Chamber and committees

There has been no such guidance issued. However, in 1998, a report prepared by a multidisciplinary Working Group of the National Medical Advisory Committee on The Management of Patients With Mental Disorders and/or Disturbed Behaviour Who Present to Accident and Emergency Departments was distributed to NHS boards throughout Scotland.A telephone advice line, aimed particularly at young men who are at risk of suicide, was launched in April 2002.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The services of psychiatrists, psychologists and mental health nurses are available within Scottish prisons for all those prisoners assessed as in need of such. Available treatments include drug therapy, group and individual work, as appropriate.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:The prevalence of mental health problems within the prison population is not known with any precision. Studies have ranged from 3% to 82% of the prison population.The last major studies undertaken within Scottish prisons were, by Dr David Cooke, Psychological Disturbance amongst Prisoners and, by Dr James McManus, Mentally Disturbed Prisoners. Both were published by SPS as Occasional Papers in 1994 no's. 3 and 4 respectively.

There are no proposals to publish details of NHSBoards adherence to advice issued by the Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS). NHSScotland is expected to take account of advice and evidence from the HTBS and ensure that recommended drugs or treatments are made available to meet clinical need. Any evidence that emerged either from complaints or through monitoring which suggested that this was not happening would be followed up proactively.

The Health Technology Board for Scotland proactively seeks to ensures that its comments are timeous, factually accurate and useful to NHSScotland. It seeks the views of Scottish "experts", including patient representatives, on the applicability of the NICE Guidance in the light of contextual differences between Scotland and England and Wales, including epidemiology and the structure and provision of services. Draft comments are also published on its website and feedback encouraged which is taken account of in framing its final advice.The establishment of a Quality and Standards Board for Health in Scotland will simplify some elements of this process.

Information regarding activity and costs is not currently collated across sectors in a disease programme manner. Existing acute activity can be translated into Healthcare Resource Groups by the Information and Statistics Division, which allows activity groupings into main disease groups such as cancer and coronary heart disease. However, nothing similar can currently be done with information relating to services carried out in the community or primary care settings. A National Steering Group is currently being established which will look at developing a whole system approach to this, with a view of identifying activity, and costs, in recognised disease profiles.

The Scottish Executive does not hold this information.

There are 40 fully trained interpreters in Scotland and a further 13 trainees who are associate members of the Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters.

The Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) will Comment on any implications for NHSScotland arising from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidance by late July 2002. Until the HTBS Comment is issued, clinicians should use all the available evidence, including the NICE Guidance, to guide their decisions about the use of treatments.

NHSBoards should ensure that drugs or treatments recommended by the Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) are made available to meet clinical need. Any non-adherence to this advice would be dealt with through normal performance management arrangements.In addition, the advice of the clinical effectiveness organisations, like the HTBS and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network are, wherever appropriate, included within the standards developed by the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland (CSBS). Reports of visits carried out by the CSBS to assess compliance with its standards are published and inform the Performance Assessment Framework and the national accountability review process.