Chamber and committees

The MMR vaccine is given as part of the NHS Scotland routine childhood vaccination programme. One dose is usually given to a child when they are 12 to 13 months old, and a second dose is given from age 3 years 4 months.

The Scottish Immunisation & Recall System (SIRS) ensures that children under the age of six years receive the appropriate immunisation according to the childhood immunisation schedule, including MMR vaccination. ‘Immunisation against Infectious Disease' also known as the "Green Book" sets out the clinical guidelines in relation to vaccination programmes including the scheduling of vaccines.

In Scotland, uptake rates of one dose of MMR by five years have remained above the World Health Organisation's 95% target since 2009. In addition to the MMR vaccine offered to infants, the MMR status of secondary school pupils is checked during routine teenage vaccinations and the MMR vaccine is offered if appropriate. We are not complacent and continue to make every effort to promote and encourage uptake of the MMR vaccination.

This information is not held centrally.

However, Information Services Division Scotland publish quarterly statistics on treatment waiting times and types of treatment undertaken which shows how many residential detoxification and rehabilitation treatments were started in that period. This information is available here - https://www.isdscotland.org/index.asp .

It should be noted, however, that it isn’t possible to say that the number of treatments started equals the number of individuals undertaking them as the same individual may drop-out and re-start a treatment.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-20315 on 13 December 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

There have been a further 18,556 voluntary sector short breaks provided to carers during the period 2018-19. Please see the breakdown in the following table. These figures are for the number of breaks funded and there may be more than one carer benefiting from each break. It should be noted that Shared Care Scotland figures for 2018-19 are estimated and figures from April 2019 are not yet available.

Number of short breaks provided through the voluntary sector Short Breaks Fund in 2018-19, and total since 2010

Ministers rejected South East Scotland Strategic Development Plan 2 as it was not informed by an adequate and timely transport appraisal, and did not sufficiently take account of the relationship between land use and transport. The Planning Bill as passed introduces a duty for planning authorities to work together to undertake strategic planning. It is now the responsibility of the constituent authorities to decide the next steps and the Scottish Government has offered to support them with this.

This information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The member may wish to consider contacting individual health boards to obtain this information.

The Access Support Team is an internal Scottish Government department which is made up of performance and improvement staff who work closely with NHS Boards to ensure best practice is instilled across all hospital sites, and to share good practice and innovation across NHSScotland.

The team works closely with the Clinical Priorities Unit who coordinate the National Advisory Committee for Chronic Pain, and that includes NHS staff as well as Scottish Government officials along with third sector and patient representatives.

Data on Audiology service waits is included as part of the 18 weeks referral to treatment waiting time data which is published quarterly by ISD. The 18 weeks referral to treatment performance information is based on an aggregate return from NHS Boards and does not provide specialty level data.

Alcoholic Liver disease is one of 15 conditions included in the Alcohol Specific Deaths statistics published annually by National Records of Scotland.

Data for number of deaths by underlying cause of death is available in table 2 of the NRS Alcohol-specific Deaths (new National Statistics definition) Data Tables which are available at the following link.

https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/alcohol-deaths/2018/alcohol-specific-deaths-18-all-tabs.xlsx

The data for alcoholic liver disease is detailed in the following table.

Alcohol-specific deaths (new National Statistics definition) by underlying cause of death (ICD-10): registered in Scotland, 2007 to 2018

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is not routinely available in Scotland on the NHS. Local health boards are best placed to provide or arrange provision of any evidence based treatment and services.

The needs and treatment of every patient will differ depending on range of factors. Should a patient put forward an interest in transcranial magnetic stimulation as a part of their treatment plan, they should, along with their family discuss the full range of evidence based options with the consultant responsible for the patient's care.

Should it be required, the consultant can make a case to the respective health board for the treatment. This could include accessing the treatment somewhere else in the UK, including a different nation.