Parliamentary questions
Sandesh Gulhane
385 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
16 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of new lung cancer patients per whole-time equivalent lung cancer nurse specialists in January (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07491 on 25 April 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committee…
21 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided toward research on whether microemboli are the cause of long Covid, including researching the (a) detection methods of these particles and (b) associated treatments and, if no such funding has been provided, whether it will consider doing so.
Answer · Maree Todd: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (CSO) launched a call for Rapid Research in COVID-19 on 25 March 2020 and a second call specifically addressing longer-term effects of COVID-19 infection on 5 October 2020. F…
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how young people aged 12 to 17 can evidence a positive COVID-19 test and subsequent recovery from the condition for foreign travel purposes, in light of the NHS Scotland COVID Status app being unavailable to this age group and that a hard copy vaccination status letter reportedly does no…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Anyone who is not able to use the app, including children, can obtain a paper vaccination certificate from the NHS Inform website or our COVID Status Helpline on 0808 196 8565 . We are currently developing a way to issue paper certificates for proof of recove…
16 Feb 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comments of Glasgow City Council's new Executive Director of Education regarding reinstating the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy.
2 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase access to psychological therapies and other mental health support for people with kidney disease.
Answer · Maree Todd: Mental Health remains an absolute priority for the Scottish Government, and we are committed to ensuring that everyone who needs support can get access to services that are appropriate to their needs. Through this approach we recognise that long term conditio…
2 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote early diagnosis of kidney disease.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people living with kidney diseases are able to access the best possible support and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care. We expect NHS Board…
2 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has commissioned work to establish the (a) set-up and (b) running costs of a National Care Service, and what (i) other assessment it has made of these costs and (ii) it estimates these costs will be.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has committed to increasing public investment in social care by 25 per cent during the current parliamentary session. This is expected to equate to £840 million additional annual investment by the end of this parliament and will suppor…
2 Feb 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will meet its chronic pain clinic waiting time target during the current reporting quarter, 1 January to 31 March.
31 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will formulate plans to create new models of care for cardiac diagnosis and meet the recommended waiting times for echocardiography in the Heart Valve Voice report, State of the Nation.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06217 on 16 February 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commi…
31 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will support the wider roll-out of the Glasgow-based OPERA study on heart failure diagnosis across all NHS boards.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Heart Disease Action Plan outlines our commitment to exploring innovative models of care for cardiac diagnosis. Through the Heart Disease Action Plan Funding call in 2021, we provided funding for a second NHS board to implement aspects of the OPERA study …
31 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will adopt the recommendations in the Heart Valve Voice report, State of the Nation, on reducing variation in heart valve disease treatment and waiting times for heart valve disease detection, diagnosis and treatment.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Key recommendations in the Heart Valve Voice report State of the Nation included: 1) collecting standardised data for HVD. 2) focus on HVD in campaigns to raise awareness of disease in women. 3) developing an optimal patient pathway for HVD. 4) improving …
31 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will assess the feasibility of conducting stethoscope checks and placing echocardiograms in community care settings in order to improve the detection and diagnosis of heart valve disease.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Where it is clinically appropriate to do so, patients of all ages will be examined with a stethoscope to listen for breathing and heart sounds. They may also have ECG electrical recordings of their heart rate, blood tests and have access to other investigatio…
31 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in addition to the small academic study funded by the Chief Scientist Office, whether it will consider a wider operational pilot programme of targeted lung health checks.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office is funding an on-going research project to examine how to best identify those at highest risk of lung cancer in the Scottish population. They are subsequently offered a medical check on their ‘lung health’, and…
31 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-31534 by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 September 2020, whether it will provide an update on the development of a protocol for NHS boards that wish to undertake pilot programmes for lung cancer screening, in light of this being planned following the Scottish…
Answer · Maree Todd: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is currently reviewing its 2007 recommendation against lung cancer screening. The work on developing a protocol for NHS Boards to undertake pilot programmes for lung cancer screening will resume once the NSC’s evid…
31 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to expedite a decision and position from the UK National Screening Committee on targeted lung cancer screening that could take place in Scotland, in light of this being under review since February 2020.
Answer · Maree Todd: As we anticipate a decision from the UK National Screening Committee (NSC) in the coming months, we have no current plans to expedite this. This is a complex matter and it is important that time is taken to evaluate all available evidence. The Scottish Govern…
31 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates the UK National Screening Committee will make a decision and confirm its position on targeted lung cancer screening that could take place in Scotland.
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05600 on 10 January 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committ…
17 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is the case that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Yellow card system, including the Genpact UK artificial intelligence tool, is used to monitor and process COVID-19 vaccine adverse drug reactions occurring in Scotland and, if it is not the case, w…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The safety of all vaccines and medicines is monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on a UK-wide basis. This includes reports from the Yellow Card Scheme which allows health professionals and patients across the UK to flag …
13 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the NICE guidelines for adults with cerebral palsy in January 2019, what action it is taking to enable the publication of the equivalent SIGN guidelines for adults with cerebral palsy in Scotland.
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05057 on 23 December 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commit…
6 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take to update the SIGN guideline on the prevention and management of venous thromboembolism (VTE).
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) have confirmed that they currently have no plans to update SIGN Guideline 122 - Prevention and management of venous thromboembolism. However, on Wednesday 15 December, S…
6 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what data it or the NHS has on the (a) prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and (b) management of patients at risk of recurrent VTE.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The information is not held centrally. There is however, some information regarding patients diagnosed with Venous Thromboembolism available at the NHS National Services Scotland Discovery site: https://www.nssdiscovery.scot.nhs.uk/
6 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the detection of atrial fibrillation.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: We have not made a direct assessment of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the detection of atrial fibrillation. However, we regularly assess statistics on Covid-19’s impact on cardiovascular services more widely to inform our work. Public Health Scotla…
6 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on implementing the recommendations in the Cross-Party Group on Heart Disease and Stroke report, A Focus on Atrial Fibrillation in Scotland, published in January 2018.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government published our Heart Disease Action Plan in March 2021. This sets out a number of actions to enable us to achieve our vision of minimising preventable heart disease and ensuring equitable and timely access to diagnosis, treatment and ca…
2 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the BC 007 treatment for long COVID, and whether it has considered trialling the treatment.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Following observations on a small number of patients with long COVID symptoms who received an experimental drug called BC 007 at the Universittsklinikum Erlangen in Germany, a trial of this drug as a potential therapy for long COVID is reportedly being planne…
1 Dec 2021 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work, outlined in the Programme for Government, to determine how best to support new and young entrants into farming.
30 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) small brewers and (b) other producers will have to register with SEPA, in relation to its Deposit Return Scheme, as planned from January 2022.
Answer · Lorna Slater: On 14 December I confirmed in my statement to Parliament that the implementation date of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme will be 16 August 2023. Accordingly, revised regulations were laid on 15 December which will change the date by which producers are requi…
10 Nov 2021 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the reported findings in The Lancet that having two doses of a vaccine does not prevent the transmission of COVID-19, and how this may impact its COVID passport scheme.
4 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many taxi drivers (a) applied for and (b) received a Disclosure Scotland certificate before starting work with the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Ambulance Service do not directly employ taxi drivers. The Service have accessed taxis through established contracts with territorial Health Boards. These taxis firms are regularly used by Health Boards for transporting patients and staff and hav…
4 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many pregnant women who have been hospitalised as a result of having contracted COVID-19 have delivered their baby early.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Information regarding pregnant women who have been hospitalised as a result of having contracted COVID-19 have delivered their baby early is not held centrally by the Scottish Government and not yet publicly available. Public Health Scotland may be contacted …
4 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many pregnant women are currently in intensive care units as a result of having contracted COVID-19.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Information regarding pregnant women currently in intensive care unit as a result of contracting COVID-19 or have been hospitalised and delivered their baby early is not held centrally by the Scottish Government and not yet publicly available. Public Health S…
4 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of pregnant women have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Public Health Scotland (PHS) have identified a total of 22,779 COVID-19 vaccinations given to 16,229 pregnant women in Scotland from the start of the COVID-19 vaccination programme on 8 December 2020 to 30 September 2021. Among 3,992 women delivering their ba…