Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33017 on 23 April 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Patients referred to chronic pain clinics are covered by the 18 weeks referral to treatment target. The 18 weeks target which came into effect on 31 December 2011 is that 90% of patients should be seen and treated within 18 weeks from referral.

Latest published figures for September 2011 showed that 89.8% of patients were seen and treated within 18 weeks from initial referral. Performance against the target for 31 December 2011 is due to be published on 28 February 2012.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland, through its administration of the Self Management Fund over the last three years, has allocated a total of £1,089,841 to projects which support people to live with chronic pain in Scotland.

Precise accounting information would need to be sought from the Scottish Ambulance Service direct but there are some 2,400 staff who were eligible for the £250 availability and the £100 ignore payments. Paying the availability payment on a pro-rata basis for three months therefore works out at £156,250. Figures supplied to us by the Scottish Ambulance Service as part of the regular monitoring arrangements show that there were 1,130 incidents where staff were disturbed during rest breaks between 10 October 2011 and 8 January 2012 (the most recent date for which we have validated data). A total of 2,100 disturbs of individual staff members resulted from these. This therefore amounts to some £210,000 in disturb payments.

Coastguards at Clyde Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) do not routinely attend incidents. Clyde MRCC performs a search and rescue co-ordination function. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency search and rescue records show the number of incidents at Erskine Bridge reported to Clyde MRCC each year since 2007 as follows:

The tender for HIV prevention services in the NHS Grampian area was scheduled to be advertised on 6 February 2012, with the contract due to be awarded on 7 March 2012. The contract award notice will be published on 9 April 2012 with the expectation that the service will commence as soon as possible after that date.

The Scottish Government does not collect this type of operational data. It is for the Scottish Ambulance Service to categorise calls, or re-categorise as necessary, according to the best and most up to date clinical information available. This has always been the case and will not change following the recently announced settlement on rest breaks.

This is a matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service. The information is not held centrally.