Tess White

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the overarching screening recovery route map in remobilising cancer screening services following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Each of the cancer screening programmes are monitored by their respective Programme Boards, who report to National Screening Oversight (NSO). NSO is responsible for system wide oversight of the quality and effectiveness of the programmes and subsequently repo…

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people aged 19 or under were prescribed antidepressant medication in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people are able to access the right support for their mental health without stigma, including medication where this is the most appropriate intervention. Prescribing is a clinical d…

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many mobile phones have been confiscated from prisoners and offenders in HMP and YOI Grampian in each month since January 2022.

Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: The following table provides the number of SPS issued mobile phone handsets that have been confiscated at HMP & YOI Grampian, each mon…

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times it has been notified of a cyber-attack on a public body or educational institution since August 2021.

Answer · Angela Constance: Between 1 August 2021 and 21 June 2023, the Scottish Government has been notified of 19 cyber incidents on public sector organisations under our Notifiable Scottish Public Sector Cyber Incidents Policy and Procedure. Cyber incidents notified do not however ne…

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of children in NHS Tayside who were referred for mental health treatment in 2022 started treatment within the 18-week target.

Answer · Maree Todd: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Public Health Scotland publishes the number and percentage of patients who start treatment within the 18 week standard on a quarterly basis at NHS Board level. The publications for …

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the commitment in its 2021-22 Programme for Government to support 2,000 women who have had a career break to return to the workplace; how much has been invested in the scheme in total to date, and how many women in total have been supported.

Answer · Neil Gray: From Jan 2021 – March 2023 the Scottish Government provided over £2.8 million as part of our Women Returners funding through which over 2,100 women have been given support to help with their route back to work. In so doing we have met our 2018/19 Programme fo…

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review, which completed its final report in September 2022.

Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19494 on 28 June 2023 which confirmed that the Scottish Government response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review was published on Wednesday 28 June. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are availa…

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that mobile phones will soon be replaced by landlines across the prison estate, what the cost of the scheme to provide mobile phones to people in custody has been since it was announced in April 2020.

Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: The cost for providing prisoners mobile phones as at March 2023 was £2.890m. These figures include all costs associated with usage, ru…

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments by the chief executive of NHS Grampian that the NHS board expects to remain in financial deficit for the next five years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government continues to prioritise investment in frontline services and provided an increase of over £730 million to NHS Boards in the 2023-24 budget, taking total investment in NHS Grampian to over £1.1 billion – an increase of…

8 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the Report of the Review Panel on Building Standards Compliance and Enforcement, which was published in June 2018.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The recommendations of the Compliance and Enforcement Review Panel are being taken forward through the Building Standards Futures Board. The Board oversees a programme of seven work streams which collectively aim to improve the performance, expertise, resilie…

24 May 2023 · General Question

Withdrawn.

17 May 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve maternal mental health services following the disbanding of the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board.

11 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17633 by Michael Matheson on 15 May 2023, for what reason it is unable to provide a specific planned publication date for its new cancer strategy, and whether it will provide an estimated timescale for publication.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Final discussions and amendments of the new cancer strategy have been taking place with officials. We intend to publish the Strategy in mid to late June.  

11 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when data on pancreatic cancer survival rates will next be published, in light of the last available data being published in 2019.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government and is a matter for Public Health Scotland. The most recent pancreatic cancer survival rates, published in July 2022 and covering individuals from 2015 to 2019, can be found at the following li…

11 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on recruitment and staffing at the NHS Tayside breast oncology service.

Answer · Michael Matheson: NHS Tayside cancer services are currently operating at a stable level with mutual aid from other Health Boards for Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapies for breast cancer. The health board continues to pursue all recruitment opportunities and positive discussions ar…

11 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of nursing students, in light of the reported statement by the Royal College of Nursing that 600 fewer nursing students started university in autumn 2022 than the Scottish Government's recommended target of 4,536.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Fully funded undergraduate programmes have increased in size for 10 consecutive years. Now we will ensure stability in our universities and aid workforce planning by maintaining our intake target for nursing places for 3 years at this all-time high figure of …

11 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019.

Answer · Michael Matheson: In June 2022 the then Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousef published a timetable for the implementation of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 on both the Healthcare Improvement Scotland website and Care Inspectorate we…

11 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any delays to the network of NHS Scotland's National Treatment Centres; what the (a) original scheduled opening date was and (b) new forecasted opening date is, for each centre, and whether it will provide (i) an update on the recruitment of the 1,500…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government’s National Treatment Centres (NTCs) programme will provide protected capacity for planned care for orthopaedic, ophthalmic and diagnostic activity. NTC Fife and NTC Highland have already opened this year with NTC Forth Valley and Golde…

11 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of any hospital wards or units that have (a) closed and (b) been downgraded in each of the last five years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This is a matter for NHS Boards. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

11 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it is reportedly not possible to currently (a) train in paediatric palliative medicine and (b) study for a community children's nursing (CCN) qualification in Scotland.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Given the small numbers of highly specialised trainees in paediatric palliative medicine, training is currently delivered at the UK centre of excellence at Great Ormond Street. With regards to studying for a community children’s nursing (CCN) qualification i…

11 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11581 by Kevin Stewart on 28 October 2022, when it will announce the next steps for the continued development and implementation of perinatal and infant mental health services, further to the disbanding of the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Prog…

Answer · Maree Todd: The Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board concluded as planned in March 2023, having overseen the development of a range of high quality statutory services and increase in third sector provision across Scotland. Implementation continues with an …

11 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings in the Maternal Mental Health Alliance report, Specialist perinatal mental health care in the UK 2023, that (a) six NHS boards predicted that there would be an underspend in their perinatal mental health budgets for 2022-23 due to recruitment issues a…

Answer · Maree Todd: We welcome the focus on perinatal support in the report from the Maternal Mental Health Alliance. Development of perinatal mental health services is a key priority for the Scottish Government to improve the wellbeing and experiences of women, infants and fami…

10 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) annual, (b) monthly and (c) hourly remuneration is for the Women's Health Champion.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Remuneration for Professor Anna Glasier OBE, the Women’s Health Champion for Scotland, is paid at a daily fee of £300 per day in line with Tier 2 of the Daily Fee Framework as set by the 2022-23 Public Sector Pay Strategy. Professor Glasier is contracted t…

2 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the University of Dundee report, Senior Hospital Doctors' Intentions to Retire in NHS Scotland, which states that nearly half of all senior hospital doctors in Scotland aged 50 and over intend to retire before normal pension age.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I welcome this report and the valuable insight it has given us. The report highlighted that pension taxation was the main driver for Consultant’s seeking early retirement, which is why we continued to press the UK Government to resolve this issue. I am please…

2 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17148 by Michael Matheson on 2 May 2023, whether it has since become aware of any shortages of radionuclide for bone scans in NHS boards, including NHS Tayside, which have reportedly affected prostate cancer patients who require such scans to ch…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government can confirm there are no known shortages of radionuclides involved in bone scans. Medicines shortages can arise for various reasons such as difficulties with manufacturing or with the supply of raw materials. The production of medicin…

26 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide (a) an update on the work of the breast screening modernisation programme, particularly in relation to addressing health inequalities in screening programmes and (b) further details of the work being undertaken on a national Equity in Screening Strategy, including…

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government recognises that work is required to reduce inequalities and improve access for all to the screening programmes. The Breast Screening Modernisation Programme was established in April 2022 to take forward the recommendations of the Brea…

25 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students (a) applied for and (b) were awarded the paramedic bursary in its first year of operation.

Answer · Michael Matheson: In the 2021-22 academic year, the Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary eligibility criteria was expanded to incorporate paramedic science students studying in Scotland and renamed the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary (PNMSB). In the 2021-22 …

25 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money from its Budget has been spent on primary care in each of the last five years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is available in the Scottish Health Service Costs (often referred to as the 'Costs Book'), published annually by Public Health Scotland (previously Information Services Division).   The 2021-22 Costs Book was published in February 2023 and …

10 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking alongside NHS Scotland to address the reported delay in issuing cervical screening results from both of the laboratories located in Scotland, and whether it will provide a breakdown of the current backlog of cervical cancer screenings in each NHS board.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is aware of delays in issuing cervical screening results. Currently 75% of individuals are receiving their screening results within the recommended 14 days from the date that the sample was taken; however, we recognise that some indivi…

6 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is being provided to (a) Inverurie Medical Practice and (b) Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership, to ensure that the population of Inverurie will continue to receive primary care services, following the decision of the GP practice partners to end their contract w…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government provides an annual allocation to Health Boards to meet the costs of providing general medical services either through contracting with GP practices or directly by Health Boards. NHS Grampian will continue to receive an appropriate leve…