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We expect boards to plan and deliver services that are safe, sustainable and affordable.

A review of community hospitals is currently underway. The purpose of the review is to address the Partnership Agreement commitment to develop the important role of community hospitals, and to develop a strategy for sustaining small, rural and community hospitals where they are safe and effective, including the provision of minor surgery, and to act as a resource to GPs.

This will inform the work which Professor David Kerr and his Advisory Group are currently undertaking on the development of a National Framework for Service Change for NHS Scotland. Their report is expected in late spring 2005, and will contain a number of recommendations which will be of relevance.

Crimes of Housebreaking per 1,000 population, 1999-2000 to 2003-2004

Table 1 – Social Rented Sector, New Build Completions:

1979 to 2003

Source: Scottish Executive Housing Statistics.

Data includes local authorities and Housing associations.

Data prior to 1991 includes other government departments.

Data prior to 1993 includes Scottish Homes.

Data prior to 1996 includes New Towns.

Table 2 - Social Rented Sector New Build Completions by Local Authority:

1996 To 2003

Source: Scottish Executive Housing Statistics.

Data includes local authorities and housing associations.

Table 1: Percentage of People in Scotland who Live in Overcrowded Households, by Local Authority

Table 2: Percentage of People in Scotland who Live in Overcrowded Households, by Local Authority Grouping

Source: The Scottish Household Survey (SHS), 1999-2003.

Notes:

1. Figures for 2004 have not yet been published.

2. Comparisons between years and areas should be treated with caution as the statistics may differ due to, for example, sampling variability.

3. For the purposes of this PQ, ‘overcrowded households’ are defined as being households which are below the bedroom standard. The calculation of the number of bedrooms required is based on the assumption that a separate bedroom is required for:

- each cohabiting couple;

- any other person aged 21years or over;

- each pair of young persons of the same sex aged 10-20 years; and

- each pair of children under 10 years (regardless of sex).

Unpaired young persons aged 10-20 are paired with a child under 10 of the same sex if possible or allocated a separate bedroom. Any unpaired children under 10 are also allocated a separate bedroom.

4. The results are given for calendar years as the survey is not designed to be representative for any council area for a financial year.

5. Table 1 gives figures for two-year periods, as the SHS is not designed to be representative for all councils over a one-year period.

6. Table 2 gives figures for each calendar year for local authority groupings. For further information on these groups, please refer to the SHS publications:

The Right Medicine - A Strategy for Pharmaceutical Care in Scotland acknowledges the contribution that pharmacists can play in delivering services to drug misusers in Scotland.

The Lord Advocate’s guidance on needle exchange was changed in December 2002 to allow needle exchange facilities to give out a greater number of needles and syringes, per individual per transaction. The impact of this change is currently being evaluated by the Executive under the Scottish Drug Misuse Research Programme. The final report of the study will be made available later this year.