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NHS Territorial Boards continue to make limited use of the independent and private sector for health care services. Total spend decreased from £78.5 million in 2015-16 to £72.0 million in 2016-17.

Spend by each Board for 2016-17 is set out in the following table. Figures for
2006-07 to 2015-16 were provided in response to question S5W-05822.

The Scottish Care Homes Census published by ISD Scotland provides information on the number of registered Care Homes places in each local authority area in Scotland at http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Health-and-Social-Community-Care/Care-Homes/Previous-Publications/index.asp

The number of registered Care Homes places for years 2006-2016 can be found in data table 3 published on 25th October 2016 and for years 2000-2005 in data table 3 published on 29 October 2013.

The extension of free personal care to people under the age of 65 will benefit around 9000 people. We are working with local authorities on preparing for the implementation of the extension of Free Personal Care to under 65s by April 2019. This will involve local authorities assessing people’s needs, and where necessary, conducting financial assessments.

Regulation for the Licensing and Safety of Medicines is currently a reserved area for the UK Government.

The Scottish Government meets regularly with the MHRA to discuss medicine safety issues. This includes discussion on Primodos. Furthermore, I wrote to the UK Government urging them to conduct a thorough examination of all materials in the Review and also to ensure that families in Scotland were given the opportunity to engage with the independent Review.

The Scottish Government has arranged to meet with the Chair of the Association for Children Damaged by Hormone Pregnancy Tests to hear first hand their experience and learning from observing the Expert Working Group Review.

Hepatitis C (HCV) prevention remains a priority for the Scottish Government as set out in our Sexual Health and Bloodborne Virus Strategy. All NHS Boards and partners continue to work to prevent new infections, promoting best practice in relation to HCV prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Monitoring the impact of our investment in prevention and treatment strategies on the incidence of infection remains a challenge as new infection incidents are difficult to measure directly, given that the infection can be asymptomatic and undiagnosed. However, there is evidence to suggest that the prevalence of injecting drug use in Scotland has decreased in recent years, which indicates that the overall number of HCV infections in people who inject drugs is likely to have decreased. In Scotland, HCV is mainly transmitted among injecting drug users.

Despite advertising internationally there were no suitable candidates for the locum surgical post.

National Services Division has advised that the two surgeons will still provide the current service and ensure that patients are being managed within clinical protocols. NHS GG&C has confirmed that the surgeons are content with this position and are now supported by a full team of specialist nursing and administrative staff.

The current service will continue to be monitored by NHS GG&C to ensure patients are being managed appropriately and that the impact on the surgeons is being assessed accordingly. This approach is ensuring that all patients receive time appropriate surgery.

This information will not be available until after the publication of the Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics 2016-17 in February 2018.

This table contains the data available by calendar year to 31 December 2016 regarding the number of people reported to be diagnosed hepatitis C positive in Scotland.

¹ ‘NHS Board’ refers to the person's NHS Board of residence, or where this is not known, the NHS Board of source of referral.

This table contains the data by financial year for people initiated onto hepatitis C treatment in Scotland to 2016-17.

Hepatitis C treatment data by NHS Board has only been reported routinely since 2011-12.

*2011-12 initiations are based on the NHS Board where treatment was administered, however 2014-15, 2013-14 and 2012-13 initiates are based on NHS Board of residence where known.

The Orkney/Shetland/Western Isles data are summarised as a collective total and proportion in a combined Island NHS Board field.

NA - not applicable. There are no specialist HCV services available in these NHS Board areas.

The Scottish Government Hepatitis C Treatment and Therapies Group has established a Short Life Working Group to generate guidance on how best to identify hepatitis C infected people who are either undiagnosed, diagnosed but never in follow up, or diagnosed and lost to follow up. The Group will report back to the Scottish Government in mid 2018. it will also make recommendations on new models of care and treatment for infected people in the context of the highly effective and safe therapies for hepatitis C now available.

The Scottish Government welcomes the 2017 Pulmonary Rehabilitation survey, published by Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Pulmonary Rehabilitation Action Group on the provision of pulmonary rehabilitation in Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises that pulmonary rehabilitation is an important element of respiratory disease care.

Pulmonary rehabilitation has a well-established evidence base for its benefit in helping to support self-management and reduce exacerbation and hospital admissions.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a key recommendation in national clinical guidelines, which we expect NHS Boards to follow.

We are working with the Respiratory National Advisory Group to develop the Respiratory Health: Quality Improvement Plan.