Parliamentary questions
Helen Eadie
919 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
7 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15517 by Shona Robison on 3 September 2008, whether it will provide more specific details about the basic training and the training in the administration of specific medicines that Scottish Ambulance Service paramedics receive.
Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Paramedics are trained to the UK-wide standard syllabus as provided by the Institute of Health Care Development and the Standards of Proficiency as laid down by the Health Professions Council. Management standards are set by the Joint Royal College A…
7 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15516 by Shona Robison on 3 September 2008, whether it will provide more specific details about the management of status epilepticus by the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Ambulance Service follows the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaisons Committee (JRCALC) UK Ambulance Service Clinical Practice Guidelines 2006. These can be found at:</p> <p ><a href="http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/med/research/hsri/emergencycar…
7 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15516 by Shona Robison on 3 September 2008, what the Scottish Ambulance Service considers to be the three most common types of epilepsy.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the revised answer to question S3W-15516 on 3 September 2008. The three most common types of convulsion covered in ambulance service training are grand mal seizures, status epilepticus and infantile convulsions.</p> <p >It is important…
7 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15515 by Shona Robison on 3 September 2008, whether it will provide specific details about the special arrangements for cases where medazalan has been prescribed for patients who have experienced an epileptic seizure.
Answer · Shona Robison: Special arrangements are currently in place whereby paramedics can administer Midazolam<sup>1</sup> to specific named patients under the instruction of that patient''s consultant.</p> <p >However, the Scottish Ambulance Service is in the process of approving…
7 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15513 by Shona Robison on 4 September 2008, who the other colleagues are that Scottish Ambulance Service crews can contact and how this contact is made in an emergency situation.
Answer · Shona Robison: In general terms, ambulance service personnel can contact GP practices or out-of-hours services for primary care advice and can make contact with accident and emergency department staff.</p> <p >How this contact is made at a local level is an operational mat…
7 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15512 by Shona Robison on 5 September 2008, what actions Scottish Ambulance Service crews would take in dealing with someone whose capacity to make decisions may be impaired by ill health.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Ambulance Service staff follows the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaisons Committee (JRCALC) UK Ambulance Service Clinical Practice Guidelines 2006. These can be found via the following link:</p> <p ><a href="http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/med/…
7 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15511 by Shona Robison on 5 September 2008, whether the Adults with Incapacity Act 2000 recognises the confused state of a person before, during and after an epileptic seizure as an impairment to that individual’s capacity to make decisions.
Answer · Shona Robison: The purpose of the Adults with Incapacity Act 2000 is to provide for decisions to be made on behalf of adults who lack legal capacity to do so themselves because of mental disorder or inability to communicate. The decisions concerned may be about the adult''s…
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which treatments have been withdrawn in Scotland based on advice in a multiple technology appraisal by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Where a National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Multiple Technology Appraisal (MTA) supersedes a recommendation from the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), patients in Scotland already receiving the drug in question would not have it wi…
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether advice contained in National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) multiple technology appraisals always supersedes advice from the Scottish Medicines Consortium.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) reviews National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) multiple technology appraisals (MTAs) for applicability in Scotland. If the MTA is deemed to be valid for Scotland, it would supersede advice from …
4 Sep 2008 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met local authorities to discuss flooding.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The most recent meeting of the Flooding Bill Advisory Group on which COSLA and local authorities are represented was on 21 August 2008. In addition, I have visited a number of local authorities in recent months and discussed flooding amongst other issues.</p>…
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to visit the city of Houston, Texas, to see the “20’s plenty” scheme in operation.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: In 2001, the Scottish Executive evaluated the effectiveness of 75 low cost 20 mph pilot projects implemented by local authorities throughout Scotland. A copy of the research is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 46462). As …
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce a “20’s plenty” scheme for motor vehicle drivers in all cities and major towns in Scotland.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: This would be a matter for traffic authorities to consider.</p> <p >Local authorities have considerable powers and flexibility with regard to the introduction of 20mph speed limits. They have power to introduce mandatory 20mph zones, where engineering measur…
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what European countries have implemented the two-colour system of traffic lights.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We are unaware of any European country that uses two colour traffic signals.</p>
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to change traffic lights from the current system of red, amber and green lights to red and green only, with a countdown in seconds for each colour.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: This is a matter for the UK Government which has confirmed that it has no plans to change the current system of red, amber and green traffic signals. This system has been in place for many years, is widely understood and has a good level of compliance.</p> <…
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that there should be CCTV provision at all pedestrian crossings to facilitate clear and factual records for use in any subsequent court case.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: There are no plans to provide CCTV at all pedestrian crossings nor has there been demand from the Crown Office for this facility.</p>
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to establish CCTV facilities for all pedestrian crossings to monitor the behaviour of motorists.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The installation of CCTV at pedestrian crossings for traffic monitoring would be a matter for traffic authorities to consider. There are no plans to require this facility at these locations.</p>
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many pedestrians have been struck by a vehicle while crossing either a zebra or a pelican crossing in the last two years.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of reported pedestrian casualties involved in injury accidents who were struck by a vehicle while crossing a zebra or pelican crossing.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td nowrap ro…
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why witnesses who have been cited formally as witnesses to attend court and are subsequently told not to attend court are told not to attend verbally by a third party and without confirmation in writing by the court.
Answer · Frank Mulholland: When a witness who has been formally cited by the Crown to attend Court is no longer required, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) uses a variety of methods to notify the witness depending on the circumstances of the case and the individual…
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for a fully transparent complaints procedure against the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for members of the public.
Answer · Frank Mulholland: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) have a Customer Feedback Policy which has been in place for several years.</p> <p >This policy currently involves a three stage process. The first stage involves the complaint being handled speedily by a…
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when a fully transparent complaints procedure concerning the Scottish Judiciary will be in place and what the details of that procedure will be.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Bill, currently being considered by the Parliament, recognises the Lord President as head of the judiciary in Scotland with responsibility for the training, welfare, deployment and conduct of the judiciary.</p> <p >The bil…
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to implement the Road Safety Act 2006.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: A number of the provisions of the Road Safety Act 2006 are already in force. On 18 August 2008, sections 20 and 21 and section 30 (to the extent not already implemented) of the Road Safety Act 2006 were commenced.</p> <p >Sections 20, 21 and 30 of the Road …
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether records of people’s epilepsy care plans are held centrally so that call handlers for the emergency services and ambulance control can access this information.
Answer · Shona Robison: Epilepsy Care plans are not held centrally, but NHS24 and accident and emergency departments have access, with the person''s permission, to the Emergency Care Summary, which includes a system of special notes containing additional information on any condition…
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it provides for people with uncontrolled epilepsy on what they and those caring for them can do if they are faced with an emergency situation.
Answer · Shona Robison: The SIGN Guidelines on both adult and childhood epilepsy highlight the requirement for appropriate advice and information on epilepsy to be made available to people with epilepsy and their carers. NHS boards are expected to implement the guidelines through lo…
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would support the formation of a working group of representatives from the Scottish Ambulance Service, Epilepsy Scotland and related agencies to produce an agreed protocol for dealing with epilepsy cases.
Answer · Shona Robison: There already are national guidelines which deal with the treatment of prolonged seizures, including the SIGN Guidelines on epilepsy and the Joint Epilepsy Council''s Guidelines. The Joint Royal Colleges'' Ambulance Liaison Committee has also produced guideli…
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Ambulance Service crews attending an epilepsy case know in advance whether that person has been prescribed any rescue medication, what that medication is and who is authorised to give it.
Answer · Shona Robison: This is not a routine part of the immediate triage of the patient by the call handler. However, the medication history and the use of rescue medicine is often volunteered by the third party if they are a relative or carer of the patient.</p>
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether call handlers for the emergency services and ambulance control ask if a person with epilepsy has a personal care plan in respect of their epilepsy.
Answer · Shona Robison: This is not asked routinely.</p>
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much detail is sought by call handlers for the emergency services and ambulance control regarding a person's history of epilepsy and other current health conditions.
Answer · Shona Robison: The call takers ask if the patient has ever had an epileptic fit before, if the patient has any heart problems and whether or not they are diabetic.</p>
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what training Scottish Ambulance Service paramedics receive to manage difficult epilepsy cases.
Answer · Shona Robison: The management of difficult cases is covered as part of the general training programme.</p>
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the basic epilepsy training standards are for Scottish Ambulance Service paramedics.
Answer · Shona Robison: In addition to the basic training standards for all crews, paramedics receive training in the administration of specific medicines.</p>
14 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the basic epilepsy training standards are for Scottish Ambulance Service crews.
Answer · Shona Robison: All Scottish Ambulance Service crews receive training in the management of epilepsy. This includes training on:</p> <p >the main causes of convulsions;</p> <p >the three common types of convulsions;</p> <p >an understanding of the four stages of a seizure;…