Parliamentary questions

Helen Eadie

919 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what positions held by staff in NHS24 have an annual salary (a) of between £50,000 and £100,000, (b) of between £100,000 and £150,000 and (c) in excess of £150,000.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information on staff numbers collected by Scotland''s Information and Statistics Directorate does not allow the identification of salaries for specific positions. The Scottish government does publish remuneration information for chief executives …

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what positions held by staff in the Scottish Ambulance Service have an annual salary (a) of between £50,000 and £100,000, (b) of between £100,000 and £150,000 and (c) in excess of £150,000.

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what positions held by staff in the Scottish Blood Transfusion Service have an annual salary (a) of between £50,000 and £100,000, (b) of between £100,000 and £150,000 and (c) in excess of £150,000.

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average annual salary of a staff nurse is and what pay grades are applicable to nursing staff in the NHS.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Since the introduction of the Agenda for Change pay system, nursing staff have been categorised according to their Agenda for Change pay band and the term staff nurse is no longer used in NHS Scotland. Those formerly designated as staff nurses will be covered…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS boards have placed a ban on hiring agency staff and, if so, how this is affecting service delivery.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Boards are not banned from hiring agency staff.

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has cost the NHS to treat and care for patients who have experienced fractures due to bad weather in each of the last three years.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally.

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of expenditure on external management consultants in the NHS in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10, broken down by company and showing the purpose for which they were contracted.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government does not collect information on the number of management consultants across NHSScotland. This is a matter for individual NHS boards.

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on expenditure on agency locum doctors is shown in the following table: <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td nowrap valign=top > NHS Board </td> <td valign=top > 2006-07 </td> …

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff from (a) its directorate general for health, (b) NHS agencies and (c) each NHS board have been on work-related trips abroad in the last three years and to what countries.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Sixty-seven members of staff from the Directorate-General for Health have been on work-related trips abroad between 2008 and 2010. They visited a number of countries in Europe as well as the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand and India. Th…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many senior managers there are in each NHS board and how many there have been in each of the last four years.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Workforce data is published by NHS National Services Scotland, Information Services Division (ISD). Trend workforce information showing headcount and whole time equivalent of management grades (non agenda for change) as at 30 September for the years 2007 …

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many complaints each (a) NHS board and (b) local authority has received in relation to the removal of or increase in charges for home-help services and how many people have had their services reinstated.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on complaints made in relation to charges for home help services is not held centrally. Data collected on complaints about the NHS in Scotland is published annually by the Information Services Division and is available at: http:/…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much each (a) NHS board and (b) community health partnership has spent on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government does not collect information on how much NHS boards or community health partnerships spend on legal fees. However, National Services Scotland''s Central Legal Office (CLO) provides NHSScotland with legal advice and assistance in every …

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) NHSScotland and (b) its agencies have paid for legal services in each of the last five years and what firms provided the services.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government does not collect information on the level of spend by NHSScotland and its agencies on legal services. However, the answer to question S3W-39382 on 3 March 2011 includes details of legal fees paid by NHS boards in the last five…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many written complaints each NHS board has received in each of the last three years, broken down by category of complaint, and what percentage of these has resulted in corrective action.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Data collected on complaints about the NHS in Scotland is published annually by the Information Services Division and is available at: http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/4424.html.

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the NHS has a role in reducing inequality and poverty in areas of multiple deprivation

Answer · Shona Robison: NHS boards have an important role to play in reducing inequality and poverty in areas of multiple deprivation. Health and Wellbeing ministers have made it clear that boards and community health partnerships should contribute to the Scottish Government''s over…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual running cost is of the communications office in (a) its directorate general for health and (b) each NHS board and how many employees there are in each.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The running cost for the communications office located in the Health and Social Care Directorates is £146,463. Information on the running costs and the number of employees in each communications office in NHS boards is not held centrally.

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many posts are currently filled on a temporary basis in each NHS board and how many have been so for more than (a) two, (b) five and (c) eight years.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not centrally available.

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its directorate general for health owns (a) land and (b) property that is deemed surplus to requirements and, if so, where the location of this is and whether there are plans for its disposal

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon : Although held in the name of Scottish Ministers, the day-to-day management of NHS property, including disposal of surplus land and buildings, is not a matter for the Scottish Government Health Directorates as such issues are devolved to individual NHS boards …

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the introduction of Agenda for Change, how many auxiliary nurses have outstanding grievances.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: All grievances are dealt with at local level by NHS boards under NHS Scotland''s Dealing With Employee Concerns Partnership Information Network policy which can be found at: www.staffgovernance.scot.nhs.uk/partnership/partnership-information-…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what capital investment projects there have been in the NHS, including the level of investment, since 2007.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Over the three years of the current spending review period capital investment in NHSScotland has totalled £1.676 billion, an increase of 19.9% on the previous three years. NHS boards operate within delegated limits for the delivery of capital projects. For th…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what backlog of X-rays waiting to be carried out by hospitals has been reported to it.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not collected centrally. Current information on waits for diagnostic tests relate to the eight key diagnostic tests such as MRI and CT scans, but not for X-rays. Waits for X-rays will of course be included in the 18 w…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what treatment and support services are available to people with (a) progressive supranuclear palsy, (b) corticobasal degeneration; and (c) multiple system atrophy, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Services for rare diseases such as progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) are provided by the clinical neuroscience units in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen. These services, which cover …

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications have been of the increase in Minor Ailments Service prescriptions in the last four years.

Answer · Shona Robison: The number of patients registered for the Minor Ailment Service (MAS) is steadily growing and registrations have risen from 556,840 to 722,209 people over four years. It is used mainly by patients aged under 16 and over 60. The Gross Ingredient Cost …

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the NHS strategy is for the recruitment of accident and emergency consultants.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards, as employers, are responsible for recruitment. Boards must adhere to the NHSScotland Staff Governance Standard and the Partnership Information Network (PIN) Policies. The PIN policies provide up-to-date guidance on a range of issues, including rec…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of how the recent increase in VAT will impact on the NHS budget in 2011-12.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The increase in VAT is estimated to cost the NHS budget £26 million in 2011-12.

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual staff turnover through natural wastage has been in each NHS board in each of the last four years.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on annual staff turnover in NHSScotland by staff group is published on the NHS National Services Scotland, Information Services Division website at: http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/FileBuffer?namedFile=Turnover_2010.xls&pCo…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS board has made the most progress in reducing the number of patients who did not attend for hospital appointments.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Around half of NHS boards have made improvements in reducing the rate of did not attends in the last few years, in particular NHS Forth Valley and Lanarkshire. In the current economic climate it is more vital that NHS boards reduce waste in thei…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have received IVF treatment in each of the last three years and what progress has been made in reducing waiting times for treatment.

Answer · Shona Robison: Due to concerns about breaching strict confidentiality rules set by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), this information is not currently collected or held centrally by Information Services Division. The activity and success rates of each…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for prioritising rheumatology and musculoskeletal services in the NHS.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government is currently developing a national musculoskeletal programme which aims to bring about significant service redesign to improve the delivery and outcome of musculoskeletal services across Scotland. The redesign focuses on improving acce…

3 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation; when these discussions took place, and whether it plans to continue the provision of the influenza A (H1N1) vaccination to young children.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) meets regularly to discuss vaccine related issues. Officials from the Scottish Government and from Health Protection Scotland attend these meetings. All children aged six months to five …