental practices. These interim payments total £3,444,603 and average£5,693 per practice. The full amount of rent reimbursement for 2005-06 will beknown when reconciliation payments are made, in a few weeks’ time.

None.

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

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.