Surveillance of invasive early and late onset streptococcal Group B infection in Scotland is based on laboratory confirmed reports received through the electronic reporting system called ECOSS (Electronic Communication of Surveillance in Scotland).

Information on the number of laboratory confirmed reports of (a) early and (b) late onset group B streptococcal infections among babies aged less than 90 days in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015 (expressed as a rate per 1,000 births) is shown in Table 1. Please note the following caveats when considering this data:

Invasive illness in this situation is defined as any report in which a sample from a normally sterile site has been taken for clinical diagnosis, as reported through ECOSS (sample sites considered: blood, cerebrospinal fluid, pleural and ascetic fluid, pleural and joint aspirate).

The date the first sample was taken from an individual has been used as a proxy for date of onset of illness as detailed information on date of onset of illness is not available through ECOSS.

Please note that the figures for 2015 are provisional, based on reports received up to mid November and will change as more data, including retrospective reports, are received late in the year.

Table 1: Number and incidence of confirmed laboratory reports of invasive streptococcal group B infections by year (2013-15 up to October) in those aged up to 90 days broken down by early and late onset:

* The number of births for the year 2015 was extrapolated from the average birth cohort size from previous five years – assuming that by Oct 10/12 of births have occurred (Data source: National Records Scotland:

http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/births/births-time-series-data)

Surveillance of streptococcal group B infection in Scotland (including invasive disease) is based on laboratory confirmed reports received through the electronic reporting system, Electronic Communication of Surveillance in Scotland. Therefore Health Protection Scotland is already aware of laboratory confirmed cases and has been monitoring trends in Scotland for some years. The notifiable disease provisions in the Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008 requires clinicians to notify diseases based on clinical diagnosis as an early warning before the case is confirmed, in case any public health action can be taken promptly to prevent further cases. The Scottish Health Protection Network will keep under review the list of notifiable diseases and organisms currently in the Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008 on an on-going basis and if considered appropriate, based on any added benefits, may suggest adding group B streptococcal infection on the list as a notifiable disease.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) undertakes a rolling programme of surveillance to monitor progress towards the Scottish Dietary Goals (SDGs). Data on deprivation is presented as quintiles of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and analysed in three year blocks. The most recent results by deprivation are available for 2009 to 2012. Data for 2013 will be available at the end of November 2015.

Differences in diet by deprivation have shown a generally consistent pattern since monitoring began in 2001. Households in the most deprived areas consume significantly less fruit and vegetables, oil rich fish and fibre and consume more added sugars than households in the least deprived areas.

The lack of progress towards meeting the SDGs is apparent amongst households in both the least and most deprived areas and there is no evidence to suggest that the gap in intake between the most and least deprived households has decreased or increased compared to previous years.

The latest Food Standards Scotland report is available at:

http://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/monitoring-progress-towards-scottish-dietary-goals-2001-2012-report-1.

Research shows that the rate of early onset group B streptococcus (GBS) in the UK is comparable to those countries which have population based screening programmes.

The 2012 UK National Screening Committee review highlighted some questions over the benefits of possible prevention methods. To address this, the NSC commissioned a study comparing the different approaches to preventing early onset GBS infection in babies. These approaches include the current high risk management strategy used in the UK, and potential screening strategies used elsewhere. The outcome will inform the next policy review due in 2016.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting people living with diabetes, as well as their families and carers. We want to ensure that everyone who requires care has access to the highest standards of care in every setting, in an NHS facility or their own home. That is why we published the Diabetes Improvement Plan in 2014. It is for each individual NHS board to plan and deliver services to meet the needs of their local population, taking account of available evidence and good practice guidance. We expect NHS boards to ensure that patients who have diabetes have appropriate access to a range of professionals, including specialist nurses, to ensure optimum management of their condition. The number of diabetes specialist nurses in Scotland has increased by over 12% from 93 in September 2010 to 105 in September 2015.

There is already a growing body of international evidence indicating that high inequality has a negative impact on long-term economic growth and prosperity. That is why tackling inequality is a central pillar of Scotland’s Economic Strategy, which recognises that improving Scotland’s economic competitiveness and tackling inequality are mutually supportive objectives.

The Scottish Government produces statistical measures on a number of dimensions of inequality such as health, income and wealth, which are published on a regular basis. The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation also provides data on various aspects of inequalities at local geographies, which set out the scale of inequalities both between and within local authorities.

There is already strong international evidence that high levels of inequality impact negatively on a wide range of economic and social outcomes. The Scottish Government will continue to publish a range of statistics on inequalities on a regular basis and there will be an updated Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation published in summer 2016.

The number of whole time equivalent (WTE) clinical nurse specialists with the specialty of diabetes employed by each NHS board has increased by 12.1 WTE, or 12.9 per cent since September 2010, and is shown in the following table:

Source: Scottish Workforce Information Standard System, Information Services Division Scotland.

The following symbol has been used:

- nil

Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the role, a nurse may work in more than one specialty, although only one specialist area is recorded for each nurse. The figures shown do not include those who spend part of their time working in diabetes but have been recorded against another specialty.

Following any bereavement, bereaved people will receive advice and support from agencies including their GP, the local registrar’s office and the police, on actions which they require to take in relation to the death of their loved one. In addition, where death by suicide is concerned, helpful advice on practical issues, the grieving process and sources of support is available from the Scottish Association for Mental Health's After a Suicide booklet. After a Suicide was developed in association with – and funded by – NHS Health Scotland, who produce and distribute it free of charge.

Annual data on deaths by suicide are published by National Records of Scotland at the following site:

http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/deaths/suicides/the-definition-of-the-statistics

Further analysis of these data is provided by the Scottish Public Health Observatory:

http://www.scotpho.org.uk/health-wellbeing-and-disease/suicide/key-points.