Chamber and committees

Arrangements have been put in place to monitor a range of factors including:

Trends in prescriptions that are exempt and paid for,

Volume of prescriptions dispensed,

Prescription pre-payment certificate sales,

Prescribing expenditure and

Trends in prescribing of specific drugs.

The data collected will allow assessment of the impact of the policy.

Our £3 million investment in the two pilot projects will focus on new innovative approaches to help those with anxiety and depression including telephone based cognitive behaviour therapy and guided self-help, as well as access to cognitive behaviour therapy on line. Part of the approaches to be tested will use a structured model of care supported by general practice and trained therapists.

The initiatives will explore and contribute to the evidence base of what works well in terms of access and care for service users and what proves effective in terms of overall outcomes and all steps will be taken to ensure the right patents are assessed and referred to this service through an algorithm designed by NHS 24.

The Scottish Government has already published timetabled targets on reducing anti depression prescribing and on increasing access to psychological therapies. We are also keen to see change through our published standards for integrated care and now see merit in investing this significant sum to test reaction and benefits from new ways of responding to those in need and to put them more in control of their condition.

The commitment within the concordat is to pay approved kinship carers of Looked After Children a weekly allowance at the equivalent rate as paid by the local authority to its foster carers.

We continue to support the payment of allowances based on TFN''s recommended rate of allowance. It is however up to individual local authorities to decide on an appropriate rate of allowance based on their local need and priorities.

Looked After children are those who are children subject to:

A supervision requirement made by a children''s hearing under section 70 of the 1995 act.

A child accommodated by the local authority under section 25 of the 1995 act.

An order made or authorisation or warrant granted by virtue of chapter 2, 3 or 4 of Part II of the 1995 act.

A placement made by a local authority which has taken parental responsibility under section 86 of the 1995 act (to be repealed shortly under the Adoption and Children Act 2007).

The Antimicrobial Prescribing Policy and Practice 2005, and Scottish Management of Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan 2008 guidance documents called for all NHS boards to establish an Antimicrobial Management Team (AMT), which would include an antimicrobial pharmacist, to cover both primary and secondary prescribing activities.

The Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG), advised that not all NHS boards have an established AMT, and therefore the HAI Task Force has announced in CEL30 2008 on 8 July 2008, funding of £40,000 for each mainland NHS board and £20,000 for Island Boards for 2009-10 and 20010-11, with two thirds for the current financial year, to enable each NHS board to rapidly appoint an antimicrobial pharmacist.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15325 on 19 August 2008 which refers to the criteria for payment of an allowance to approved kinship carers of Looked After Children and for whom the local authority has a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child and to the response to question S3W-15326 on 18 August 2008, which refers to the wider support of the Scottish Government for all kinship carers.

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/wa.search.

Progress against each of the commitments in the concordat will be reported annually by COSLA. The commitment only covers arrangements made for kinship carers of children who are Looked After as defined in the answer to question S3W-15325 on 19 August 2008.

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/wa.search.

The intention of extended hours is to increase the availability of routine GP appointments outside of normal office hours, regardless of the patient''s background or circumstance. There is in principle no restriction on who may book an extended hours appointment although they will be of most benefit to patients who are unable to attend during normal office hours and GP practices may encourage other patients to make use of existing in-hours appointments whenever possible. We are, therefore, not undertaking research on the health needs of patients accessing GP appointments during extended hours.

The intention of extended hours is to increase the availability of routine GP appointments outside of normal office hours, regardless of the patient''s background or circumstance. We are, therefore, not undertaking research on the health needs of patients accessing GP appointments during extended hours.

We are monitoring the take up of extended hours in GP surgeries through NHS boards. As of 1 August, over half of GP practices in Scotland have indicated that they intend to provide extended opening.

The Scottish Government has taken a range of actions to improve the status and address the needs of kinship carers. This includes:

Providing new central financial resources to local authorities to meet our joint commitment within the National Concordat to pay a weekly financial allowance to an approved kinship carer of a looked after child.

The development of guidance by the Getting it right for every child in kinship and foster care reference group on support for kinship carers.

Central funding of Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) to deliver a specialist advice and information service for all kinship carers.

Work undertaken by Scottish ministers, in conjunction with UK ministers, to discuss improvements to the UK benefits and taxation system as it effects kinship carers.