Chamber and committees

The £19 million has been allocated to health boards under a number of broad criteria. That is to give heath boards flexibility to implement strategies and interventions appropriate to their local areas. It is expected that health boards will monitor and evaluate interventions locally and we will also be asking health boards to provide us with information on action taken.

We will be able to monitor the impact nationally through the annual breastfeeding rate statistics, the numbers of maternity units attaining Baby Friendly status, and the number of beneficiaries claiming Healthy Start benefit.

The Fair for All agenda looks to ensure that whatever the individuals'' circumstances, they have access to the right health services for their needs.

Guidance entitled Achieving Fair Access was issued to the NHS in April 2007 and is available at http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/2033.aspx.

The Scottish Government does not routinely respond to reports produced by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, although we remain interested in and take account of their findings. This report overlapped with work that the Scottish Government took forward in respect of the PHIS Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Needs Assessment Report, which was completed in August 2008.

The Autistic Spectrum Disorder Reference Group worked to improve the consistency of diagnosis across Scotland by training professionals in the use of agreed diagnostic tools and issued a quality standard for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnostic services. It also published guidance to local agencies on commissioning services to ensure that these are appropriate and accessible for people with ASD.

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network then published extensive guidelines on assessment, diagnosis and clinical interventions for children and young people with ASD to help doctors better diagnose and manage the condition.

The number of laboratory confirmed cases of norovirus infection are presented in the following table.

These data are based on voluntary reporting by clinical laboratories in Scotland to HPS on a weekly basis and include cases originating in both healthcare and community settings.

Laboratory confirmed cases do not include those infected with norovirus, who did not seek medical attention or have a stool sample submitted. Thus, the figures below may underestimate the absolute number of people infected with norovirus.

Laboratory Confirmed Cases of Norovirus Reported to HPS, by Four-week Reporting Period 2007-09

Four-week Reporting Period	2007	2008	2009*
1	129	641	144
2	132	363	305
3	133	269	219
4	253	200	153
5	134	182	98
6	161	121	74
7	62	49	50
8	28	23	13
9	19	26	6
10	90	22	27
11	205	47	133
12	211	95	288
13	486	133	532
Total	2,043	2,171	2,042

Source: Health Protection Scotland.

Note: * Data for 2009 are provisional.

There is no single estimate of the cost to a retailer of complying with the tobacco display ban, as the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Bill and the relevant draft regulations do not stipulate how tobacco should be stored to comply with the display ban. The financial memorandum sets out estimated costs provided by retailers to comply with the legislation. The Scottish Government makes clear in the financial memorandum that these figures were supplied by industry representatives based on the assumption that refitting would require under the counter units and have not been adjusted to account for more innovative, cost effective solutions for concealing displays.

In line with the commitment made to the Finance Committee, officials have been working with retailers to minimise the cost to them of complying with the display ban. Draft regulations allow retailers to modify their gantries rather than having to refit their shop, significantly reducing the cost to comply with the legislation. The least expensive option offered by the National Federation of Retail Newsagents would involve installing a white plastic fronting to each row on the gantry. It has been estimated that such a solution could cost as little as £20 for the materials for each fronting with minimal installation costs. If they so wished, retailers of all sizes could install such a solution in order to comply with the legislation.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with retailers of all sizes to support them in complying with this legislation.

The asset management system will be rolled out to NHS boards on a phased basis between 19 January 2010 and 31 March 2010.

Guillain-Barr© syndrome (GBS) usually develops quickly, over a few days, but can sometimes develop gradually over a period of up to four weeks. Symptoms first appear one to three weeks after a minor infection, such as a cold or sore throat.

Initial symptoms tend to start in the feet and hands and include tingling, numbness, unsteadiness and progressive muscle weakness. These symptoms soon spread up the limbs, affecting the legs and arms a few days later. Some people only have a mild form of the condition and their symptoms do not get any worse than a general feeling of weakness.

In some cases, the muscle weakness progresses to temporary paralysis of the legs, arms and face, temporary paralysis of the respiratory muscles that control breathing, difficulty with eye movement and speech, difficulty with chewing or swallowing, difficulty with bladder control or digestion and slow heart rate or low blood pressure.

The extent of paralysis varies with each case of GBS but the most serious cases can paralyse respiratory muscles and stop the patient from breathing.

The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) monitor all reports of side effects and publish weekly reports outlining these cases. There have been two suspected cases of Guillain-Barr© syndrome (GBS) reported in the UK to-date following H1N1 vaccination. Further information is awaited in order to fully assess diagnostic certainty. There is no evidence across Europe of any vaccine associated risk of GBS.

The current condition of the two patients is unknown, however these cases were reported as not fatal. Eight in 10 people with GBS make a full recovery within a few weeks or months. One in 10 people become wheelchair-bound, or have permanent weakness or numbness. There is a 5% mortality rate from GBS.

Guillain-Barr© Syndrome (GBS) affects approximately 1,500 people in the UK every year. The trend in the number of new cases of GBS diagnosed in Scotland does not show a statistically significant increase between 1999 and 2008. Complete data for 2009 is not yet available.

Two cases of suspected Guillain-Barr© syndrome (GBS) have been reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), following H1N1 vaccination in the UK to date. There is no evidence across Europe of any vaccine-associated GBS. GBS is a naturally occurring condition and it is inevitable that cases will occur not long after vaccination, without the vaccine playing a role. This is particularly so over the winter period when pathogens that may cause GBS are circulating.

The MHRA does not provide information on the location of these cases, given the very small numbers may mean that individuals could be identified.