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ISD Scotland’s formal consultation on the publication of Chronic Pain Waiting Times information is open for one month to allow time for comments submitted to be reviewed and any changes made for the planned December 2017 release.

ISD are happy to receive feedback on publications outwith any formal consultation period.

Information on hospital waiting times for the assessment and fitting of a hearing aid is only available on a quarterly basis from 2009 to quarter end 31 March 2014. From 2014 data on Audiology service waits is included as part of the 18 weeks referral to treatment waiting time data which is published quarterly by ISD. The 18 weeks referral to treatment performance information is based on an aggregate return from NHS Boards and does not provide specialty level data.

The following tables provide median waiting time for referral to first contact appointment and from assessment to fitting of a hearing aid.

NHSScotland Median Wait For Audiology: Referral To First Contact Appointment (completed waits for patients seen)

Source: ISD Scotland

.. Not available

NHSScotland Median Wait For Audiology: Assessment To Fitting Of hearing Aid (completed waits for patients seen)

Source: ISD Scotland

.. Not available

x Not applicable

The Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 was subject to rigorous scrutiny by the Scottish Parliament before its implementation.

The Scottish Government is committed to the principles of the Equality Act 2010 and to respecting, protecting and implementing human rights for everyone in Scotland. Our Programme for Government further detailed our ambitions for demonstrating equality, dignity and respect in everything we do and set out our intention to extend Free Personal care to all those under the age of 65 who require it.

Information on the numbers of self-funded IVF cycles carried out in the 4 Assisted Conception Units that deliver NHS IVF, in each year since 1999 and associated costs, are not collected centrally.

As part of the work for the National Infertility Group, Information Services Division collected figures, where information was available, highlighting the numbers of self-funded IVF cycles carried out by NHS Assisted Conception Units. The information was subsequently published in the National Infertility Group report – March 2016, which can be accessed at: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0050/00501403.pdf

This information is not held centrally.

A copy of data tables on the major acute sexually transmitted infections diagnosed in Scotland since 1999 by NHS board has been placed under BIB number 59019.

The Scottish Government will chair a meeting of the NHS Sexual Health and BBV Executive Leads on 29 September to discuss the situation of STI infections at board-level and to consider appropriate local as well as national responses.

Note: The data presented are based on laboratory positive diagnoses for chlamydia and gonorrhoea infection, and for infectious syphilis, Health Protection Scotland use an enhanced surveillance system based on clinical and laboratory reporting.

Since 1999, testing technology has improved for both chlamydia and gonorrhoea detection. The implementation of the SIGN 42 guidelines in 2001 (Management of genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection) led to improvements in sampling and the use of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) which have greater sensitivity and specificity for the detection of chlamydia infection. Similarly, since 2008, NAATs have been increasingly used across Scotland for the detection of gonococcal infection with full geographic coverage by 2012. There has been an increase in detection and thus, diagnoses during this time. Since 2013, however, testing strategy has stabilised and trends since 2013 are more comparable than that with previous years.

Infectious syphilis infection re-emerged in Scotland in the early 2000s and the current data collection system began in 2002/2003. Prior to this, diagnoses were recorded using the genitourinary medicine clinic-based system. Data from 1999 to 2001 indicate there were 12, 22 and 24 diagnoses recorded, respectively.

In addition, as the data tables contain sensitive data, they have been adapted in accordance with National Services Scotland’s Statistical Disclosure Control Policy to prevent deductive disclosure. Thus, where there are values <5, these have been replaced by an asterisk (*); there may also be some secondary masking to prevent revealing values through adding and subtracting in rows and columns, these are also marked with an asterisk.

The Scottish Government having discussed the situation with NHS Lothian understand the Board's decision to delay opening of the new hospital.

Their decision has been made in order to protect the commissioning period to ensure that the new facility is fully safe and ready to accept patients and staff. This follows their recent review of construction progress and quality. During any commissioning period there are significant works to carry out such as fully equipping the hospital, staff recruitment familiarisation and induction, snagging where required, testing of equipment and facilities and adequately stocking of the hospital. The Board wish to ensure a smooth transition of their clinical teams to the new facility reducing any risk to patient and staff safety.

The Scottish Government will be working closely with the Board to ensure that no further delays arise and agree with the Board's decision at this point in time not to set a definite specific revised date for opening. NHS Lothian will be closely monitoring the situation over the next few weeks and once they have certainty, will release a new opening date.

The information that is available is given in the following table. This was produced from a National Records of Scotland (NRS) database which covers all the drug poisoning deaths that are counted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) “wide” definition. Figures for 1999 are not available because 2000 is the first year for which that database holds information.

The following are among the opioids (including opiates), or compounds containing opioids, most often reported as being involved in deaths registered in Scotland from 2000: buprenorphine, co-codamol, co-proxamol, codeine, dextropropoxyphene, diamorphine, dihydrocodeine, heroin, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, propoxyphene and tramadol.

The table distinguishes between deaths for which only opioids were reported (e.g. deaths for which the cause was given as “heroin toxicity” or “heroin, methadone and dihydrocodeine intoxication”), and deaths for which both opioids and one or more other types of drug were reported (e.g. deaths for which the cause was given as “adverse effects of heroin, pregabalin, tramadol, diazepam and etizolam” or “etizolam, gabapentin, amitriptyline and codeine intoxication”).

For each year, the table shows more deaths than the “Any opiate or opioid” column in Table 3 of “Drug-related Deaths in Scotland in 2016” (which was published by NRS on 15 August 2017). This is because some of the ONS “wide” definition deaths for which opioids were reported are not counted as “drug-related” for the purpose of NRS’s statistics: for example, deaths due solely to co-codamol, co-proxamol, dextropropoxyphene, or tramadol before it was controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act. More on this is available in “Drug-related Deaths in Scotland in 2016” (e.g. paragraphs A3 of Annex A and F5 of Annex F).

Drug poisoning deaths (ONS “wide” definition) registered in Scotland for which one or more opioids (including opiates) were reported*, 2000 to 2016

* the basis of these figures and why there is a break in the series are explained in the paragraph which follows.

There is a break in the series between 2007 and 2008. This is due to the revision of the form on which pathologists provide NRS with more complete information about the substances that were present in a body:

• up to 2007, the form asked for the “principal drug or solvent found in a fatal dose” and “any other drugs or solvents involved in this death”, and the figures are based on all the substances which the pathologists reported;

• from 2008, the form asks for the drugs or solvents (a) “…implicated in, or which potentially contributed to, the cause of death” and (b) “… any other[s] which were present, but which were not considered to have had any direct contribution to this death”, and the figures cover only substances which the pathologists reported under (a), which is the standard basis for NRS’s figures for drugs reported for 2008 onwards.

More information about these matters is available in “Drug-related Deaths in Scotland in 2016” (e.g. paragraphs 2.3 to 2.5).

This is a matter for individual Health Boards. The information is not held centrally.