Chamber and committees

The following table shows the number of standard delayed discharge patients recorded on the Information Services Division (ISD) delayed discharge census in Scotland recorded with a standard reason for delay code within the learning disability specialty. The figures, not including code 9 delayed discharges, are shown for patients with a delay period more than four weeks at each quarterly census from July 2014 to April 2015 and for patients with a delay period more than six weeks at each quarterly census from July 2011 to April 2015.

Number of standard delayed discharges in a learning disability specialty

Quarterly census	Delayed over four weeks	Delayed over six weeks
April 2015	1	1
January 2015	1	-
October 2014	3	1
July 2014	1	-
April 2014		-
January 2014		-
October 2013		1
July 2013		-
April 2013		-
January 2013		1
October 2012		1
July 2012		-
April 2012		-
January 2012		-
October 2011		-
July 2011		-

Source: ISD Scotland

Ref: IR2015_01087

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-25860 on 11 June 2015. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-25860 on 11 June 2015. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-25860 on 11 June 2015. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

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The Scottish Government and NHSScotland have regular engagement with Community Pharmacy Scotland on issues relating to the supply and provision of drugs for patients in the community.

At a UK level, the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 set out the regulatory processes for the manufacture and supply of medicines. In managing supply issues caused by manufacturing difficulties, regulatory problems or supply of raw materials, the Department of Health established a supply chain group in 2009 as a forum for organisations to meet and exchange information, understand the causes of the supply problems, including those due to parallel trade, and seek possible solutions.

Scottish Government officials are represented on the supply chain group which also includes trade bodies that represent manufacturers (including the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry) as well as wholesalers and pharmacists. Other members include those representing dispensing doctors and patient groups.

Through these and other routes the Scottish Government and NHSScotland receive information about supply issues, which helps to inform the response to the availability of drugs and patient safety.

When supply issues relating to individual drugs arise, the information that becomes available is shared by NHSScotland with the relevant networks within the service to help prescribers and dispensers meet patients’ on-going medicinal needs. The NHSScotland prescribing advisers network provides support to prescribers on the use of alternative products, and in circumstances where there is a prolonged period of shortage of a generic drug, dispensers can supply the branded equivalent where this appropriate. In some NHS boards this is further supported with software to inform prescribers when a certain medicine is in short supply and alternatives for prescribing.

The management of repeat prescriptions is a significant and important function for GPs to ensure optimum patient care. This includes the need to react from time-to-time when any particular shortage occurs. Sourcing drugs for dispensing against NHS prescriptions is an activity devolved to community pharmacy and other dispensing contractors. NHSScotland seeks to support GPs and community pharmacy contractors where supply chain disruption inhibits their ability to carry out these functions efficiently, and will continue to look at how that support may be strengthened.

Legislation in respect of the prescribing of medicines is laid down in the Medicines Act 1968 and the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, amendment of which is reserved to the UK Government and Parliament.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-25860 on 11 June 2015. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-25860 on 11 June 2015. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-25860 on 11 June 2015. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

We are working closely with NHS boards to ensure that the number of specialist beds matches the need and demand of children and adolescents. We are also encouraging NHS boards to develop their community based intensive outreach services in order to enable children and young people to return to their own communities at an earlier stage of their recovery.

A new model of 'hospital at home' type care and treatment has been introduced across many NHS boards. This new approach creates new capacity. In the areas where the new approaches are most advanced this has been demonstrated to have had the effect of significantly reducing the need for unscheduled and temporary admissions of under 18s to adult psychiatric hospital beds.

The new approach emphasises the child's strengths and uses the expertise within the family and the local community to maximise the support available - the theory being that a small change in a child's familiar environment will be more significant in their recovery than a larger change in a setting alien to them. When provided in conjunction with practices such as proactive discharge (planning discharges from the date of decision to admit) and flexible approaches to in-reach and out-reach work, a number of benefits have been demonstrated. Some admissions are avoided altogether. Many are significantly shortened. Where evaluation and research has been undertaken, good patient outcomes have been demonstrated.

Generally children accessing Child Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) will be treated in the community however there may be times when it is necessary to admit them to hospital for specialist treatment. Should this be the case they would be admitted to one of the three regional CAMHS inpatient units or for under 12s the Royal Hospital for sick kids.

We are operating a regional model of service delivery and presently have 48 beds in the 3 regional units with a further 6 beds for under 12s giving a total bed numbers for children and young people in Scotland to 54.

The Mental Health and Learning Disability Bed Census: One Day Audit was undertaken on 29 October 2014. The Scottish Government plans to publish provisional analysis from the census imminently.