Chamber and committees

The member is referred to the answer given to S5W-24624 on‎ 20 August 2019.

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 .

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) report Drug Related Deaths in Scotland in 2018 was published on 16 th July 2019.
It states there were a total of 1,187 drug related deaths in 2018.

The full report can be found at the following link:

https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/
deaths/drug-related-deaths-in-scotland/2018 .

The definition of a drug related death is not straightforward. Different definitions are described in annexes A and B of the NRS report.

Based on the available data for two of the three possible definitions, paragraphs G7 and G9 of Annex G of the NRS report conclude that drug death rates in Scotland (relative to the relevant population sizes) are almost three times those of the UK as a whole.This is based on the latest European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) report which was published in June 2018, using 2016 data.

A comparison with other UK nations using data for 2017 has not yet been published by NRS and a comparison using 2018 data is not yet possible. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will release England and Wales drug deaths data on 15 th August and National Records of Scotland (NRS) will produce a briefing outlining comparative statistics for the UK countries (for 2017 and 2018) in the days following the ONS release.

Drug-related death statistics for England and Wales for 2017 were published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) statistics in August 2018 and can be found at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/
deaths/bulletins/
deathsrelatedtodrugpoisoninginenglandandwales/2017registrations

Drug-related death statistics for Northern Ireland for 2017 were published by Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) in March 2019 and can be found at the following link:
https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/drug-related-and-drug-misuse-deaths-2007-2017

The business case for the Drug and Alcohol Information System (DAISy) was approved in May 2016.

The contract was awarded to NHS Ayrshire and Arran in January 2017, to develop DAISy. This was based on their expertise with their own local system which offered similar functionality to that identified through extensive stakeholder engagement as being required at a local and national level.

We had planned to launch DAISy in April 2018. However the development of the system has been more complex than originally envisaged, which has meant the estimated timeline for delivery has changed 4 times.

The original budget profile for initial IT development allocated to DAISy was £411,653, with additional provision for ongoing development and maintenance of:

£107,617 in 2017-18

£120,450 in 2018-19

£119,450 in 2019-20

Total budget to end of March 2020 is £759,170

NHS Ayrshire and Arran completed the initial development work and in November 2018 the development of the IT system passed to NHS National Services Scotland (NHS NSS) for completion. The spend with NHS Ayrshire and Arran was £491,263, the projected costs with NHS NSS (to end of 2019/20) are £257,980, a total of £749,243 in line with the estimated budget.

There are currently some challenges with the IT development. We are clear that we need a system which is robust and provides an effective means of gathering data on treatment outputs and outcomes for the foreseeable future.

Information on DAISy is available on the Information Services website

https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Drugs-and-Alcohol-Misuse/Drug-Alcohol-Information-System/

The Scottish Government does not have a resilience committee, the term is sometimes used to refer to the civil contingencies space that Ministers may operate within. The Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) is a response function that stands up when there are immediate incidents such as terrorism, sever weather and other disruptive events. Drug related deaths would not fall into its remit and this issue has not been discussed in SGoRR

In July 2019, the Drugs Deaths Taskforce was established to tackle the rising number of drug deaths in Scotland. The group will bring together experts from across the health and justice systems to examine the barriers in practice, and in the law, to bring about improvement in the care and treatment of people who use drugs. The Taskforce will be chaired by Professor Catriona Matheson of the University of Stirling, details of the membership of the Taskforce will be announced shortly. The Scottish Government will give consideration to any proposals this taskforce may bring forward which may help to tackle this issue and save lives.

In addition, the Scottish Government has agreed to host a drug deaths summit to consider these issues. UK Government representatives, local authorities and the chair of the drug deaths taskforce will be invited, ensuring the voices of those with experience of using drugs, and their families, are heard.

The accessibility improvement works to install lifts and platform resurfacing at Fauldhouse railway station started as planned during September 2018 and is on schedule to be completed as planned, by the end of Summer 2019.

The bridge reconstruction commenced on programme in March 2016 and was successfully delivered as planned in July 2016.

The Scottish Government provided an answer to S5W-24139 prior to the due date of 31 July. However, due to a technical fault within Parliament - of which the Scottish Government was not aware - this was not subsequently issued to the member.

As indicated in a letter to the member dated 15 August, I welcome Dr Veronikis’ offer to come to Scotland, and am very grateful for it. However, as I indicated in my 26 June statement to Parliament, Dr Veronikis can only practice medicine here in Scotland, and work with our clinicians, once he obtains registration with the GMC.

In order to register temporarily with the GMC, there are a number of requirements that a visiting specialist is required to fulfil. This includes providing evidence of qualifications, a letter of introduction from a Royal College and, from the country they are presently practicing in, evidence of their licence to practice and a certificate of good standing. Officials have encouraged Dr Veronikis to begin gathering the required evidence.

Furthermore, the GMC also require evidence of employment in the UK and, in order to fulfil this requirement, Dr Veronikis must obtain a contract from a Health Board, in this case NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. This will, of course, be offered on the basis that the merit of any visit is clearly proven. In this context, it is important that professional diligence is discharged and is demonstrated to everyone’s satisfaction. I confirm that this process is underway, with the Chair and other key members of the Short Life Working Group on mesh complications presently liaising with Dr Veronikis.

An important step in this process is an initial, fact-finding and educational visit by Scottish clinicians to Dr Veronikis in the US. During this visit further arrangements for clinical cooperation, learning and sharing experience – in Scotland – will be considered. Officials are presently making arrangements for this visit which, taking into account the present commitments – clinical and otherwise – of both Scotland’s clinicians and Dr Veronikis, is being planned for early autumn.

Applying due diligence in this way will help to ensure that Dr Veronikis has the necessary professional sponsorship and that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will be able to offer him a contract.

I want to ensure that patients in Scotland have access to the best possible care for mesh complications. This will inevitably involve a degree of comparison and benchmarking, and I view any visit by Dr Veronikis an important step toward this. However, any such visit can only take place in the context of agreement and regulatory approval by the GMC. Officials are taking the steps outlined above in order to maximise the likelihood of this being achieved.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

As detailed in the response to PQ S5W-23105 on 29 May 2019, SPS continues to work alongside justice sector partners to understand the risks of psychoactive substances.

In addition, SPS is working collaboratively with the University of Dundee to analyse illicit articles recovered from our prisons in order to better understand the changing nature of drug misuse. Further planned research will improve understanding of transdermal transfer and second hand ingestion.

SPS is committed to ensuring that all staff guidance is evidenced based and mitigates the risk of exposure.

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

I refer the member to the statement I made in Parliament on 26 June.

Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) direct funding allocations are published at
https://www.gov.scot/publications/alcohol-and-drug-partnerships-funding-allocations/

Since 2017-18 ADP funding has been provided to NHS Boards as part of their baseline budget for onward delegation and decision making to Integration Authorities and ADPs.

The total financial resource available in any given year is higher than the direct contribution provided from the Scottish Government budget and includes contributions from the NHS and other statutory partners.

In financial year 2018-19, £17 million was allocated directly to ADPs through the Local Improvement Fund. The same is available to Integration Authorities and ADPs in 2019-20.

In addition a £1.25 million challenge fund is administered by the CORRA Foundation, and £1 million is provided through the National Development Project Fund. £750,000 has been allocated to support Housing First work for people with problematic substance use.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-24266 on 1 August 2019. 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