Douglas Lumsden

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many mental health services are currently available in rural areas, and what percentage of these are delivered via digital platforms.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Decisions around the provision of mental health services is a local responsibility, planned by Integrated Joint Boards and delivered through a mixture of NHS, local authority and third sector o…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many vacancies for (a) GPs, (b) nurses and (c) allied health professionals there currently are in rural areas.

Answer · Neil Gray: The requested information on how many vacancies for (a) GP's there currently are in rural areas is not centrally held. However this information is available by health board and can be found on the following link:General Practice Workforce Survey 2024 | Turas …

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many healthcare facilities in rural areas have been modernised in each of the last five years.

Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-33527 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-an…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients in rural areas have been transferred to hospitals in urban areas for treatment in each of the last five years.

Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government the member may wish to contact NHS Boards directly for information.

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of patients in rural areas have been treated within the timescales set out in the Treatment Time Guarantee in each of the last five years.

Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government the member may wish to contact NHS Boards directly for information locally.

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase vaccination uptake in rural areas.

Answer · Neil Gray: Health boards are expected to offer vaccination in a way that best suits the needs of their communities, using a patient-centred approach, as set out in Public Health Scotland’s (PHS) 5-year Vaccination and Immunisation Framework and Delivery Plan.This …

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what incentives are in place to attract healthcare professionals to work in rural areas.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government has a number of incentives already in place, amongst which is the Scottish Distant Island Allowance (SDIA), an addition to salary which supports staff with the costs of travelling to and from the mainland. NHS staff who work in the maj…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, on average, what percentage of surgeries currently performed at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary involve patients from rural areas.

Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government the member may wish to contact NHS Grampian directly for information.

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to improve hospital infrastructure in rural areas.

Answer · Neil Gray: Health Boards received core capital funding of £453 million as part of their 2025-26 budget allocation from the Scottish Government, which is an increase of £139 million on 2024-25. This will be primarily focussed on delivering improvements to exi…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of rural healthcare facilities are currently equipped with digital infrastructure for telehealth consultations.

Answer · Neil Gray: Telemedicine can describe a range of different digital solutions to support consultations and engagement with the NHS. As a result, it is not possible for the Scottish Government to set out a conclusive percentage.It is the responsibility of individual Health…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how funding for healthcare services in rural areas currently compares with that in urban areas, on a per capita basis.

Answer · Neil Gray: NHS Board’s baseline revenue allocations are set out annually in the Scottish Budget, as published on the Scottish Government’s website. In addition, resource and capital spending limits are reported in Board’s annual accounts, which are pub…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how patient outcomes in rural areas compare with those in urban areas for (a) heart disease, (b) cancer, (c) diabetes and (d) any other key health conditions.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Cardiac Audit Programme publishes annual data on incidence, cardiac interventions and patient outcomes across Scotland. The most recent reports are available here; Scottish Cardiac Audit Programme report 2023/2024 - Scottish Cardiac Audit Program…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current average response time is for emergency medical services in rural areas.

Answer · Neil Gray: This information is not held by the Scottish Government. You should contact the Scottish Ambulance Service directly.

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is addressing any issues in relation to the recruitment and retention of mental health professionals in rural areas.

Answer · Maree Todd: Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan (2023) set out actions to support employers in ensuring that the needs of rural communities are met through national work to develop a Health and Social Care Rural Workforce Recruitment Strategy which will…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS Scotland facilities in rural areas are accessible by public transport, and what steps are being taken to improve accessibility.

Answer · Neil Gray: Scottish Government does not hold information centrally on public transport to health facilities.The Scottish Government's Transport to Health delivery plan aims to ensure access to healthcare facilities is fully considered within regional and local planning,…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients from rural areas have been referred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for treatment in each of the last five years.

Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government the member may wish to contact NHS Grampian directly for information.

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what public health campaigns are currently targeted specifically at rural communities.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Current Public Health Campaigns targeting rural communities:1. Right Care Right Place (increasing awareness of, and encouraging the public to use, appropriate health services).Purchased media space for this campaign includes community radio running in a numbe…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of healthcare staff currently working in rural areas are locum staff, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Neil Gray: The requested information on what percentage of healthcare staff currently working in rural areas are locum staff, broken down by NHS board is not centrally held.

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the needs of rural areas are considered in the planning of national healthcare strategies.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government considers the varying needs of all parts of our population when developing plans and strategies, including the needs of people living in rural and island areas. We recognise that our rural and island communities have specific, place-ba…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role telemedicine plays in rural healthcare, and how its use has changed in the last five years.

Answer · Neil Gray: Telemedicine is essential to supporting care across Scotland. Access to services has shifted significantly over the past 5 years and we expect this to continue as we roll out improved ways to engage with health and social care services. Digital services are s…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many emergency air ambulance call-outs have been made to rural areas in each of the last five years.

Answer · Neil Gray: This information is not held by the Scottish Government. You should contact the Scottish Ambulance Service directly.

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps NHS Grampian has taken to improve healthcare access for rural communities.

Answer · Neil Gray: This is a question for NHS Grampian and its planning partners. It is for local health bodies to plan and provide services that best meet the needs of their resident populations, including those that live in rural communities, consistent with clinical best pra…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has with the Department for Work and Pensions regarding the data that it requires to allow the timely delivery of devolved benefits; what data from that department it has requested related to (a) mitigating the two-child benefit cap, (b) the number of households in Sc…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The First Minister and myself have had – and continue to have – positive discussions with the UK Government on devolved benefits and wider Scottish Government priorities, including where needed the provision of relevant data to support policy deve…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out any review of the value for money of its professional membership subscriptions in the last five years and, if so, what the outcome was.

Answer · Ivan McKee: We have not conducted a formal cross SG review. As explained in the answer to S6W-33501 and S6W-33502 on 28 January 2025. Decisions on memberships are made by Directorates, Division and Departments following the guidance outlined in S6W-33505 on 28 January 20…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out any review of the value for money of its newspaper subscriptions in the last five years and, if so, what the outcome was.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has a contract with Office Papers to supply newspapers on an ad-hoc rather than a subscription basis. This contract was renewed in February 2022 to run for three years. Review meetings with the contractor take place on a quarterly basi…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it uses to assess the necessity of software subscriptions across its departments.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government uses robust contract management procedures in relation to the procurement and compliance of licensing agreements for software subscriptions, procuring through national public procurement frameworks to ensure transparency, quality and v…

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent in total on implementing compulsory purchase orders in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) sector and (b) region.

Answer · Ivan McKee: Scottish Government costs directly associated with the implementation of compulsory purchase orders cannot be disaggregated within the cost information that we hold.

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the use of compulsory purchase orders as part of its strategy to deliver infrastructure for renewable energy.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government is currently conducting a programme of work to reform and modernise compulsory purchase to make the system simpler, more streamlined and fairer for all parties. The reforms are intended to support the delivery of all types of project, …

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is provided to individuals or businesses affected by compulsory purchase orders, including compensation mechanisms.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government’s compulsory purchase web page contains information, guidance and advice relating to compulsory purchase order procedures and compensation arrangements: https://www.gov.scot/publications/compulsory-purchase-orders-introduction/. …

16 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether any changes to compulsory purchase order legislation are planned to support net zero and climate adaptation projects.

Answer · Ivan McKee: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-33492 on 28 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-an…