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The unit temporarily had to close four beds in January 2016. This was to ensure patient safety in respect of staffing levels.

The information requested is not held centrally at hospital level. Information on the use of nursing and midwifery agency and bank staff is available at NHS board level.

However we can confirm that the total Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services workforce is at a record level, having risen by 1.3% since March 2015. There are now 993.5 whole time equivalent posts across the sector, an increase of 29.9% since 2009. The number of clinical staff working in psychological therapies has increased by 1.1 per cent on last year, with 1,079.2 whole time equivalent posts across Scotland.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to providing the people of Scotland with the NHS services which meet their needs and maintain high standards of care.

Children and young people referred to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) will be generally treated in the community. There may however be times when it is necessary to admit them to hospital for specialist treatment. Should this be the case they would be admitted to one of the three regional CAMHS inpatient units.

It is important that beds are available when required. In order to provide support this, a decision was taken by the north of Scotland NHS boards to build a new 12 bed unit in Dundee (Dudhope House) to replace the current 6 bed unit. This has increased the national bed base from 42 to 48 beds and improve the quality of the estate.

Dudhope House in Dundee followed an extensive consultation which considered the merits of basing a unit in Aberdeen, Inverness and the current facility in Dundee.

Scottish Government funding have been investing heavily in mental health services for a number of years, and will use the additional package of £150 million to deliver the transformation in mental health services we want to achieve over the next ten years, including for children and young people. Elements of this funding will be specifically for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), and elements will indirectly support CAMHS through improving access to services and supporting prevention and early intervention which will have an impact on demand for CAMHS services, as below:

We are investing £54.1 million to support further reduction in waiting times for CAMHS and psychological therapies: http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Mental-health-funding-2139.aspx;

We are investing £15 million in a mental health innovation fund to support better access to CAMHS and to develop innovative approaches to delivering mental health services: http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Mental-health-innovation-1737.aspx and

We are investing £10 million to support new ways of improving mental health in primary care settings, which will support children and young people in the community and reduce pressures on CAMHS specialist services: http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Transforming-GP-and-mental-health-services-22bf.aspx.

Our remaining package of funding will support the priorities in our forthcoming mental health strategy, to ensure we continue to improve access to services – including for children and young people – but also increase support for early intervention and prevention, to support children and young people to stay well and only be referred to CAMHS when necessary.

NHS Scotland funding: The Scottish Government sets national direction of policy on mental health and provides funding to NHS boards and local authorities to support implementation of policy, which includes support for children and young people with mental health challenges.

NHS boards will report future spend on mental health including CAMHS to Information Services Division Scotland through existing mechanisms. We will expect future spend by NHS Scotland on mental health and CAMHS to the reflect national priority and need, and to reflect the additional investment the Scottish Government has made available.

We have been investing heavily in mental health services for a number of years, and are using the additional package of £150 million over five years to boost support for areas which are absolute priorities for us, and which will deliver the transformation in mental health services we want to achieve – including for children and young people. We are investing:

£54.1 million to support further reduction in waiting times.

£10 million to support new ways of improving mental health in primary care settings.

A £15 million mental health innovation fund to support better access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and to develop innovative approaches to delivering mental health services.

£1 million to support people with mental health problems to become more physically active manifesto commitment: mental and physical health treated equally; and £4.2 million to support people in crisis who turn to frontline services.

Our remaining package of funding will support the priorities in our forthcoming mental health strategy, to ensure we continue to improve access to services – including for children and young people. It will also focus on supporting early years and early interventions; improved support in primary care, and parity of esteem between physical and mental health so that we support people to keep well, whilst also providing treatment of the highest quality when it is necessary. We will take these decisions in conjunction with our stakeholders and partners.

We will publish a new ten-year mental health strategy later this year. The Scottish Government has a manifesto commitment to a 10-year plan to transform mental health in Scotland.

During 2013, NHS Scotland laboratories reported positive HIV-antibody test results for 354 individuals not previously recorded as HIV-positive in Scotland. During the years 2014, 2015 and from 1 January 2016 to 31 March 2016, this figure is 370, 361 and 87 respectively. Data on HIV in Scotland is regularly published on Health Protection Scotland’s website available at: http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/bbvsti/hivandaids.aspx

In order for the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) to assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis, including comparisons with current licensed treatments, the manufacturer would need to obtain a marketing authorisation (product licence) for this treatment and make a submission to the SMC.

NHS national procurement estimate that first line therapies for HIV treatment cost an average of approximately £6,136 per patient per year. There is also a wide variety of second line treatment options, the costs of which range from approximately £3,000 to £11,000 per patient per annum.

To inform the policy development for the next mental health strategy, since 2015 we have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders including people who use services, service providers and professional bodies. Organisations that met have included, the Mental Welfare Commission, the Scottish Recovery Network, the Scottish Mental Health Partnership, and ASH Scotland. Scottish Association for Mental Health and Voices of Experience hosted events on our behalf to inform the development of policy. Organisations and individuals not met with have also sent in comments.

<>The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) appraises all newly licensed medicines for clinical and cost effectiveness following submissions from pharmaceutical companies. SMC published advice for NHS boards across Scotland. Where the SMC accepts a medicine then there is a clear expectation that NHS boards will consider it and will make it or its equivalent available. All SMC advice can be found on their website at: www.scottishmedicines.org.uk