Chamber and committees

There are currently more than 200 jobs in the bodies covered by the relocation policy, located in Ayrshire. To date, none of the relocation reviews have resulted in moves to Ayrshire. The Scottish Executive is committed to ensuring that Government in Scotland is efficient and decentralised, as part of a wider vision of more accessible, open and responsive Government. We are committed to examining opportunities as they arise and on a case-by-case basis. In this context, no areas of the country are targeted and equally none are ruled out, nor are there any targets for the number of jobs to be relocated or the areas to which they might go.

The information asked for is contained in the table, for the years 1998 to 2002 only. Data is not available for 1997. Please note that the percentages quoted are percentages of all recipients of home care, as it is not possible to split these figures by age group. Percentage of People in Receipt of Intensive Home Care¹, 1998 to 2002.

Year	East Ayrshire	South Ayrshire
2002	26%	37%
2001	24%	51%
2000	21%	28%
1999	23%	22%
1998	20%	20%

Source: SEHD:SWSU H1 Return.Note:1. Intensive home care is defined as greater than 10 hours care per week.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34655 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

The Scottish Agricultural College's (SAC) proposal to withdraw campus-based education and research services from its Auchincruive Campus is part of an option for rationalisation that SAC has sought ministers' agreement to, on the basis of a report of an options appraisal conducted by consultants Deloitte & Touche.I have asked SAC to invite comments on the report from staff and other stakeholders and this has been done. I have also asked SAC for further work on the options appraisal. Ministers will take account of comments and representations that SAC receives and the additional information I have asked for before completing their consideration of the options appraisal report and SAC's recommendation. This process is likely to take a number of weeks.Without prejudice to the outcome of the option appraisal process I understand that SAC has been working with Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire and South Ayrshire Council to find alternative uses for parts of the Auchincruive campus which has exceeded the College's requirements for some time.

The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 removed the distinction between residential care homes and nursing homes and all such services are now known as care homes. Under the act, regulation of these services is the responsibility of the Care Commission, taking account of the appropriate national care standards for care homes, which are developed and published by Scottish ministers, and the associated legislation. The standards for care homes all include a standard on staffing, which states that staff will have the knowledge and skills needed to provide care. The standards also detail the level of training which care staff need to have and the date by which this must be achieved.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Prescription data collected centrally is not patient-specific.The decision on whether or not to prescribe a drug for a patient is always a matter for the clinical judgement of the patient's doctor, informed by advice and guidance about the drug.The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 removed the distinction between residential care homes and nursing homes and all such services are now known as care homes.The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (the Care Commission) in regulating services against the legislative requirements and the relevant national care standards requires providers of care homes to keep accurate up-to-date records of all medicines for the use of service users. These records are kept on the premises from which the care service is provided.

Individual care decisions are matters for clinicians in consultation with the relevant professional staff/multi-disciplinary team. Care decisions should always be based on individually assessed needs.Following the member's business debate on 4 December, NHSScotland regional planning groups have been asked to consider the benefits of providing joint admission services for postnatal depression on a shared, regional basis. Progress will be assessed in April. Meanwhile, I am encouraged that NHS Greater Glasgow's own proposals will come on stream at the beginning of 2004 as a first step towards wider provision. Published guidance on the best organisation of postnatal depression services (Bib. number 24358) and the management of postnatal depression and puerperal psychosis (Bib. number 25439) inform these considerations.

While this is primarily a matter for local NHS systems, there is evidence that progress is being made locally in the provision of perinatal services. This includes the introduction of nurse consultants specialising in perinatal mental illness and the development of integrated care pathways (ICPs) for the early detection and management of perinatal mental health problems. However, I realise that there is further work to be taken forward in this area and, in December 2002, I asked NHS Scotland's regional planning groups to consider the benefits of providing joint admission in-patient services for post-natal depression on a shared, regional, basis. This issue will be an agenda item for the regional partnership networks, which bring together the Chief Executives of the five NHS boards in each Scottish region. Progress will be assessed in April. The Mental Health and Well Being Support Group is also monitoring strategic planning of perinatal services throughout NHS Scotland.

The Chief Scientist Office within the Scottish Executive Health Department is investing £133,302 in a research project on the diagnosis of perinatal mental illness in women and their partners and is contributing £45,827 to a research fellowship into the treatment of postnatal depression. I would be pleased to receive further quality research applications on perinatal mental illness for peer and committee review.