Chamber and committees

We have commissioned People Too to carry out a concerted, national anti-stigma initiative in Scotland. People Too is an alliance of the Highland Users Group, the National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland), Penumbra, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Scottish Association for Mental Health. Details of the initiative will be announced by People Too in due course.

Information on the total number of patients ready for discharge, by health board area of treatment and selected age group is shown in the following table. Information on the gender, and on the specific ailment and/or diagnosis of patients ready for discharge, is not held centrally. The information shown is based on the number of patients who had waited over six weeks (i.e. the common local discharge planning period) at the 15 January 2002 census, the latest date for which information is held centrally.

	Age Groups
NHS Board area of treatment	Total	0-64	65-74	75-79	80-84	85-89	90+
Scotland	2075	288	303	333	408	431	312
Argyll & Clyde	352	44	58	52	61	83	54
Ayrshire & Arran	189	6	29	30	50	37	37
Borders	36	3	3	9	6	8	7
Dumfries & Galloway	25	-	4	4	6	7	4
Fife	117	11	13	19	26	30	18
Forth Valley	135	21	16	26	23	25	24
Grampian	238	33	28	38	49	48	42
Greater Glasgow	295	53	50	42	59	58	33
Highland	86	9	16	13	24	9	15
Lanarkshire	137	34	17	22	24	25	15
Lothian	291	46	44	53	51	60	37
Orkney	10	1	2	-	-	5	2
Tayside	140	25	22	20	26	28	19
Western Isles	24	2	1	5	3	8	5

Effective implementation of the Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland is key to our ambition for a modern, responsive mental health service. The Mental Health and Well Being Support Group was established specifically to work with all the agencies on this objective and to monitor and report on the progress made. Area outcome reports are published within four weeks of each visit and are available on the Support Group's website at: http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/mhwbsg/.This activity reinforces the work of the Scottish Health Advisory Service, which actively reviews and reports on progress at NHS board level in delivering care and support for priority care groups, including mental health. Aspects of the performance of NHS bodies in delivering mental health services is also monitored through the new Performance Assessment Framework. Any significant problems highlighted will be discussed between the department and the NHS board at the annual accountability review. Agreed action will be set out in the accountability review summary letter, which will be published.

The information requested is not held centrally.Most psychological therapy treatment is undertaken on an out-patient basis. Data on waiting lists is only available at speciality level for in-patient and day case treatment. Information on waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant following a general practitioner referral is collected at speciality level only.

NHS boards were notified of their allocations to meet the health care needs of their resident populations in 2002-03 on 7 February. It is for boards to decide how best to meet national and local priorities from within the funds available. Details of NHS boards' expenditure in 2002-03 will be available from board annual accounts. The recently introduced Performance Assessment Framework will deliver a systematic and consistent assessment of performance in the NHS, including those on specific priorities.

It is not possible to say, no decisions have been taken on the Scottish Agricultural College's proposals.I have asked the college to invite comments on the Options Appraisal Report, prepared by consultants Deloitte & Touche, and to undertake further work on a number of key aspects of their proposals.

The Health Education Board for Scotland has not been provided with additional funds, relating to a national anti-stigma campaign. The Scottish Executive is, however, planning to commission such a campaign as one element of the National Programme for the Improvement of Mental Health.

A Mental Health Bill will be introduced later this year, which will give effect to the Millan Committee recommendations, as described in the policy statement "Renewing Mental Health Law", published in October 2001. The accompanying Financial Memorandum will set out the best estimates of the costs to which the provisions of the bill could give rise.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23422.

The board has undertaken a wide range of initiatives relating to mental health since 1999. These include:

• Support to Scottish Mental Health week every year through the development of resources and a small grant scheme for small, local initiatives.
• The development of two sets of resources for young people: "Cool Heads" for teenagers aged 12 to 16 years and "Head Kit" for 16- to 18-year-olds.
• The highly successful mass media campaign for young people "Think About It" that has, at the heart of it, mental health issues and a focus on relationships, self-image and decision-making through adolescence.
• Schools-based initiatives focussing on mental and emotional health issues.
• A new strand of media work highlighting the importance of communication, listening and respect for children - all of which relate to the mental and emotional well-being of parents and their children.
• A recently produced HEBS "Evidence into Action" paper focussing on research and evaluation of health for the under-fives includes a section on mental health issues
• The production and dissemination of research undertaken to consider the role of primary care in the detection and management of mental health problems. A group has subsequently been set up to consider how the voluntary sector and primary care can link together more effectively.
• The development, with the Institute of Occupational Medicine, of a new resource "Work Positive" which relates to stress in the workplace.

Although specific initiatives have yet to be identified, mental health issues will be an important strand of the work of the board's new Children and Families programme. HEBS has also been working with others to consider how best to make explicit links between community development work and its impact on community health. This work is still very much in the early stages of thinking and development.