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I am pleased to advise that a bid for funding along with a Scottish national strategy was submitted to the EU for consideration in January 2010. We expect to be advised of the outcome by the end of April 2010.

This information can be found in the School Meals Survey which is published each year. The last version was published in June 2009 and can be accessed using the following link http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/06/22104701/0.

An new survey is currently underway and is expected to be published this summer.

At present, the Scottish Patient Safety Programme does not review stillbirths.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS) collects information on all stillbirths in Scotland. The unit in which the stillbirth occurred is asked to send information to NHS QIS, such as discharge letters, local critical incident reviews or root cause analysis reports, and post mortem reports where these exist.

In partnership with Information Services Division, NHS QIS produce an annual report on stillbirths and neonatal deaths, The Scottish Perinatal and Infant Mortality and Morbidity Report. This report includes information on numbers, rates, causes and associated factors for all stillbirths and neonatal deaths in Scotland, and identifies trends and makes recommendations for practice where appropriate. The production of the report is overseen by a multidisciplinary committee which includes public partners (lay representation). The report is published annually on the NHS QIS and ISD websites. http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/3112.html.

Additionally, maternity and neonatal units within Scotland conduct regular multidisciplinary perinatal mortality meetings at which the cause of and the circumstances surrounding each stillbirth or neonatal death within that unit are examined. Good and less satisfactory practice are identified and recommendations made for future practice and/or the management of any future pregnancy to an affected mother.

The Reproductive Health Programme (RHP) of NHS Quality Improvement Service (QIS) collects information on all stillbirths in Scotland. Information on stillbirths is collected from the General Registry Office for Scotland (GROS), and additional information is collected from the hospital unit where the stillbirth, such as discharge letters, local critical incident/root cause analysis reports and post mortem reports - where these exist. This information is combined with some data from the Scottish Morbidity Record 02 (SMR 02) database, provided by Information Statistics Division (ISD) to classify the cause of death. In partnership with (ISD), NHS QIS produce an annual report on stillbirths and neonatal deaths The Scottish Perinatal and Infant Mortality and Morbidity Report:

http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/3112.html.

The SPIMMR report includes information on numbers, rates, causes and associated factors for all stillbirths and neonatal deaths in Scotland, identifies trends and makes recommendations for practice where appropriate. The production of the report is overseen by a multidisciplinary committee which includes public partners (lay representation). The report is published annually on the NHS QIS and ISD websites.

Since 21 January 2010, Health Protection Scotland (HPS) have been publishing weekly unvalidated data on norovirus outbreaks on its website. The web link is:

http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/haiic/ic/noroviruspointprev.aspx.

The HPS guidance on control measures was updated in December 2009 and is under close review. The web link is http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/haiic/ic/publicationsdetail.aspx?id=43440.

The waiting times for assessment of people referred to the Scottish Driving Assessment Service are:

Maximum waiting time: 62.7 weeks

Average waiting time: 22.3 weeks

Median waiting time: 20.9 weeks.

These figures are based on waiting time from date of referral to first appointment offered between 1 March 2009 and 28 February 2010.

Norovirus is an organism which is required to be notified by laboratories to the local NHS board and to Health Protection Scotland under the Public Health etc (Scotland) Act 2008 with effect from 1 January 2010.

Health Protection Scotland plans to have a fully automated electronic laboratory reporting system for selected pathogens, including norovirus, in place by July 2010.

There is established weekly reporting of all hospital wards that are closed with presumed or confirmed cases of norovirus. This is the only UK system providing real-time data on norovirus outbreaks.

There is also mandatory reporting of all hospital infection incidents which are assessed using the Hospital Infection Incident Assessment Tool (HIIAT) as amber or red.

There are also two voluntary reporting systems in place. The first addresses outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease wherever they occur (ObSurv) and the second addresses all outbreaks in hospitals (The Scottish Hospital Outbreak Reporting System: SHORS). SHORS is currently being updated.

Norovirus is the most common cause of infectious gastroenteritis (diarrhoea and vomiting). Outbreaks of norovirus gastroenteritis are more likely in semi-closed environments such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools and cruise ships.

Poor hygiene is probably the main factor that starts outbreaks especially if catering and waiting staff are suffering from gastrointestinal infection. Norovirus is highly infectious and, for example, individuals tend to vomit in a very profuse and projectile manner. This can produce an aerosol of viruses that infect people who have had no other contact with the individual and despite their keeping good hygiene.

Outbreaks may also be due to contamination of food. Recent outbreaks across the UK have been due to oysters that have probably been contaminated by human faecal contamination of oyster beds.