The National Health Service in Scotland Quarterly Bulletin
No. 7: April 1998 to March 1999

Priority Programmes and Community Care

As more people with special needs live in the community, the NHSiS working with local authorities, voluntary organisations, the private sector and those who provide support to them, has continued to provide a full range of care and services for those who need them.

This section summarises Health Boards' provisional changes for 1998-99 in the provision of services for those with mental health problems, those with learning disabilities and the frail elderly and young physically disabled. These changes reflect the continuing trend of transfer of activity out of hospitals and long stay institutions and into the community.

Table 2 provides a summary of the provisional outturn changes for reprovision. The key changes and financial implications of those changes are:

• For those with mental health needs, Health Boards show an increase of 0.5% in the volume of day hospital attendances and an increase of 5.2% in community psychiatric team contacts in 1998-99 whilst reducing the number of occupied beds by 353 (4.4%) and new outpatient attendances by 12.7%.
• For mental health, the changes in service provision required an increase of £6.7m (25.6%) in resource transfer to Local Authorities in 1998-99 to help meet the increased need for support of people living in the community. In addition a further £4.4m (1.1%) has been incurred on hospital and community services in this area than in 1997-98.
• For those with learning disabilities, Health Boards have shown an increase of 11.4% in community learning disability team contacts, together with reductions of 386 (14.9%) in the number of occupied beds, 4.7% in the number of new outpatient attendances and 8.5% in day hospital attendances.
• Health Boards' provisional outturn changes in the provision of services for those with learning disabilities has required a significant increase of £10.6m (34.9%) in resource transfer to Local Authorities in 1998-99. Part of this will be offset by a reduction of just over £5.9m in expenditure on hospital and community services compared with 1997-98.
• There was a reduction of 517 (10.3%) in the number of occupied beds for the frail elderly and young physically disabled during 1998-99 compared with the level of provision in 1997-98.
• For the frail elderly and young physically disabled there was an increase of £8.6m (27.3%) in resource transfer to Local Authorities in 1998-99 compared with 1997-98.

Table 2: Provisional Outturn Changes in Activity Between 1997-98 and 1998-99 for Mental Health, Learning Disability and Geriatric Long Stay (Including Young Physically Disabled)

Source: Performance Monitoring Template Returns
Note 1: For definition see note 2 on back page