I refer the Member to the answer to question S5W-24637 on 2 September 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the Member to the answer to question S5W-24637 on 2 September 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the Member to the answer to question S5W-24637 on‎ 2 September 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the Member to the answer to question S5W-24637 on 2 September 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the Member to the answer to question S5W-24637 on 2 September 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the Member to the answer to question S5W-24637 on 2 September 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

NHS Scotland uses the UK approved World Health Organisation International Classification of Diseases Revision 10 (ICD10) classification system to code in-patient admissions. There is no ICD10 code available which can specifically identify acupuncture as the cause of pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and as a result it is not possible to provide figures for the number of such cases.

The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People is part of the Scottish Government’s Non-Profit Distributing (NPD) programme. Of the £139m of annual Benefits delivered by the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) during 2017-18, approximately 12% was attributed to the NPD programme but is not broken down by project. SFT’s Statement of Benefits is subject to an independent, external review undertaken by Grant Thornton.

This reflects the advantages of SFT providing procuring authorities with a centralised support function. It includes the development, roll-out and management of the NPD standard form contract documents across the ten projects, as well as delivering project assurance processes at key milestones during the development and procurement stages of the NPD projects. It also takes into consideration the provision of commercial and financial expertise provided to procuring authorities that attracted value-for-money finance for their projects, which included securing over £750m funding from the European Investment Bank across the NPD programme.

NHS Lothian’s local prescribing formulary includes evidence-based antibiotic guidelines for hospital and community-based prescribing. They will always give a first line treatment and an alternative for those with a penicillin allergy. The guidelines for NHS Lothian can be found at:

http://intranet.lothian.scot.nhs.uk/Directory/amt/Pages/
Antimicrobial%20Management%20Home%20Page.aspx .

It is for NHS Boards to put in place local prescribing formularies which are based on a range of issues including the general population, prevalence, clinical decisions and appropriateness for the patient concerned.

Ultimately, prescribing decisions are matters for each GP or prescribing clinician in consultation with the patient, taking into account the individual circumstances, including any allergies and treatment needs.

All health boards in Scotland have local antibiotic guidelines for hospital and community prescribing and these include alternative treatments for patients with a recorded penicillin allergy for all types of infection. Since 2009, following guidance from the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group, all Health Board guidance has been based on an evidence based template developed and maintained by Public Health England and recently merged with NICE guidance on Antimicrobial Prescribing:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/managing-common-infections-guidance-for-primary-care

Local antibiotic guidelines are reviewed and updated where required every 3 years (or sooner if necessary) and approved by Health Board Antimicrobial Management Teams, sub-groups of their Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees and are available electronically in all GP practices clinical systems.