Parliamentary questions

Christine Grahame

3,532 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

26 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what concerns it has at the variation in the age of medical equipment across NHS trusts and that some trusts are relying heavily on equipment that is beyond its standard life, as referred to in Audit Scotland's report, Better Equipped to Care? - Follow-up report on managing m…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The concerns highlighted inthe report about the age of equipment have been noted and will be acted uponwhere necessary at local level. However, the report does make clear that whilstsome equipment is passed its expected useful life, where it is working well a…

26 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what concerns it has that at trust level, over three quarters of trust boards continue to view medical equipment only as an operational issue", as referred to in Audit Scotland's report, Better Equipped to Care? - Follow-up report on managing medical equipment, and what action it …

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We recognise the problems atlocal level which are identified and highlighted in the report. To addressthese issues we will consider therecommendations on management information carefully and discuss with NHS boardshow improvements can be made. Thestrategic pl…

26 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is, or will be, taking to give strategic management of medical equipment a higher priority at local and national levels, as referred to in Audit Scotland's report, Better Equipped to Care? - Follow-up report on managing medical equipment.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: All NHS boards will be askedto respond to the recommendations of the Audit Scotland report and detail howthey will address these recommendations. The Health Department will monitorsuch action plans on a regular basis.

26 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what central information it has on the status of medical equipment in NHS boards and whether it will take steps to introduce a specific national medical equipment management standard, as referred to in recommendation 5 of Audit Scotland's report, Better Equipped to Care? - Follow-up repor…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive only holds central information on the monetary value of medicalequipment as an integral part of the summarised annual accounts for the NHS.NHS bodies themselves are required to maintain asset registers which detail themedical equipment …

25 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5962 by Malcolm Chisholm of 25 February 2004, what the cost was of providing free personal care for the 780 people under 65 with dementia.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Only those aged 65 and overare eligible to apply for free personal care. I refer the member to the answergiven to S2W-5963 in respect of those under age 65.

24 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors local authority funding for the provision of purchased bus services.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The provision of localsupported bus services is a matter for local authorities which receive funding forsuch services by means of formula allocation from the Executive. The provisionof supported bus services is covered by normal public procurement andaccounta…

23 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Department of Trade and Industry's White Paper Fair, Clear and Competitive - The Consumer Credit Market in the 21st Century, what representations or responses it has made in relation to the White Paper, in particular with regard to the section on licensing arrangeme…

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The Scottish Executive has been thoroughly consulted by the Department of Trade and Industryon all areas, both during to the preparation and since the publication of the whitepaper. This demonstrates the Executive meeting the Partnership for a Better Scotland…

23 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the cost of continuous positive airway pressure machines should be attributed to the community pharmacy budget and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Continuous positive airwaypressure machines may be used in the treatment of sleep apnoea. These machines arenot attributed to primary care budgets because patients whose symptoms suggestthey may be suffering from sleep apnoea are referred by their GP’s to hos…

23 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring takes place of the funding to the Sleep Centre in Edinburgh with regard to evaluating outcomes.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This is a matter for NHS Lothian,as part of its responsibility for planning, monitoring, evaluating and managingthe performance of the services it provides to patients.

23 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding by NHS boards for referrals to the Sleep Centre in Edinburgh is ring-fenced.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards are responsiblefor arranging and funding treatment for their residents in other NHS boardareas, where that is appropriate. Core funding for the Sleep Centre is part ofNHS Lothian’s general financial allocation.

23 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5926 by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004 and the reduction in funding for the Sleep Centre in the current financial year from the 2001-02 and 2002-03 levels, whether it intends to increase funding to the centre and what the reasons are for its po…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Funding of the Sleep Centrein Edinburgh is a matter for NHS Lothian. I understand that theapparent reduction in funding referred to was a consequence of Grampian NHSBoard setting up a local sleep disorder service in 2003-04. Patients fromGrampian no longer re…

23 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the funding structure of the Sleep Centre in Edinburgh and return to the previous arrangement of central government funding rather than the current structure of funding by individual NHS boards.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are no plans to returnto the previous arrangement of national NHS funding. The criteria for anational service include low volume and high unit costs. As the sleep service doesnot meet these criteria, it cannot be considered as a national service. Fundin…

23 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5925 by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004, whether the number of patients awaiting a first appointment at the Sleep Centre in Edinburgh included any patients who had been on the waiting list in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02 and (d) 2002-…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Some of the patients waitingfor a first appointment at the Sleep Centre were referred in the course of2002-03. None were referred before 2002-03.

23 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5925 by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004, whether the number of patients waiting for a first appointment at the Sleep Centre in Edinburgh at 3 February 2004 was 1,069 and how the figure of 655 patients referred to in that answer was calculated.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked for the figuregiven in response to the earlier question to be checked. This checking hasrevealed that the earlier figure, which was provided by NHS Lothian, wasincorrect, since it excluded those patients who were referred to the SleepCentre befor…