Chamber and committees

Information on waiting timesfor alcohol services is not requested centrally.

Average waiting times are notregarded as a particularly effective measure of the availability and efficiencyof drug services. Information from the Waiting Times Information Framework showingthe length of time waited for community based support and/or rehabilitation andfor residential detoxification and rehabilitation by NHS board and Alcohol and DrugAction Team (ADAT) area has been placed in the Scottish Parliament InformationCentre (Bib. number 40510).

The levels of funding availablein 2006-07 for the provision of alcohol prevention and treatment services will carryforward into 2007-08. Any decisions thereafter on the level of funding allocationswill form part of the next spending review.I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28409 on 29 September 2006,which details the range of Executivefunding streams being used currently to support delivery of alcohol rehabilitationservices. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Since 2002-03 each Alcohol and Drug Action Team has been tasked with producing annual Corporate Action Plans which contain information on the numbers of alcohol rehabilitation places available at local level across Scotland. These plans are available on the Information and Statistics Division Scotland website at:http://www.drugsmisuse.isdscotland.org/index.htm.

Additional information can be obtained direct from NHS boards. Information is not available centrally on alcohol rehabilitation places prior to 2002-03.

NHS boards pay for the deliveryof rehabilitation services from their general allocations but this spend is notidentified separately. In addition, each of Scotland’s 22 alcohol and drugaction teams has received allocations for the provision of alcohol treatment andrehabilitation services since 2004-05, detailed as follows:

2004-05: £3,000,000

2005-06: £9,900,000

2006-07: £9,900,000.

It is also a priority of theChanging Children’s Services Fund to develop targeted education, prevention andrehabilitation services for children affected by alcohol or drugs misuse and the investment made through this fund in 2005-06 amounted to£65.5 million. The Executive has committed £4 million since 2004-05 to theLloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland - Partnership Drugs Initiative - to support voluntaryorganisations working with children and young people affected by substance misuse,and a further £2 million in 2005-06 and 2006-07 to supportADATs in discharging their responsibilities to support the delivery of treatmentand rehabilitation services at local level.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28411 on 29 September 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The provision of adult intensivetherapy unit services is a matter for individual health boards. Each board mustensure that an appropriate number of ITU beds is available; however, if all theITU beds become full, there are arrangements in place for neighbouring boards tooffer ITU care. Boards also have contingency plans for the event of large scaleemergencies. We expect that good governance and risk management planning shouldensure that these services and plans are in place. We consider the current provisionto be adequate, and we have no plans to issue guidance on average occupancy rates.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28360 on 27 September 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28360 on 27 September 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

This is a matter for NHS Grampian.

Centrally held information onintensive therapy unit (ITU) beds does not specifically identify beds that are fullyfunded.

However, table 1 shows informationon the average available staffed beds in intensive care units by NHS board for theyears ending 31 March 2004-06.

Table 1, NHS Scotland –Average Available Staffed Beds in Intensive Care Units; Years Ending 31 March2004 to 2006

	2004	2005	2006P
Scotland1	172	177	177
Argyll and Clyde	8	8	9
Ayrshire and Arran	14	11	9
Borders	3	3	4
Dumfries and Galloway	6	6	6
Fife	9	10	10
Forth Valley	6	7	7
Grampian	18	18	18
Greater Glasgow	45	48	47
Highland	6	6	7
Lanarkshire	15	15	14
Lothian	32	31	33
Orkney	-	-	-
Shetland	-	-	-
Tayside	10	10	10
Western Isles	-	-	-

^PProvisional.

Note: 1. Information for Golden Jubilee National Hospital is includedin the Scotland total.