§ Ms SquireTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the(a) number and (b) percentage of children's wards and departments in Scotland which had two registered specialist children's nurses or equivalents on duty 24 hours a day for each of the years 1992 to 1998. [39930]
§ Mr. GalbraithThe information is not held centrally.
The NHS in Scotland Management Executive issued Guidance on the care of children and young people in Scotland to the NHS in Scotland in 1993. This advised Health Boards and NHS Trusts to take account of a number of standards including the provision of at least 2 Registered Specialist Children's Nurses (RSCN) on duty 24 hours a day in all hospital children's departments and wards. The guidance also advised that a RSCN should be available 24 hours a day to advise on the nursing of children in other departments.
I have asked my Department to undertake a review of the Patient's Charter in Scotland that will begin soon. Children's services in particular will be looked at as part of this review including the provision of children's nurses in hospitals in Scotland.
§ Ms SquireTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the(a) number and (b) percentage of child admissions to all wards, including those on adult wards which had access to appropriately skilled nursing care for each of the years 1992 to 1998.[39929]
§ Mr. GalbraithThe information is not available in the form requested.
The available information on the number and percentage of discharges of patients aged less than 18 years from non-psychiatric and non-obstetric hospitals for the year ending March 1998 is set out in the table. All NHS patients are cared for by appropriately skilled nursing staff.
Discharges Percentage Children's hospitals 38,655 32.0 Children's units in non-children's hospital 18,296 15.2 General facilities1 63,735 52.8 Total 120,686 100.00 1Children's wards not separately identified