This page presents an archive of releases from ISD Scotland in chronological order. Please scroll down to see older releases or use the index of years in the grey bar on the right hand side of this page to jump to your year of choice. Please note that contact details shown on these pages were correct at time of publication but may now be out of date. Current contact details can be found here. To see releases from the past 12 months please view the Latest Releases page.

August 2009

25 August 2009
Scottish Cervical Screening Programme Statistics 2008/2009

Annual & quarterly update of cervical screening statistics to 31 March 2009. Includes uptake, reporting times, number of smears processed and results 

• Over 450,500 cervical smears were processed in the year ending March 2009, resulting in a 20% increase  (over 75,000 smears) from the previous year; the largest number of smears processed in any one year since 2001-02.
• Of all the smears processed, 97% were satisfactory. Approximately 92% of satisfactory smears had a negative result and 3.5% had some degree of pre-cancerous change.
• As at 31 March 2009, 73.4% of eligible women had been screened in the previous 3.5 years, a rise of approximately 4% from 31 March 2008. Uptake rates have improved across all five year age bands within the target age group of 20-60 years. The largest increase in uptake, of more than 6%, was found in the lowest age band of 20-24 years.

25 August 2009
Scottish Bowel Screening Programme Statistics

First publication of bowel screening statistics for NHS Boards participating in the programme. This current release includes data for 9 NHS Boards for the period June 2007 to end April 2009

• Uptake was higher in women (60.4% ) than in men (53.0%).
• Uptake was lower in more deprived areas
• Men were more likely than women to have a positive screening test result
• More cancers were detected in men than in women

25 August 2009
Waiting times and waiting lists to 30th June 2009 (monthly and quarterly data)

Monthly and quarterly summary of waiting times and waiting lists in the acute sector of NHSScotland (includes data to 30th June 2009)

• At 30 June 2009, over 99.9% of new outpatients (GP/GDP referrals only) and over 99.8% of inpatients and day cases were waiting less than the 15-week national standard. This is the statistic used by NHS Boards from 31 December 2007 to measure performance against Scottish Government waiting times standards. 
• At 30 June 2009, over 99.9% of new outpatients (GP/GDP referrals only) and approximately 99.6% of inpatients and day cases were waiting less than 12 weeks. 12 weeks is the new national standard that comes into place from 31 March 2010 (for all referral sources).
• 99.9% of new outpatients seen and 99.7% of inpatients and day cases treated in quarter ending 30 June 2009 had waited less than 15 weeks.
• 99.4% of new outpatients seen and 98.5% of inpatients and day cases treated in quarter ending 30 June 2008 had waited less than 12 weeks.
• 97.7% 0f patients attending A&E departments during quarter ending 30 June 2009 were admitted, discharged or transferred within 4 hours

25 August 2009
Delayed Discharges in NHSScotland (formerly Patients Ready for Discharge) figures from the July 2009 Census.  

This publication presents the latest statistics on NHS hospital inpatients 'ready for discharge' but whose discharge has been delayed. The data is taken from a snapshot of NHS inpatients as at the July 2009 census. 

• There were 55 patients delayed for over 6 weeks in the July 2009 census. This compares with zero at the April 2009 census and 44 at the July 2008 census.
• At the July 2009 census, there were a total of 634 delayed discharges in Scotland, compared with 468 at the April 2009 census, and 601 at the July 2008 census.

25 August 2009
Influenza Update 2008/09

This release gives an update on flu related activity in primary care for the 2008/09 winter flu season. It includes figures on vaccinations and GP consultations for influenza in general (derived from Practice Team Information) but does NOT cover the more recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza

• Patient consultations with GPs for flu-like illness remained at low levels throughout the winter of 2008/09 with the main rise occurring in January 2009
• For the 2008/09 season, the recorded vaccination uptake rate in patients aged 65 and over (one of the main groups included in Scottish Government vaccination targets) was 76.3%. This is well over the target of 70%, and a slight increase compared to the previous year (74.1%)
• Provisional figures suggest that for the 2008/09 season almost 1.1 million flu vaccines were dispensed by community pharmacies to general practices across Scotland. Total cost of these dispensed vaccines (including handling and other fees payable), is expected to cost approximately £6.0 million

25 August 2009
Improving ethnic data collection for equality and diversity monitoring

• Routine recording of ethnicity is required by legislation and would allow the NHS to ensure fair and equal treatment for all ethnic groups.
• For Scotland as a whole, the recording of ethnicity remains low: a valid ethnic group code was recorded in only 23.7% of inpatient and daycase records (SMR01) and only 14.7% of new outpatient appointment records (SMR00) in the quarter ending March 2009.

18 August
Cancer Waiting Times January-March 2009

Cancer waiting-time statistics for urgently-referred patients by tumour site and NHS board. This statistical release is published by the Scottish Government.

7 August 2009
Suicide Statistics 2008

• There were 843 deaths by suicide in Scotland in 2008. This equates to an age-standardised rate of 16.1 per 100,000 population
• Based on three-year rolling averages there was a 10% fall in suicide rates between 2000-02 and 2006-08. These rates have shown little change since 2003-05 although rates in men have increased marginally in the latest 3-year period.
• In 2008 the suicide rate for males continues to be around three times that for females.
• Suicide rates increased with deprivation, with rates in the most deprived areas of Scotland significantly higher than the rate for Scotland generally.
• Between 1999-03 and 2004-08, the suicide rate decreased in 13 of the 14 NHS Boards and in 26 of the 32 local authorities.

July 2009

28 July 2009
Scottish Breast Screening Programme Statistics 2007/2008

At 31st March 2008:

• Looking at three year performance standard attendance figures, uptake of breast screening remains similar to last year, at approximately 76%.
• The proportion of cancers diagnosed pre-operatively has increased by approximately 29% since 1997, from 67.7% to 96.2%.

In 2007-08:

• 1,378 cases of cancer were diagnosed in women of all ages.
• 1,123 invasive cancers were detected, of which 53% were less than 15mm in size. These small cancers could not have been detected by hand.

28 July 2009
Dental Statistics

• The percentage of the Scottish population registered with an NHS GDS dentist is 80.1% for children and 61.3% for adults as at 31st March 2009. This is an increase from 78.7% for children and 59.3% for adults as at 31st December 2008.
• The number of examinations (clinical, extensive clinical, full case assessment and treatment summary) carried out by NHS GDS dentists in year ending 31st March 2009 was approx 2.3 million, an increase of 109,879 (5%) from year ending 31st March 2008.
• The total spend on NHS GDS child and adult dental care (total of item of service and registration costs) for year ending 31st March 2009 was almost £222 million, an increase of 10.2% from year ending 31st March 2008.
• The average cost to the NHS GDS of treating a child during 2008/09 increased from £54 to £60.  The average cost of treating an adult during 2008/09 increased from £35 to £39.

28 July 2009
Childhood hospital admissions and mortality

Update of annual statistics on childhood hospital admissions, up to 2007/08.  Also included are statistics on childhood mortality for calendar year 2007, from previously published death registration data collected by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS).

• In children under 15 years of age, emergency admissions are more common than planned admissions (approximately 59,000 and 39,000 admissions respectively, in 2007/08).
• Children under the age of five years have the highest admission rates, largely due to emergency admissions.
• The most common main diagnoses for emergency admissions were 'Respiratory disorders' (23.0%). For planned admissions, 'Disorders of the teeth, tongue and mouth' were the most common main diagnoses (21.8%); and largely attributable to dental caries.
• Overall, admission rates for children under 15 years of age in 2007/08 are similar to rates in 2005/06 and 2006/07.  The most common diagnoses and procedures/ operations carried out have also remained broadly similar.

This has been rescheduled from March to June 2009 due to workload associated with other National Statistics releases produced by the team.  This publication has been rescheduled for July to allow additional time for quality assurance.

28 July 2009
Genito-urinary Medicine ( GUM ) Statistics, year ending December 2008

Update of annual statistical information on sexually transmitted infections diagnosed at Genito-urinary Medicine clinics in Scotland

• There was a 16% increase in the overall workload (all diagnoses, consultations, screens and conditions seen) in GUM clinics in Scotland in 2008, compared to 2007.
• In 2008, the number of acute Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) diagnosed in GUM clinics in Scotland was 23171.  This is a very slight increase over last year, when there were 22906 diagnoses made.
• In 2008, as seen in previous years, more new acute STIs were in men, with the number of diagnoses of syphilis, gonorrhoea, genital warts, NSGI (non-specific genital infection) non-chlamydial, HIV and other STIs being higher in men than women.  The number of diagnoses of chlamydia, genital herpes and trichomoniasis was greater in women.
• Almost a quarter of all acute STI diagnoses are in those aged less than 20

28 July 2009
Mental Health (Psychiatric) Hospital Activity Statistics

• There were around 23,400 inpatient admissions to mental health hospitals during the year ending 31 March 2008. This continues the downward trend seen in recent years and represents a 20% fall in the number of admissions since 2003.
• In 2007/8, around 58% of all inpatient mental health admissions were re-admissions. This percentage is similar to those of the previous five years.
• The number of patients who had a psychiatric readmission (within one year of a previous psychiatric admission) has decreased steadily between the years ending 31 December 2004 and 30 September 2007, from over 4,500 to around 3,700 - a reduction of around 20%.  It should be noted that data for the year ending 30 September 2007 may be incomplete and are subject to change in future releases.
• Alcohol/drug related problems were responsible for 23% of all discharge diagnoses in men and schizophrenia accounted for a further 21%.  For women, mood (affective) disorders accounted for 34% of the diagnoses recorded, while dementia diagnoses were identified in 14% of discharges.
• In 2007/8, one half of all mental health discharges had a hospital length of stay of 2 weeks or less.

28 July 2009
Web based Clinical Outcome Indicators - year end 30.06.08

Six monthly update of trends for six established acute care indicators. Figures are available at NHS Board and hospital level for years ending 30th June 1999 - 2008

• 86.1% of patients survived 30 days after emergency admission for Acute Myocardial Infarction in Scotland in year ending 30th June 2008.
• 93.0% of patients survived 30 days after emergency admission for Hip Fracture in Scotland in year ending 30th June 2008.
• 80.7% of patients survived 30 days after emergency admission for Stroke in Scotland in year ending 30th June 2008.
• The percentage of deaths within 30 days of surgery for patients undergoing a group of 12 operations on an elective basis for Scotland was 0.23% in year ending 30th June 2008.

Also published are:

General Ophthalmic Services - year ending 31 March 2009

Audit of Critical Care in Scotland 2009

Findings from the Balance of Care / Continuing Care Census, 31st March 2009

June 2009

30 June 2009
Alcohol-related mortality and morbidity

• The study is the first of its kind for Scotland based on Scottish consumption data and more accurately estimates the burden of harm from alcohol problems compared with current routine reporting.
• Fifty three conditions were identified where alcohol plays a contributory role.
• 1 in 20 (2,882) deaths in Scotland in 2003 were estimated to be attributable to alcohol, twice as many as previously routinely reported.
• Alcohol problems also cause a considerable burden to the health care system, accounting for over an estimated 1 in 20 of all patient discharges in 2003.

30 June 2009
Teenage Pregnancies 2007

• The teenage pregnancy rate has been fairly steady for the past decade. In 2007, in the under 16 age group there were 8.1 pregnancies per 1,000, the same rate as 2006. The rates in the older age groups have risen slightly with the under 18s rising from 41.5 per 1,000 in 2006 to 42.4 per 1,000 in 2007 and the under 20s from 57.9 per 1,000 to 58.6 per 1,000.
• Over the years there has been a change in the balance between teenage conceptions which are aborted, and those which continue to delivery. In the under 18 and under 20 age groups the rate of abortion has risen slightly but still remains considerably lower than the delivery rate. In the under 16 year age group the abortion rate has been higher than the delivery rate since 2001.
• There is a strong deprivation gradient. In the under 20s, the most deprived groups have approximately ten times the rate of delivery as the least deprived (70.4 per 1,000 and 8.3 per 1,000) and nearly twice the rate of abortion (31.0 per 1,000 and 17.3 per 1,000) These proportions have not varied much over the most recently available eight years, and do not vary much with age

30 June 2009
NHSScotland Workforce Statistics

• The overall time lost due to sickness absence in NHSScotland for the year end 31 March 2009 is 4.95%.
• Comparing 2007/08 to 2006/07, the cost of employing agency nursing and midwifery staff has decreased by 15% while the cost of employing bank nursing and midwifery staff has increased by 11%.
• Comparing 2007/08 to 2006/07, the usage of agency nursing and midwifery staff has decreased by 24% while the usage of bank nursing and midwifery has increased by 5%.

30 June 2009
Prescribing Statistics

• The number of items dispensed continues to increase. The number of prescription items dispensed in Scotland (excluding Minor Ailment Service & Stock Order) increased by 4% to 84.2 million from 2007/08 to 2008/09. Over the same period, the gross ingredient cost increased to £957.4 million (1%).
• Almost 200,000 (118%) more prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) were sold in 2008/09 compared to 2007/08.
• also released, statistics on prescribing remuneration.

30 June 2009
Drug Treatment Waiting Times  

Time from referral to assessment date offered

• In Jan-Mar 2009, approximately 60% of those offered an appointment for assessment were offered a date which fell within the reporting period and was within 14 days of referral
• Of those who were still waiting for an appointment for assessment, approximately 20% had waited more than 52 weeks by the end of March 2009

Time waited for first intervention

• In Jan-Mar 2009, approximately 90% of those offered an appointment for treatment were offered a date within 14 days of the date a care plan was agreed
• Of those who were still waiting for a treatment appointment at the end of the reporting period, approximately 30% had waited more than 52 weeks by the end of March 2009

30 June 2009
Provision of Injecting Equipment in Scotland, 2007/08

• A total of 205 Injecting Equipment Provision (IEP) services responded to the survey (169 pharmacies and 36 agencies). Not all services answered all questions.
• An estimated 35,788 clients were reported to have attended IEP services in 2007/08.
• A total of 3.9 million needles/syringes were distributed in 2007/08. Pharmacies provided just over 2 million of these. An estimated total of 2.3 million needles/syringes were returned.

Also published 30 June 2009:

Quality & Outcomes Framework (QOF) of the new GMS contract - Scotland-level prevalence figures 2008/09 

Delayed Discharges in NHSScotland - Supplementary Information by Community Health Partnership from April 2009 census.

ScotPHO (Scottish Public Health Observatory) website annual section updates

23 June 2009

Childhood immunisation uptake rates, quarter and year ending 31 March 2009

• In Scotland as a whole, quarterly uptake rates by 24 months of age for primary courses remain high and stable at around 96% to 98% of diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), Meningitis C (MenC)  and Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV).
• Quarterly uptake of one dose of (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)  by 24 months increased slightly to 92.9%.  Quarterly uptake by 5 years of age remains at 95.6% and exceeds the 95% target.
• Quarterly uptake of the Hib/MenC booster vaccination by 24 months rose to 93.7% this quarter (92.0% in previous quarter).  Quarterly uptake of the PCV booster by 24 months rose to 93.8% (in the previous quarter uptake was 93.3%).  These vaccines were introduced to the childhood immunisation schedule in September 2006.

23 June 2009

Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey

This is the most recent of a series of school surveys used to monitor and measure smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in Scotland.  The survey was carried out in autumn 2008 and was completed by over 10,000 pupils aged 13 years old and 15 years old, across Scotland. 

• Among 13 year olds the proportion who report being regular smokers remained much the same in 2006 and 2008 (3% in both years for boys and dropping, although not significantly, from 5% in 2006 to 4% in 2008 for girls).  Among 15 year old girls, prevalence is continuing to decline (18% in 2006 dropping to 16% in 2008).  However, the proportion of 15 year old boys who are regular smokers has increased from 12% in 2006 to 14% in 2008
• There has been a decrease, in the proportion of pupils reporting that they had a drink in the last week, between 2006 and 2008. The proportion of 13 year olds has declined from 14% to 11% and, for 15 year olds, the proportion has declined from 36% to 31%.
• Twenty per cent of 15 year olds and 5% of 13 year olds reported they had used drugs in the last year and 13% of 15 year olds and 3% of 13 year olds reported that they had used drugs in the last month. By far the most common drug taken was cannabis.  There has been little change in prevalence since 2006.

May 2009

26 May 2009
Abortions 2008

• In 2008 there were 13,817 abortions performed compared to 13,738 in 2007.  This is consistent with the pattern seen in recent years.  In 2008, the rate for women aged 15-44 was 13.1 for every 1000 women compared to 11.1 for every 1000 women in 2000.
• The rate of terminations is highest in NHS Tayside at 15.7 per 1000 women aged 15-44.  In NHS Lothian the rate is 14.4 and in NHS Grampian the rate is 14.3.   The Island Boards (Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles) have the lowest rate at 5.7.
• As in previous years, the rate of terminations in 2008 was highest in women aged 16-19 (24.5 per 1000) and those aged 20-24 (24.9 per 1000). Lower rates are seen in women aged 25-29 (17.1 per 1000) and in women aged over 40 (2.2 per 1000).

26 May 2009
Waiting Times and Waiting Lists to 31 March 2009 (monthly and quarterly data)

• At 31 March 2009, 100% of new outpatients and over 99.9% of inpatients and day cases were waiting less than the 18-week national standard. This is the statistic used by NHS Boards from 31 December 2007 to 31 March 2009 to measure performance against Scottish Government waiting times standards.
• At 31 March 2009, over 99.9% of new outpatients and approximately 99.9% of inpatients and day cases were waiting less than 15 weeks. 15 weeks is the new national standard that comes into place from 31 March 2009 and will be the statistic used by NHS Boards to measure performance against Scottish Government waiting times standards from this date.
• 99.9% of new outpatients seen and 99.9% of inpatients and day cases treated in quarter ending 31 December 2008 had waited less than 18 weeks.
• 98.4% of new outpatients seen and 98.2% of inpatients and day cases treated in quarter ending 31 December 2008 had waited less than 15 weeks.
• 2.8% of new outpatients and 18.9% of inpatients and day cases on waiting lists at 31 March 2009 were unavailable for treatment at that date.
• 97.2% of patients attending Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments during the quarter ending 31 March 2009 were admitted, discharged or transferred within 4 hours. 

26 May 2009
NHS Smoking Cessation Service Statistics (Scotland) 1st January to 31st December 2008

Information on clients attempting to quit smoking with the help of NHS smoking cessation services, and quit outcomes, during the 2008 calendar year.  Also, comparisons with data for the previous year.

• There were 50,121 quit attempts made during the 2008 calendar year.  This compares with 44,019 in 2007 (revised 2007 figures), an increase of 6,102 or 14%.
• An estimated 4.8% of smokers in Scotland made a quit attempt with an NHS smoking cessation service during 2008 (4.2% in 2007).  Pharmacy services accounted for 44% of quit attempts made.
• One month after the quit date, 38% had quit (self-reported "not smoked in the last two weeks"), 33% were still smoking and 29% were "lost to follow-up"/unknown.  
• Based on data for the 2007 calendar year, quit rates at one, three and 12 months were 38%, 19% and 8% respectively. 

26 May 2009
Delayed Discharges in NHS Scotland - April 2009

• There were zero patients delayed for over 6 weeks in the April 2009 census. This compares with 79 at the January 2009 census and zero at the April 2008 census.
• At the April 2009 census, there were a total of 468 delayed discharges in Scotland, compared with 492 at the January 2009 census, and 434 at the April 2008 census. All the patients in the April 2008 and April 2009 census had been delayed for less than 6 weeks.

26 May 2009
General Dental Service registrations - updates of existing pages to 31 December 2008

• The percentage of the Scottish population registered with an NHS GDS dentist is 78.7% for children and 59.3% for adults at 31st December 2008. This is an increase from 77.4% for children and 57.2% for adults at 30th September 2008.
• There has been a 10% and 18% increase in the number of registrations for children and adults respectively from December 2007 to December 2008

26 May 2009
Acute Hospital Activity to 31 March 2009

Quarterly and annual summary of activity in the acute sector of NHSScotland.  This release will include inpatient, day case and outpatient activity, multiple emergency admissions, beds data and Nurse and AHP activity.

• The total number of hospital discharges (episodes) has increased by 2.0% to 1,343,000 in the year ending March 2008 from 1,316,000 in 2007.
• Neoplasms (including cancer) were the most common main diagnosis for patients discharged from hospital in the year ending March 2008, accounting for 14.1% of all primary diagnoses.
• 1,219,000 inpatient and day case procedures were carried out in NHS Scotland in 2008, an increase of 2.4% from 1,190,000 in 2007.
• 4,497,000 outpatients were seen at consultant clinics in the year ending March 2008, showing a slight increase of 0.2% when compared to year ending March 2007.  In 2007/08, 1,386,000 were new outpatient attendances, an increase of 1.5% from 1,365,000 in 2006/07.

26 May 2009
Perinatal Mortality in Scotland

• Stillbirth rates have changed little over the past two decades, having declined markedly in the previous decade. 
• Women aged between 25-34 years have the lowest stillbirth rate. 
• There is a steady rise in the number of women over the age of 35 having their first child.
• There is a suggestion that term stillbirths and intrapartum stillbirths (fetal deaths during labour) have risen slightly in the past decade.
• The rate of twins has almost doubled in the past thirty years.  There has also been an increase in the rate of preterm deliveries and caesarean section for these births.

26 May 2009
Scottish Anthroplasty Project - Annual Report

26 May 2009
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in NHSScotland: Characteristics of the Workforce Supply in 2008

26 May 2009
Scottish Hip Fracture Audit Rehabilitation Report 2009

19 May 2009
Cancer Waiting Times October-December 2008

Cancer waiting-time statistics for urgently-referred patients by tumour site and NHS board. This statistical release is published by the Scottish Government.

11 May 2009
Breastfeeding Statistics  

Annual update of breastfeeding rates in Scotland  . This release includes figures for babies born in 2008 for NHS Boards that use the Child   Health Systems Programme Pre-School system (CHSP-PS).

Among the 12 participating NHS Boards in Scotland:

• In 2008, 45.0% of mothers were breastfeeding at the First Visit review, which takes place at around 10 days, up slightly from the 2007 level (44.5%).  This includes 37.0% of mothers who were exclusively breastfeeding (a slight decrease from the 2007 figure of 37.5%).
• At the 6-8 week review, the overall breastfeeding rate was 36.1% in 2008 (35.6% in 2007).  This includes 26.7% of mothers who were exclusively breastfeeding (an increase from 26.0% in 2007).
• The overall breastfeeding rate and exclusive breastfeeding rate have remained relatively stable since 2001.
• Breastfeeding rates vary by geographical area.  For example, at the 6-8 week review, exclusive breastfeeding rates in 2008 range from 18.5% in NHS Ayrshire & Arran to 48.3% in NHS Shetland.
• Younger mothers who live in the most deprived areas are the least likely to breastfeed their babies

April 2009

28 April 2009
Cancer Incidence (2006)

The updated figures show cancer incidence (1985-2006) for each major cancer.

• In recent years, the overall age-standardised incidence rates have fallen slightly for males and females.
• However, the rates do show considerable variation between cancers, with substantial increases in melanoma of the skin (both sexes), and decreases in stomach (both sexes) and lung cancers (males only).
• Actual numbers of cases of cancer have risen over the last decade, largely due to an ageing population

28 April 2009
Place of Death from Cancer   

The first report to examine the place of death among patients dying from cancer in Scotland. Information is presented on place of death from all malignancies combined, as well as from the four major cancers (breast, colorectal, prostate and lung), broken down by demographic characteristics of the patients.

• Around one-half of the approximately 75,000 deaths from cancer in Scotland in the years 2003-2007 occurred  in NHS Acute Hospitals;
• around one quarter of deaths were at Home,
• approximately 17% of cancer deaths in Hospices, and the remainder were in Other Institutions.

This overall pattern has been roughly constant over the past 10 years, with some variation within demographic characteristics by specific cancer types.

28 April 2009
NHSScotland NHS Board 2009/10 revenue budget target shares calculated using the new Resource Allocation formula (NRAC)  

The Scottish Resource Allocation formula is used to inform the allocation of around 70% of the total NHS Budget between the 14 territorial NHS Boards in Scotland.

• Target shares are shown at NHS Board level.
• Adjustments for the age/sex, additional needs and unavoidable excess costs are shown at NHS Board level and small geographical areas within Boards.

March 2009

31 March 2009
Practice Team Information 2007/08

This publication provides information on estimated numbers of patients and patient contacts with GPs or practice-employed nurses in Scotland.

The main updates to the content are:

The addition of more recent data (now including the financial year 2007/08)

• The statistical model used to calculate PTI estimates has been updated allowing all estimates to be shown with 95% confidence intervals (indicating the precision of the estimates)

The main findings include:

• The estimated number of face to face contacts between patients and GPs in 2007/08 was 15.3 million; this is fairly consistent with estimates for previous years.
• In contrast, estimated numbers of contacts with practice-employed nurses and their assistants, which had been rising in recent years, dropped from 7.4 million to 6.5 million. A number of possible explanations for this are discussed in the publication.

31 March 2009
Prescribing Statistics

An annual update to information on the prescribing of drugs indicated for the treatment of obesity, drugs used in rheumatic disease and gout, and drugs used in smoking cessation in the community. Also includes information on the Minor Ailment Service registrations.

Main findings include:

• Drugs indicated for the treatment of obesity - 110,000 items were prescribed in Scotland during 2007-08, an increase of 6,000 (6%) from the previous year.
• Drugs indicated for the treatment of rheumatic diseases and gout - 2.45 million items were prescribed in Scotland during 2007-08, a decrease of 17,000 (1%) from the previous year.
• Drugs used in smoking cessation - 300,000 smoking cessation interventions items were prescribed in Scotland during 2008, an increase of 56,000 (23%) on the previous year.
• At September 2008, 11.5% of people registered with a GP in Scotland are also registered for MAS.

31 March 2009
ScotPHO Website Updates

The ScotPHO website contains comprehensive information on a wide range of topics including behaviour, health, well being and disease and clinical risk factors. New sections for this release are Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which includes previously unpublished data and Injuries which includes previously published data. A number of sections are updated, including new data on Epilepsy.

The statistics include:

• The ageing of Scotland's population does not fully account for the trends in COPD, which may be explained by the fact that COPD rates fall many years after declines in smoking rates. Thus the current burden of COPD in Scotland may, in part, be due to the high smoking rates seen 30-40 years ago.
• Epilepsy is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Scotland and around 0.7% of the Scottish population (around 38,000 people) have epilepsy.

31 March 2009
National Drug Treatment Waiting Times

Quarterly update on the number of clients waiting for drug treatment and the time waited for (1) clients to be offered an assessment date and (2) clients to be offered an appointment date for any drug treatment intervention.

The publication shows that in October - December 2008:

• Approximately 70% of those offered an appointment for assessment were offered a date within 14 days of referral
• Approximately 90% of those offered an appointment for treatment were offered a date within 14 days of date care plan agreed
   

Also published 31 March 2009:

Alcohol consumption in black and minority ethnic groups and recent immigrants in Scotland: current situation on available information

Dispensing contractors' remuneration - quarterly update

Delayed Discharges in NHSScotland - Supplementary Information by Community Health Partnership from January 2009 census

26 March 2009
HPV vaccination - provisional uptake rates

The first publication of Scottish uptake rates for the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine.

• Provisional figures at mid-February 2009 show that overall uptake of the HPV vaccine amongst girls in second, fifth and sixth year of secondary school in Scotland is already 92.2% for the first dose and 87.8% for the second dose.

26 March 2009
Childhood immunisation - uptake rates (for quarter and year ending 31 December 2008)

Quarterly update of immunisation uptake rates for children aged 12 and 24 months and 5 and 6 years.

• For all primary courses of immunisation except MMR, quarterly uptake rates by 24 months of age remain high and stable (around 96% to 98%).
• For MMR: quarterly uptake of one dose by 24 months increased slightly to 92.6%; and quarterly uptake by 5 years of age rose to 95.6%, exceeding the 95% target.

February 2009

24 February 2009

Alcohol Statistics Scotland 2009

This biennial publication presents the latest available information from a range of national data sources relating to alcohol. These include routine data sources and surveys.

There are four main sections:

• The Alcohol Market
• Alcohol Consumption
• Alcohol and Health Harm
• Alcohol and Social Harm

Key points include:

• In 2007/08 in Scotland, there were 42,430 alcohol related discharges from general hospitals, equating to a discharge rate of 777 per 100,000 population. This is an increase of nearly 7% from the previous year (729 per 100,000 population in 2006/07).
• There was an increase of nearly 17% in alcohol related age standardised discharge rates from Scottish general hospitals over the last five years (666 per 100,000 population in 2003/04 compared to 777 per 100,000 population in 2007/08).
  

24 February 2009

Waiting times and waiting lists to 31st December 2008 (monthly and quarterly data)

This is the latest information (updated to December 2008) about patients on hospital waiting lists and waiting times of those who have been seen or treated in Scotland. The New Ways statistics are classed as "provisional".

Provisional statistics show:

• At 31 December 2008, over 99.9% of new outpatients and over 99.9% of inpatients and day cases were waiting less than the 18-week national standard. This is the statistic used by NHS Boards to measure performance against Scottish Government waiting times standards.
• 99.8% of new outpatients seen and 99.7% of inpatients and day cases treated in quarter ending 31 December 2008 had waited less than 18 weeks

Also:

• 97.5% of patients attending A&E departments during the quarter ending 31 December 2008 were admitted, discharged or transferred within 4 hours against the national standard of 98% within 4 hours.
  

24 February 2009

Acute Hospital Activity (annual data to 31 March 2008 and quarterly data to 31 December 2008)

This release contains information on acute hospital activity within NHS Scotland, illustrating current data and historic trends in secondary care provision and patient contact with the service. The release also includes revised data on multiple emergency admissions, beds and nurse and Allied Health Professional (AHP) outpatient activity.

• The total number of hospital discharges (episodes) has increased by 1.7% to 1,339,000 in the year ending March 2008 from 1,316,000 in 2007.
• A total of 1,217,000 procedures were carried out on inpatients and day cases in NHS Scotland in the year ending March 2008, an increase of 2.3% from 1,190,000 in 2007.
• For patients aged 65 years and over who have had 2 or more emergency admission spells in hospital, the rate per 100,000 population has increased slightly from 4,800 in the year ending March 2007 to 5,000 in 2008, a smaller increase than the previous year (4,500 in 2006).
  

24 February 2009

Delayed Discharges in NHSScotland (formerly Patients Ready for Discharge) figures from the January 2009 Census

This report provides the latest statistics on NHS hospital inpatients "ready for discharge" but whose discharge has been delayed, from a census of these patients as at January 2009 . A delayed discharge occurs when an individual, clinically ready for discharge, cannot leave the hospital due to various reasons.

As at the January 2009 census there were 79 patients delayed outwith the six week discharge planning period compared with 2,162 in the October 2001 census which is the point when the figures were at their highest. And compares with 91 delayed patients at the previous October 2008 census.

24 February 2009

Findings from the Balance of Care / Continuing Care Census

Information was collected to identify patients who were receiving NHS Care that is on-going, non-acute care, delivered as an inpatient, and often over an extended period, either in hospital, hospice or care home.

Details of age group and gender plus Location of Care, Specialty and Length of Stay are presented, from a census at 30.09.08.

• The 2,715 patients reported as receiving NHS Continuing Health Care corresponds to a rate of 36 patients per 100,000 Scottish population.
• For the 2,715 NHS Continuing Health Care patients, 2,161 (80%) were resident in hospital.

Also published 24 February 2009

Improving ethnic data collection for equality and diversity monitoring

Care Home Staffing Project Report (Stakeholder's Report and Technical Report)

Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in NHSScotland: Characteristics of the Workforce Supply in 2007

17 February 2009

Cancer Waiting Times

Cancer waiting-time statistics for urgently-referred patients by tumour site and NHS board. This statistical release is published by the Scottish Government (www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/cancer/waiting-times ).

January 2009

27 January 2009
Web Based Clinical Outcome Indicators

Trends in hospital outcome indicators for: heart attack; stroke; hip fracture; selected planned operations; surgical readmissions; and medical readmissions.

Figures for Scotland for 2007 include:

• 85.6% of patients survived for 30 days after emergency admission following a heart attack, up from 81.1% in 1998
• 80.7% of patients survived for 30 days after emergency admission following a stroke, up from 76.6% in 1998

27 January 2009
General Practice - GP workforce and practice population statistics to 2008

Figures on general medical practitioners (GPs), including age, gender and contract type; and on general practice populations.

• The number (headcount) of contracted GPs in Scottish practices at 30 September 2008 was 4,921, an increase of 10.4% since 2004
• An increasing proportion of contracted GPs are female; for 2008 the figure was 48%, compared with 45% in 2004.

27 January 2009
Dental Statistics

Figures on: registrations with the NHS General Dental Service (GDS), up to September 2008; and on Hospital Dental Service activity (outpatients, inpatients and day cases), up to 31 March 2008.

• 77.4% of children, and 57.2% of adults, were registered with an NHS GDS dentist at 30 September 2008.

27 January 2009
New Ways of Waiting Data Quality Assessment Project - Executive Summary

"New Ways of Defining and Measuring Waiting Times" introduced a significant change in the definition, recording and reporting of waiting times across NHS Scotland.

This report summarises the work of the New Ways of Waiting Data Quality Assessment Project and sets out a number of recommendations to support the further improvement in the quality of data.