§ Mr. McKelveyasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the construction and application of the Aberdeen formula on nurse staffing levels with reference to Scotland overall and Ayrshire and Arran health board, in particular.
§ Mr. John MacKayThe Aberdeen formula is a system for calculating nurse staffing establishments in hospitals, and had been commended to health boards to assist in their assessment of relative priorities in the use of the resouces available to them. It is widely used by health boards, including the Ayrshire and Arran board.