I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-31669 on 20 February 2007. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The following table shows thenumbers of patients ready for discharge at April each year since the first Aprilcensus in 2001.

NHS – Patients ready for discharge– Argyll and Bute local authority area.

Total Number and Number OverSix Weeks for each End of Year Census Point: April 2001 to April 2006.

Census3	Total1	Over 6 Weeks2	Target – Total Delays4	Target – Over 6 Weeks
April 2001	53	38	-	-
April 2002	62	52	-	-
April 2003	71	50	-	-
April 2004	47	33	-	-
April 2005	35	18	38	28
April 2006	63	44	30	22

Notes:

1. Total number of patients readyfor discharge, in all specialties, reported as at October 2006 census.

2. Number of patients ready fordischarge with a duration of over six weeks (43 days or more), i.e. the common periodfor discharge planning agreement timescales across Scotland.

3. The figures in the table excludepatients whose principal reason for delay at the census point was due to awaitingplace/bed availability in a specialist residential facility where no facilitiesexist, or due to requirements of the Adults with Incapacity Act. Prior to the April2003 census awaiting place or bed availability where no appropriate facilities existwere included under awaiting place or bed availability. Therefore cannot be takenout of the census totals prior to April 2003 census. Prior to the July 2004 censusAdults with Incapacity Act were included under legal issues. Therefore cannot betaken out of the census totals prior to July 2004 census.

4. It is not possible to supplytarget information for 2002-03 or 2003-04 as these were not percentage targets norbroken down by local authority areas.

The Delayed Discharge ActionPlan, published in March 2002, set a national target of a reduction of 1,000 indelayed discharges across Scotland, by April 2003. For April 2004, partnerships agreed targetswith the department, based on local circumstances. For 2004-05 and 2005-06, partnershipswere expected to achieve a 20% reduction across the board.

All of these targets were agreedat health board area level and are not broken down by local authority area.

Argyll and Bute did makesignificant reductions in delayed discharges in 2003-04 and again in 2004-05. However,their performance in 2005-06 has been poor and we have had significant engagementwith the council over recent months to secure improved performance.

All NHS/local authoritypartnerships have agreed new targets that will eliminate delayed dischargesover six weeks by April 2008. Argyll and Bute are committed to achieving thisand the joint improvement team will continue to work with them to secure a satisfactoryoutcome for the NHS and more importantly patients.

The Scottish Executive isaware of Argyll and Bute Council’s expenditure on community care services. Grant AidedExpenditure is neither a budget nor aspending target but a needs based method for apportioning funding to localauthorities. It is for Argyll and Bute Council to allocate funding according to their local priorities,taking account of their statutory obligations. However, I have met the counciltwice to stress the importance I attach to the effective delivery of communitycare services, and the role of the joint improvement team has been extended to helpthe council and health board partners secure improved delivery of theseservices.

The joint improvement team hasbeen working with Argyll and Bute Council and NHS Highland on developing theirstrategic governance and local management arrangements to help address thechallenges of providing for the needs of elderly residents. In addition, the Social Work Inspection Agency is currentlyinspecting Argyll and Bute Council’s social work services and the inspectionreport will provide an indication of service quality together with anyrecommendations the council will need to address.

I am closely monitoring theposition and will consider using powers in relation to joint working by localauthorities and health boards or powers of direction in relation to the SocialWork (Scotland) Act 1968 if required.

The Executive uses the informationprovided by local authorities in the annual Local Financial Returns to monitor expenditureon social work. The returns collect expenditure and income on social work services.

The Chief Executive of the SocialWork Services Inspection Agency has indicated that the performance inspection ofArgyll and Bute Council social work services began in November 2006 with file readingof older people’s cases. Arrangements are now in place for further file reading,fieldwork and survey work of local authority staff, people who use services, andcarers. This will take place between March and May this year. The report will bepublished in the autumn.

The new Disclosure Scotland applicationform is set out in the Schedule to Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) 2006 No 521.The SSI came into force on 15 December 2006 after completing the normal Parliamentaryprocess for Instruments that are subject to negative procedure. The new form wasintroduced following criticism by users that the previous form was too complicated.The top 35 users of Disclosure Scotland, including the Central Registered Body forScotland (CRBS), which processes free checks for the voluntary sector, were consultedon the planned revisions. The new form is simpler and more logical. It includestwo new questions. The first ensures that the Disqualified from Working with ChildrenList and its English counterpart is checked for all childcare posts and the Protectionof Vulnerable Adults list from England checked for posts working with protectedadults. The second allows free checks for volunteers working with children and protectedadults in the voluntary sector to be processed without the involvement of the CRBS.

The new form can be used for applications for disclosures underthe Police Act 1997 for at least the next seven years. It will also be used by thoseapplicants who will in future join the vetting and barring Scheme proposed in theProtection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Bill until such time as the scheme isup and running, which is expected to be during 2008.

The Scottish Funding Councilfor Further and Higher Education is responsible for issues relating to the fundingof colleges and higher education institutions in Scotland. I have asked the Chairof the Funding Council to respond directly.

Information on physiotherapywaiting times is not routinely collected nationally.

Aone-off census of Allied Health Professional (AHP) services was carried out on 14 September 2005 to help ascertain the magnitude, variety and diversityof AHPs’ caseloads. A broad range of information, including information on waitingtimes, was gathered, and the report Waitingfor AHP Services - A Review Of The Numbers Waiting And Possible Waiting Times ForAn Appointment With An AHP was published on 6 July 2006. This is availableat:

http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/collect2.jsp?pContentID=3896&p_applic=CCC&p_service=Content.show&.

The report provides summary dataconcerning waiting times and numbers of patients waiting for appointments on a particularday. The data suggests that 94% of patients could expect a first appointment within18 weeks and 75% of patients could expect a first appointment in less than 10 weeksif they are to attend a clinic, six weeks if they are to be seen at home and twoweeks if they are to be seen while an in-patient.