In October 2015, Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland published analysis of individuals on methadone based on those prescriptions with a valid Community Health Index (CHI) number. This analysis was published on the ScotPHO website, and can be accessed here, with the caveat that due to sub-optimal CHI capture rates, the estimates should be regarded as a minimum count of individuals on methadone hydrochloride in Scotland. The results of this analysis were:

In 2014-15, methadone 1mg/ml solution was prescribed at least once to 25,170 individuals (based on prescriptions with a valid CHI).

The number of individuals prescribed methadone 1mg/ml solution appears to have reduced from 26,202 individuals in 2011-12.

In 2014-15, 117,578 (or 27%) of prescriptions did not have a valid CHI number. It is not possible to determine how many additional individuals prescribed methadone 1mg/ml solution would have been identified had these data been complete.

Every suicide is a tragedy that has a far reaching impact on family, friends and the community long after a person has died.

The Scottish Government expects NHS boards to provide care to the highest standards of quality and safety whatever the setting, with the person at the centre of all decisions.

Suicides are thoroughly investigated in Scotland. The Scottish Government works closely with its partners, including Healthcare Improvement Scotland, to support the NHS in learning from any deaths by suicide and so inform continuing improvements in patient safety.

Every suicide is a tragedy that has a far reaching impact on family, friends and the community long after a person has died. One of the key themes in the Scottish Government’s Suicide Prevention Strategy (2013 to 2016) is to improve the NHS response to suicide. A range of actions is underway to support this, including work by Healthcare Improvement Scotland to support the NHS in learning from any deaths by suicide and so inform continuing improvements in patient safety, and work on improved use of data and training in accident and emergency departments.

The Scottish Government awaits details on how the proposed levy will operate in practice. The Barnett formula does not adjust to changes in reserved taxation such as the soft drinks industry levy but instead allocates to Scotland a population share of net changes in expenditure on comparable spending programmes in England (or England and Wales). Following the announcements at the UK Spending Review and the UK Budget in March 2016, the Scottish Government’s discretionary budget will fall in real terms by 3.2% over the course of the current spending review period. The Scottish Government will publish spending plans for 2017-18 in due course.

The Scottish Government will increase the NHS revenue budget by £500 million more than inflation by the end of this parliament. Details of the annual increases will follow in due course.

The specific information requested is not available centrally.

Audiology Services is included in the Scottish Government’s target that no patient should wait more than 18 weeks from a GP referral to start of treatment since the end of 2011.

Information on the average waiting time to receive a hearing aid is not collected centrally. However we have provided information on the median wait for the fitting of a hearing in each quarter from March 2010 (first published data) to March 2016 (latest available published data) by NHS board in the following table.

Median waiting time (weeks) for the fitting of hearing aids by board

NHS Board	Mar 2010	Mar 2011	Mar 2012	Mar 2013	Mar 2014	Mar 2015	Mar 2016
Ayrshire and Arran	-	0	6	6	4	6	8
Borders	6	5	5	5	5	7	10
Dumfries and Galloway	11	0	5	6	6	6	7
Fife	-	0	-	0	-	0	0
Forth Valley	-	0	5	2	6	5	4
Grampian	5	5	4	4	3	3	2
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	6	7	7	7	7	7	9
Highland	-	4	3	4	3	6	5
Lanarkshire	4	3	2	4	3	4	4
Lothian	0	16	7	7	8	7	7
Orkney	2	3	3	3	3	3	0
Shetland	4	7	6	4	3	2	3
Tayside	-	5	4	5	5	4	6
Western Isles	-	21	5	4	2	6	6

Source: Information Services Division Scotland

a - denotes no patients were seen that month.

b 0 denotes that the 50% of patients were seen in less than seven days.

The Scottish Government fully supports the safe use of pet therapy in appropriate circumstances. It is for individual NHS boards to decide what therapies they make available based on the needs of their resident populations. We expect NHS boards to ensure that people receive the appropriate care that meets the totality of their needs and that this care is person-centred, safe and effective.

This information is not held centrally. Provision of continuous glucose monitoring is a matter for NHS boards in consultation with individual patients taking into consideration national clinical guidelines.

Information Services Division (ISD) does not hold this information centrally. Data for IVF waiting times are available from the quarter ending July to September 2014 onwards. Information collected by ISD to measure progress towards the waiting time standard is for the first IVF cycle only. Further information on the first IVF cycle can be found at: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Waiting-Times/IVF-Waiting-Times/Publications/2016-05-31/.