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NHS Health Scotland carried out a study of the impact of the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010 on off-trade sales in Scotland which included a quantity discount ban, and found that the Act was associated with a 2.6% decrease in per adult off-trade alcohol sales in Scotland. The report, Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy: The impact of the Alcohol Act on off-trade alcohol sales in Scotland, May 2013 is available at:

http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/documents/21101-Alcohol%20Act%20Report%20May%202013.pdf.

England and Wales were included in the analysis to enable a comparison to be made with Scotland. NHS Health Scotland found that similar changes were not observed in England and Wales, where the Act does not apply, lending weight to the hypothesis that the changes witnessed in Scotland were as a result of the Act rather than due to other unmeasured factors.

The econometric modelling carried out by the University of Sheffield estimated a reduction in overall alcohol consumption of 3% with the introduction of a total ban on off-trade discounting. A total ban is assumed to prohibit all forms of price-based promotion, including straight discounting from list price in addition to quantity discounts. Further information can be found at:

https://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.156503!/file/scotlandjan.pdf

The principles of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 are clear in their requirement for a named person, carer and any guardian or welfare attorney of an individual who has to be given care or treatment to be informed and consulted upon aspects of the individual’s care.

The responsibility to ensure NHS staff are appropriately trained on legislative requirements regarding adults with incapacity rests with health boards as employers. The Staff Governance Standard applies to all staff employed by, or officials of, NHS boards. Specifically, the standard requires all NHS boards to demonstrate that staff are well informed and appropriately trained and developed. To assist boards meet their training and educational responsibilities for their staff, NHS Education for Scotland provides a range of educational and learning resources on this important matter, including a learning resource to support and prepare health and social care practitioners in the practical application of legislation with regard to adults with incapacity entitled Respecting and Protecting Adults with Incapacity:

(http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/education-and-training/by-theme-initiative/mental-health-and-learning-disabilities/publications-and-resources/publications-repository/respecting-and-protecting-adults-with-incapacity.aspx), and a resource for staff in acute general hospital settings aimed at safeguarding the rights of people who lack capacity to consent to treatment entitled Think Capacity Think Consent (http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/education-and-training/by-theme-initiative/mental-health-and-learning-disabilities/publications-and-resources/publications-repository/think-capacity-think-consent.aspx).

In addition, the Scottish Government has been supporting a project to improve awareness of the support and protection of adults at risk of harm presenting in NHS Accident and Emergency settings:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0045/00458759.pdf

<>No decision has been taken yet on the pay award for 2014-15 for NHSScotland senior management posts. Their pay award will be agreed by Scottish Ministers in due course, in line with our public sector pay policy and the annual pay and performance cycle for this staff group. Nurses and health visitors are both covered by the Agenda for Change pay and conditions package and their settlement is detailed in pay circular PCS(AFC)2014/1, published on 14 March 2014 and available at: www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/pcs/PCS2014(AFC)01.pdf

For purposes of clarity, we assume the term junior doctors to mean all doctors in recognised training programmes prior to the gaining of a Certificate of Completion of Training.

A range of junior doctor posts will, as part of their training programmes, spend time within A&E departments. In terms of recruitment into junior doctor posts for the August 2014 intake, the following table provides information following the conclusion of national recruitment on those posts that will predominantly work in A&E departments.

Specialty	Level	Type	Vacancies	Filled	Fill (%)
ACCS* – Acute Medicine	1	CT	10	10	100
ACCS – Anaesthetics	1	CT	17	17	100
ACCS – Emergency Medicine	1	CT	30	30	100
Anaesthetics Core	1	CT	49	49	100
Anaesthetics	3	ST	43	32	74
Anaesthetics/ICM Dual	3	ST	12	9	75
Intensive Care Medicine Dual	4	ST	2	2	100
Emergency Medicine	4	ST	21	6	29

* ACCS = Acute Care Common Stem

This information is not held on the National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Waiting Times Database. The database records episodes of care, as opposed to client journey, for the purpose of measuring waiting times.

This information is not held on the National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Waiting Times Database. The database records episodes of care, as opposed to client journey, for the purpose of measuring waiting times.

The self-directed support national guidance advises that local authorities will request service users make arrangements to open a bank account, specifically for receipt of self-directed support direct payments.

This information is not held on the National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Waiting Times Database. The database records episodes of care, as opposed to client journey, for the purpose of measuring waiting times.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

“The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) does not currently routinely and systematically screen prisoners for learning disability. Potential learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD) issues are identified through a variety of means including the application of literacies screening tools for those choosing to engage in learning or observations by SPS, education or health centre staff and SPS to address the presenting needs of prisoners identified through these means.

The principal reason that SPS does not routinely screen prisoners for LDD is that until recently, there has been no comprehensive tool available to identify the needs of this cohort group. We have therefore relied on the transfer of information accompanying the individual from health, social services or justice representatives to inform of any hidden disabilities that may be present.

SPS does recognise that LDD is a significant issue amongst the prisoner population and is committed to improving our assessment processes and provision of services. We are currently testing a number of approaches including piloting. This is a comprehensive screening tool providing a ‘red flag’ indicator across the spectrum of LDD conditions.”