Parliamentary questions
Craig Hoy
1,298 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
10 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to decoupling the provisions related to Anne’s Law from the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill to allow them to progress on a faster timescale.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering Anne’s Law and the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill will further support the rights of people living in adult care homes to connect with their loved ones. The National care service will have a resp…
10 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the options appraisal regarding justice services in the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill will be completed.
Answer · Angela Constance: The options appraisal on the possible inclusion of justice social work services within a future National Care Service is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023. The completion date may change should Parliament approve the Scottish Government’s request t…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to build the evidence base for peer support for perinatal mental health, and whether new services are measuring their effectiveness using validated measures, to reinforce a commitment to a robust evaluation.
Answer · Maree Todd: Building on the Peer Support Evidence Review and Peer Support action plan the Scottish Government has worked with Inspiring Scotland and Evaluation Support Scotland to co-produce an Evaluation Toolkit for perinatal peer support, together with third sect…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, how it is ensuring that peer workers or peer volunteers for perinatal mental health do not replace clinical staff or are asked to do their work.
Answer · Maree Todd: We recognise the value of peer support as a key component of perinatal mental health support. However, we are clear that this does not replace the need for clinical services where that is required to help individuals and their families. The Scottish Governm…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, what it has done to support specific perinatal mental health peer support services for men.
Answer · Maree Todd: Through the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Fund And Small Grants Fund, we provide funding for both father specific and whole family work. From 2021 to March 2023, we have provided over £1 million to groups including Home-Start Glasgow North and North Lana…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, whether a range of peer support models to improve perinatal mental healthcare are available, and, if so, what it has done to ensure that they are available across geographical areas throughout Scot…
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is funding a range of peer support models to improve perinatal mental healthcare across Scotland. These include paid peer support workers, volunteer peer support workers, peer support in specialised mental health services, peer support…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, what it has done to ensure that evidence-based, and quality-assured resources are utilised when creating peer support services for perinatal mental health to ensure high-quality practice from the s…
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government has worked alongside Inspiring Scotland, Evaluation Support Scotland and third sector partners to co-produce an Evaluation Toolkit for perinatal peer support, which was published on 1 March 2023. The Scottish Government also worked …
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, what it has done to identify and support good practice in perinatal mental health.
Answer · Maree Todd: Since publishing the Peer Support Action Plan in March 2021, the Scottish Government has established annual peer support in perinatal mental health events which bring together hundreds of practitioners from across Scotland to showcase good practice. These eve…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, what it has done to ensure that peer supporters of perinatal mental health have access to robust support systems and additional flexibility in their roles to enable them to maintain their own recov…
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government has worked with the Scottish Recovery Network to develop a Perinatal Peer Support Resource, which launched on 20 April 2023 and can be found at the following link - Let's do Peer Support: Bump, Birth & Beyond - Scottish Recovery Netwo…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, what it has done to ensure that specialised approaches to recruitment, robust and ongoing training, appropriate and timely clinical supervision and support for ongoing good practice in perinatal me…
Answer · Maree Todd: Since 2019, the Scottish Government has invested over £26 million in improvements to perinatal services and support for parents, infants and families across Scotland. This investment has facilitated a substantial increase in services and workforce across Scot…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, what it has done to ensure that examples of good practice within perinatal mental health are supported and built upon.
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17825 on 22 May 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/…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, how it is ensuring that peer support services for perinatal mental health recognise and celebrate the benefits of peer experience.
Answer · Maree Todd: To recognise and celebrate the benefits of peer support and experience we established an annual Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health Event which brings together hundreds of practitioners from across Scotland to showcase good practice. These events highligh…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, how it is has built evaluation into peer support services for perinatal mental health to ensure that they are meeting the needs of clients and peer supporters, and providing safe, appropriate, and …
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government has worked closely with Inspiring Scotland and Evaluation Support Scotland to co-produce an Evaluation Toolkit for perinatal peer support, together with charities in our third sector fund portfolios. This Evaluation Toolkit was publi…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, what targeted peer support in perinatal mental health services it has created to meet the particular needs of groups who are, or were, underserved by services, and what any such services are.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Fund provides £80,000 per year to support Amma Birth Companions which provides trauma-informed emotional and practical support to vulnerable women who would otherwise experience birth without a partne…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, whether specific perinatal mental health peer support services for men have become more widely available since March 2021, and, if so, what groups exist, broken down by the geographical areas in wh…
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17835 on 22 May 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/…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, what it has done to ensure that all peer support services for perinatal mental health have their own policy around safeguarding peer support workers, volunteers and service users.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government worked with Scottish Recovery Network to develop a Perinatal Peer Support Resource which launched on 20 April 2023 and can be found at the following link - Let's do Peer Support: Bump, Birth & Beyond - Scottish Recovery Network . The…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, what it has done to ensure that peer support for perinatal mental health is available in a variety of formats, so that it meets the needs of a wide range of mothers and carers.
Answer · Maree Todd: Peer Support is available in a variety of forms across Scotland. The Scottish Government has recently worked with the Scottish Recovery Network to develop a Perinatal Peer Support Resource , which launched on 20 April 2023. This is a toolkit to inform the p…
4 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, what it has done to create regional perinatal mental health networks with statutory and third sector services to share best practice and aid appropriate referrals.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government, in conjunction with the clinical support of the Perinatal Mental Health Network Scotland, has funded regional roles across the North, East and West of Scotland. Nurse Consultants in each region are responsible for coordinating regiona…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has provided an additional 20,000 endoscopies by March 2023, as committed to in the Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan, published in November 2021.
Answer · Michael Matheson: PHS publish waiting times data on a quarterly basis. The next publication covering the period to March 2023 will be published on 30 May 2023. We remain committed to increasing capacity to support recovery, including providing additional endoscopies. To suppo…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has developed an "educational programme for Urology Nurse (non-medical) Advanced Practitioners with cystoscopy skills", as committed to in the Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan, published in November 2022, and, if so, how many practitioners have comple…
Answer · Michael Matheson: I can confirm that this programme was developed and nine Urology Nurse (non-medical) Advanced Practitioners with cystoscopy skills completed the programme in February 2023 and nine are due for completion February 2024.
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has now implemented "a new National Surveillance Management Framework to mitigate clinical risk, reducing demand for surveillance endoscopy by up to 30%", as committed to in the Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan, published in November 2021.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I can confirm a surveillance framework was introduced in February 2022 and this framework has been implemented in all Health Boards. The surveillance waiting lists have been re-validated and categorised by diagnosis and risk category. In addition, waiting lis…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has introduced "National Endoscopy Training Programme provision for basic and enhanced training for up to 70 non-medical and medical trainees per annum", as committed to in the Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan, published in November 2021.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The National Endoscopy Training Programme, launched in 2022, has supported 99 trainee endoscopists for basic courses to date. The programme has also supported 102 independent endoscopists with upskilling, and a further 24 senior trainee endoscopists with trai…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has introduced a "Once for Scotland" Patient Management Pathway, as committed to in the Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan, published in November 2021, and, if so, whether it has reduced demand for (a) new endoscopy by 7,000 and (b) surveillance by 4,00…
Answer · Michael Matheson: National qFIT guidance for primary and secondary care was published in May 2022. Where this has been fully implemented, NHS Boards have evidenced a 70% reduction in colonoscopy urgent suspicion of cancer demand. National investigation guidance for iron defici…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has continued the Endoscopy Academic Training Programme for Nurse (non-medical) practitioners, and how many participants (a) have there been and (b) have completed the programme, since the publication of the Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan in Novembe…
Answer · Michael Matheson: Since November 2021 twenty Nurse (non-medical) Practitioners have completed the course for non-medical endoscopy with a further two due to complete the course in April 2023. There are currently also a further 18 in active training. All non-medical Practitione…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional practitioners it has provided since the publication of the Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Nine additional Urology Practitioners have been recruited to NHS Scotland since the publication of the Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan. Seventeen Nurse Endoscopists have been signed off for independent practice since 2021 and we an…
28 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide its latest expected completion dates for all National Treatment Centres that are currently being built.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Golden Jubilee Phase 1 opened its doors to patients in December 2020, NTC Fife treated its first patient on 20 March, NTC Highland opened on 17 April of this year, NTC Forth Valley is due to open in summer 2023 with Golden Jubilee Phase 2 due to open in winte…
28 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many GP practices there are in the top (a) 5% and (b) 10% of the (i) most and (ii) least deprived areas, according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD).
Answer · Michael Matheson: The number of General Practices located in the most and least deprived areas in Scotland is shown in the following table, based on data published by Public Health Scotland relating to 1 January 2023. Number of Practices Most Deprived 5% 60 Most Depriv…
28 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS staff have been recruited from overseas in each year since 2018.
Answer · Michael Matheson: No information is held centrally on the number of NHS staff recruited from overseas from 2018 to October 2021. In October 2021 the then Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care announced £4.5 million for Health Boards to recruit up to 200 nurses from ove…
28 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many social care staff are currently employed on zero hours contracts.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. However the Scottish Social Services Council estimated that in 2021, approximately 10% of social care sector staff are employed on zero hours or equivalent contracts. Their Report on Workforce Data can b…
28 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people are currently employed in the social care sector, broken down by (a) role and (b) type of social care.
Answer · Maree Todd: The information requested is published by the Scottish Social Services Council and is already available in the public domain. The details can be viewed via the following link: Scottish Social Service Sector: Report on 2021 Workforce Data (sssc.uk.com)