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The updated NHS QIS stroke standards published at the end of June stipulate that thrombolysis services should be aiming to treat more than five stroke patients per 100,000 population and to ensure that the door-to-needle time is less than one hour in at least 80% of patients treated. In anticipation of this, SSCA started collecting data in January 2009 on all patients thrombolysed in Scotland. The first data should be published in summer 2010.

The further information requested in the question is not held in exactly the format requested, but the information we do hold is presented here in the most appropriate way possible. The Scottish Stroke Care Audit database captures information on the percentage of stroke patients undergoing scanning during admission (including CT scan but also other forms), admission to any stroke unit within one day of admission and swallow screening on the day of, or within one day of, admission. The most up-to-date information can be found in the 2008 SSCA national report and is shown in the following table:

NHS QIS Stroke Standards (March 2004)

Source: Scottish Stroke Care Audit (SSCA) 2008 National Report.

Notes:

* includes missing data in the denominator; in general NHS QIS adopt the more rigorous standard where the denominator includes those with missing data i.e. if it is not recorded that something was done then it was assumed that it was not.

Data for 2006 are not available, as the SSCA agreed a data collection amnesty that year to allow hospitals with data entry backlog to focus on collecting audit data for 2007.

The issues raised in the question are highlighted in our Better Heart Disease and Stroke Care Action Plan, published in June 2009.

This campaign, which will focus on giving you more choice, will raise awareness of those types of contraception such as the implant and coil which provide lasting effective contraception for up to 10 years.

Increasing the number of women using long lasting methods of contraception will have a positive impact in the short term on repeat terminations and in the longer term on unintended pregnancy.

Within the Dealing with Employee Concerns PIN all employees have a fundamental right to raise issues of concern with their manager, to be accompanied by a trade union/professional organisation representative or colleague if they so wish, and to appeal to a higher level if they feel the issue has not been resolved satisfactorily.

The PIN policy is clear that harassment and victimisation of any member of staff who raises a concern will not be tolerated and will be treated as a serious disciplinary offence which will be dealt with under the management of conduct arrangements.

If it becomes apparent that there are problems with an NHS board in relation to the implementation of the PIN policies it would be expected that the trade unions and professional organisations would raise the matter through their local partnership processes.

In local government, employment law is a reserved matter and guidance on whistle blowing can be found on the UK Government''s Directgov website www.direct.gov.uk. As independent corporate bodies it is for each local authority in Scotland to decide what guidance it provides to employees on the subject of whistle blowing.

In Scottish Government, the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 enables staff who blow the whistle about any of the instances of wrongdoing, set out in the act, to complain to an employment tribunal if they suffer any form of detriment for doing so or in the case of a dismissal.

Alongside the provisions of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, staff have the protections set out in the Civil Service Code. Paragraphs 15 -18 of the Civil Service Code specifically describes the process that should be undertaken if a member of staff is required to act in a way which conflicts with this code. The code states that the concerns of staff must be considered by their department and the department must ensure that the member of staff is not penalised for raising the concerns. This process also covers raising concerns about the actions of others.

MEL 1999(1) Working Time Regulations Implementation in NHS Scotland.

HDL 2003/3 Working Time Regulations.

HEL 2004/34 Meeting the requirements of the Working Time Regulations: Doctors in Training.

CEL 14 2009 Working Time Regulation Compliance Guidance.

In addition to publishing guidance, the Scottish Government has a dedicated WTR adviser who is working with NHS boards, providing advice, support and technical help around achieving the limits of the WTR.