Chamber and committees

The most recently available data show that between 2000 and 2004, the five year survival rate for oesophageal cancer was 11% for men and 7.7% for women.

Further information on survival rates for oesophageal cancer is available on the NHS Information Services Division website http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1493.html. Data for other cancers can be found at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/183.html.

We are aware that survival rates for oesophageal cancer remain poor compared with some other cancers, although we are encouraged to see that mortality rates for both men and women are decreasing. Action is taking place to tackle alcohol consumption, poor diet and smoking, all of which are known risk factors for oesophageal cancer. Through earlier detection, more rapid diagnosis and treatment, survival after cancer continues to improve.

Action has been taken to ensure doctors across the country have up-to-date referral guidelines to ensure patients presenting with possible symptoms of oesophageal cancer are quickly and efficiently referred for further investigation.

A Health Department Letter (HDL) was issued in 2007, HDL (2007) 9 Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer, with the aim of increasing awareness of cancer symptoms, including oesophageal cancer, amongst GPs and other healthcare professionals. This is available at:

www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/HDL2007_09.pdf.

A quick reference guideline based on the HDL was issued earlier this year to all GPs across Scotland. This is available at www.scotland.gov.uk/quickreferenceguide/suspectedcancer.

The referral guidelines and quick reference guide further support other relevant clinical guidelines such as SIGN Guideline 87 on the Management of Oesophageal and Gastric Cancer and SIGN Guideline 68 on Dyspepsia (which is due to be updated next year). Managed clinical networks use such guidelines to develop patient referral and care pathways.

There are currently no plans to issue additional guidance to GPs on the diagnosis of oesophageal cancer.

Data on the incidence of breast cancer are available by calendar year at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/FileBuffer?namedFile=i_cancer_breast.xls&pContentDispositionType=inline.

The most recent calendar year for which complete registrations are available is calendar year 2007.

The guidance on completing the HAI (healthcare associated infection) reporting template requires NHS boards to ensure that reports are considered as part of bi-monthly public board meetings. The reports on NHS board websites are updated to coincide with these bi-monthly public board meetings.

Data on the estimated survival rates for female breast cancer patients can be found at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/FileBuffer?namedFile=cancer_female_breast_surv.xls&pContentDispositionType=inline.

The most recent rates that have been calculated are for the period of diagnosis 2000-04.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24275 on 25 June 2009, which indicated that official data on the number of Clostridium difficile-related deaths, by NHS board and by hospital, is published by the General Register for Scotland (GROS) on an annual basis. Data for the calendar year 2008 were published by GROS in August 2009. Data for the calendar year January 2009 to December 2009 will be published in August 2010.

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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The purpose of the HAI (healthcare associated infection) task force web portal is to provide the public with quick and easy access to the relevant NHS board website pages where all local information is contained and updated.

The chief executive of NHS Scotland wrote to all chief executives on 4 December 2009 to ask that all NHS board websites provide a direct link to a section that contains previous and current HAI reporting templates by end December 2009.

A working group has been established to evaluate the progress made by each NHS board under the programme. NHS boards submitted interim reports on expenditure and performance in August 2008 and we will be undertaking a further round of information gathering next March.

The amount allocated to each NHS board under the Scottish Enhanced Services Programme for 2009-10 is detailed in the following table:

NHS Board	Amount
Ayrshire and Arran	£955,486
Borders	£246,968
Dumfries and Galloway	£367,314
Fife	£781,862
Forth Valley	£656,050
Grampian	£1,093,873
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	£3,852,930
Highland	£811,891
Lanarkshire	£1,382,541
Lothian	£1,684,575
Orkney	£43,090
Shetland	£45,965
Tayside	£1,003,616
Western Isles	£73,839
Total	£13,000,000

 

The information requested is not centrally available. However, the number of Clinical nurse specialists in mental illness broken down by specialty and NHS board is available from National Services Scotland, Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland from the website link:

http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5352.html - cns.

It should be recognised that a wide range of health professionals, which includes medical staff, clinical nurse specialists and allied health professionals are needed to care for patients with specific conditions such as dementia.