Parliamentary questions
Douglas Lumsden
1,891 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that healthcare professionals receive adequate training on managing and accessing digital medical records.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government works in partnership across Health and Social Care organisations to ensure a consistent strategic approach to improving the vital digital and data skills for continuing staff development and service transformation. The provision of spe…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to expand home healthcare services in rural areas, and how it monitors their impact on patient outcomes.
Answer · Neil Gray: A key way in which Scottish Government is looking to expand home healthcare services in rural areas is through the expansion of Hospital at Home.Hospital at Home is a short-term, targeted intervention that provides a level of acute hospital care in an individ…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting NHS boards to digitise legacy medical records, and what progress has been made on this over the last five years.
Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-33304 on 24 January 2025. 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-committe…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on NHS Scotland's progress on the digitisation of all patient medical records.
Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-33304 on 24 January 2025. 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-committe…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to address any workforce shortages in community optometry, and how it is supporting the training of new practitioners.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is not aware of any workforce shortages in community optometry. NHS Scotland commissioned and published a National Ophthalmic Workforce Review report in May 2023 which is available at: https://www.nhscfsd.co.uk/media/pjwntap4/national-…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with local authorities to expand active travel infrastructure in rural areas, and how these efforts are being linked to public health objectives.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government supports local authorities to deliver infrastructure and behaviour change projects that deliver on modal shift outcomes and a range of benefits for physical and mental wellbeing.In 2024-25, £35 million has been allocated for the …
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding it has allocated to support the expansion of community optometry services in each of the last five years.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Funding for Community Eyecare (formerly General Ophthalmic Services) is published annually in the Scottish Budget and supports the expansion of community optometry services. Figures for the last five years, including annual movements are summarised in the fol…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that community optometry services are integrated with other primary care services.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Teams within General Practice, local community pharmacies and optometry practices frequently work together to support their patients. Other primary care providers can and do refer patients to community optometry services. Community optometry is the accepted f…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has provided to NHS boards in relation to recording a patient’s biological sex on medical records.
Answer · Neil Gray: The existing Scottish Government Records Management Health and Social Care Code of Practice (Scotland) 2024 has guidance on managing health records of people who identify as transgender. This links to guidance from the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scot…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on recent drug-related deaths in rural areas, including Aberdeenshire, and what steps it is taking to reduce these figures.
Answer · Neil Gray: National Records of Scotland publish annual accredited official statistics on drug-related deaths in Scotland. The latest release, covering 2023, is available at https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/drug-related-deaths-in-scotland-in-2023/. The accompan…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans for NHS Scotland to combine medical records in a database that is shared with third parties, similar to the reported proposals by NHS Digital for England.
Answer · Neil Gray: Health data is shared, typically in an aggregated and anonymised format, with trusted third parties through trusted research environments known as ‘Safe Havens’. These Safe Havens comprise of a national Safe Haven within Public Health Scotland and…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address any patient concerns about data privacy in relation to the sharing of medical records across healthcare providers.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government is committed to addressing patient concerns about data privacy in the sharing of medical records across healthcare providers. We provide clear guidance on privacy and confidentiality, promote robust information governance practices, an…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the details of any further bids that it has received for Glasgow Prestwick Airport since February 2021.
Answer · Kate Forbes: I wrote to the Economy and Fair Work Committee on 25 June 2024 to confirm that a market testing exercise for Glasgow Prestwick Airport was underway. Scottish Ministers’ longstanding position is that the airport should be returned to the private sector a…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve collaboration between NHS boards and third-sector organisations to support addiction recovery services in rural areas.
Answer · Neil Gray: In an assessment of ways to overcome the challenges of rurality, submitted by Alcohol and Drug Partnerships in several rural areas to Public Health Scotland, a number of collaborative and innovative actions were described.These included:Increased use of non-s…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is undertaking to ensure that digital access to medical records, with appropriate safeguards, is facilitated between (a) neighbouring NHS boards and (b) NHS boards and other medical services, such as community pharmacies.
Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18931 on 21 June 2023. 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-committees/…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the effectiveness of community optometry services in detecting and managing preventable blindness.
Answer · Jenni Minto: As well as a sight test, a routine NHS eye examination in Scotland provides a comprehensive eye health assessment, tailored to meet the needs of the patient. This helps with early detection of a range of sight-threatening conditions and some general medical c…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to promote public awareness campaigns regarding the availability of free eye health checks through community optometry services.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has plans to raise awareness about community optometry services, but is unable to take this forward at the present time due to financial constraints. In addition, the NHS Inform and Eyes. NHS.Scot websites have content relevant to the …
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the sale of Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
Answer · Kate Forbes: I wrote to the Economy and Fair Work Committee on 25 June 2024 to confirm that a market testing exercise for Glasgow Prestwick Airport was underway. Scottish Ministers’ longstanding position is that the airport should be returned to the private sector a…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting multi-disciplinary training programmes to address any skills shortages in the rural healthcare workforce.
Answer · Neil Gray: Through the National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care, housed within NHS Education for Scotland, the Scottish Government are supporting the health workforce in rural and island areas.A detailed programme of monthly rural specific training sessions …
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation it has undertaken of the impact of community optometry services on overall eye health outcomes.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Public Health Scotland publishes annual data on NHS eye examination on their website at: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/ophthalmic-workload-statistics/ophthalmic-workload-statistics-statistics-as-at-year-ending-31-march-2024/
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to roll-out mobile clinical units in rural and remote areas, including Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government currently has no plans in place to implement mobile care units for rural areas across Scotland. It would be for NHS Boards to determine best use of available resources and implement this initiative locally, should they feel the service…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update on theimplementation of MyNHS Digital, and what assessment it has made of itspotential impact on patient care.
Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34287 on 27 January 2025. 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-co…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the long-term health outcomes of employees in each of its agencies who are participating in workplace wellness programmes.
Answer · Kate Forbes: This is a matter for individual Agencies. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring the sustainability of small pharmacies in rural communities; what impact the closure of such facilities has had on access to healthcare in the last five years; what specific steps it has taken to prevent closures, and what the outcomes have been.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government continues to support community pharmacies, including rural pharmacies, by delivering the largest ever increase to funding two years in a row. This has delivered a total of £422 million in guaranteed funding for community pharmaci…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce waiting times for routine surgeries across NHS boards, and how average waiting times across all boards compare with waiting times in rural areas such as Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Neil Gray: We have already invested £30 million to reduce waiting lists that built up throughout the pandemic. This funding is being targeted at a series of national and local plans to reduce backlogs by maximising the use of local and national resources across Sc…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what specific efforts have been made in each of the last five years to improve support for older adults with sensory impairments in Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government See Hear Strategy, published in 2014 and endorsed by COSLA, sets out a framework where everyone with a sensory impairment, including older adults, should expect seamless provision of assessment, care and support. The recommendations co…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of poor transport links on access to healthcare in rural areas, and what steps it is taking to address this.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government’s role is to set the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, NHS Boards are responsible for service delivery. All Health Boards should consider patient transport needs when they plan and deliver services.On 30 October, the Scot…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been allocated to community-led health initiatives in rural areas over the last five years, and what the outcomes were.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government recognises the particular health challenges faced by those in rural areas. In addition to the support outlined in response to S6W-33562 on 3 February 2025, we have invested in a number of funding streams which have included allocations…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides for older people's care services in rural areas, including initiatives to prevent social isolation in Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care support policy in Scotland and has published clear social care standards setting out what people should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. Wh…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what innovations it is pursuing to improve patient transportation in remote areas, including any initiatives piloted in Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Neil Gray: On 30 October, the Scottish Government published the Transport to Health delivery plan which sets out commitments against transport and healthcare across the work of Health and Social Care and Transport Scotland. The plan was informed by the 2019 Transport to…