Helen Eadie

24 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been allocated in 2012-13 for new drug treatment for people with severe rheumatoid arthritis and how much of this has been spent.

Answer · Alex Neil: Drug costs are funded from NHS board’s baseline funding provided by the Scottish Government. It is for NHS boards to determine how best to utilise baseline funding to met the healthcare needs of their resident population. No specific funding is ring-fenced fo…

24 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards do not fund anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy for people with rheumatoid arthritis in cases where that treatment is clinically indicated and what (a) national and (b) local targets relate to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Answer · Alex Neil: Information is not held centrally on which NHS boards fund anti-TNF therapy for people with rheumatoid arthritis. The Scottish Government would expect patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to be treated in line with SIGN guideline 123, published in Februar…

24 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it has done to identify the reasons for women being up to three times more likely than men to develop rheumatoid arthritis and what plans it has to prioritise research and development funding for the condition.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and healthcare needs in Scotland, they primarily respond to requests for funding by the research community in Scotland. CSO would welcome research investi…

24 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people with rheumatoid arthritis are waiting to start anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) medication.

Answer · Alex Neil: This information is not held centrally.

24 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people with rheumatoid arthritis are receiving the newest anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs.

Answer · Alex Neil: This information is not held centrally.

24 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many prescriptions have been issued for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in each year since 2007 and at what cost.

Answer · Alex Neil: Information specific to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is not available. However, the following table sets out available prescribing data based on Section 1 of Part 10 of the British National Formulary, and may include prescriptions for related conditi…

24 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what research and development expenditure there has been by (a) it and (b) universities on rheumatoid arthritis in each year since 2007.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government has, through the Chief Scientist Office (CSO), supported research studies investigating rheumatoid arthritis to a value of £597,000 since 2007. Details of this funding is given in the following table. We are unable to give the detail …

24 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will (a) make it policy to ensure that GPs receive (i) pre-registration training and (ii) continuing professional development in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and (b) take steps to encourage the Royal College of General Practitioners to offer additional support to GPs …

Answer · Alex Neil: GP training is competency based and guided by the learning outcomes described in the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) UK curriculum for GP training, which includes a section on the care of people with Musculoskeletal problems, and encompasses inf…

24 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many finished episodes of care there have been for patients with rheumatoid arthritis of each (a) sex and (b) age group in each year since 2007.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Figures for hospital stays for rheumatoid arthritis are shown in table 1 and for “juvenile arthritis” in table 2. Table 1 - Number of Rheumatoid Arthritis Hospital Stays by Financial Years 2007-08 to 2011-12, by Gender and Age Group, based on ICD10 Codes M0…

24 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to provide nurses in primary care settings with training to (i) identify, (ii) diagnose and (iii) assess the care requirements of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and what recent representations it has received on these matters.

Answer · Alex Neil: The identification and diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis would normally be the role of a doctor. The assessment of care requirements and planning care with people and their families are core skills of nurses working in all settings. The majority of community …

24 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many rheumatoid arthritis specialist nurses work in the NHS and how many there will be in 2013.

Answer · Alex Neil: The information requested on how many rheumatology Clinical Nurse Specialists work in NHSScotland is published on the NHS Information Service Division’s website: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2011-11-29/Clinical_Nurse_Speci…

24 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to conduct a formal evaluation of NHS self-management programmes for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has no plans to conduct a formal evaluation of NHS self-management programmes for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. It is for NHS boards to plan and provide services in accordance with national and local priorities and in line with …

12 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the goal of the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation that "ensuring referral of all eligible patients by cardiologists and/or specialist cardiovascular health care  physicians to a prevention and rehabilitation programme as a standa…

Answer · Alex Neil: Our Better Heart Disease and Stroke Care Action Plan makes clear the importance of ensuring that cardiac rehabilitation is made available for all those people with heart disease who are found to be eligible. Earlier this year Information Services Division pub…

12 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether NHS boards should regard the provision of cardiac rehabilitation for people who have experienced heart failure or have angina as a clinical priority.

Answer · Alex Neil: The importance of ensuring that people with heart failure or angina have appropriate access to support and care after diagnosis is highlighted within Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Clinical Standards for Heart Disease. The standards state that people with…

12 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to assist NHS boards to increase the provision of cardiac rehabilitation for people who have experienced heart failure or have angina.

Answer · Alex Neil: A 2007 audit suggested that 45% of people who had suffered a heart attack, undergone a coronary artery bypass or percutanous coronary intervention had access to cardiac rehabilitation. The interim results of the latest audit published on 13 March 2012 by Info…

12 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase the provision of cardiac rehabilitation for people who have experienced heart failure or have angina.

Answer · Alex Neil: We are working closely with the British Heart Foundation and Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland in exploring the different kinds of support which can and should be provided to people with long term conditions, including those with heart failure and angina. In …

12 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on cardiac rehabilitation being available to all those who have experienced heart failure or have angina.

Answer · Alex Neil: As indicated in Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Clinical Standards for Heart Disease, people with chronic stable heart failure, and patients attending chest pain assessment services with new onset or worsening angina, should be identified for assessment for…

12 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether a patient from NHS Grampian has secured prior authority for IVF treatment in Poland.

Answer · Michael Matheson: NHS Grampian has confirmed that a patient sought prior approval for IVF treatment from another country in the European Economic Area.

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether an IVF cycle includes up to three treatments.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Current guidance with NHS boards on the recommended number of IVF cycles was published in 2000 by the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland. These guidelines, which remain extant, recommend that eligible patients receive a maximum of thre…

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether comparative studies are being undertaken into waiting times for IVF treatment in Scotland and (a) primary care trusts in England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has not undertaken any comparable studies into waiting times for IVF treatment in Scotland and (a) primary care trusts in England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many women were awaiting IVF treatment at 1 March 2012; what the age profile was, and what the waiting times were.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not collected centrally in Scotland.

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many IVF treatments in the last five years have been successful on the (a) first, (b) second and (c) third attempt.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not collected centrally in Scotland. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) collects this type of information for the whole of the UK. Further details can be found at http://www.hfea.gov.uk/104.html.

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have applied for IVF treatment in the last 12 months, broken down by hospital.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not collected centrally in Scotland.

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when funding will be available to provide the full cycles of IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and when frozen embryo transfer treatment will be made available.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Fertility Guideline was produced for the NHS in England and Wales. The National Infertility Group will make recommendations to ministers, including an update on the number and definition of IVF…

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have applied for NHS IVF treatment in each of the last three years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not collected centrally in Scotland.

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people who received NHS IVF treatment have (a) conceived and (b) delivered a child, in each of the last three years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not collected centrally in Scotland. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority collects this type of information for the whole of the UK. Further details can be found at http://www.hfea.gov.uk/104.html.

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what errors have been made during IVF treatment in each of the last five years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not collected centrally. Staff at HFEA licensed fertility clinics are required to report adverse incidents and near misses that happen at their clinic. Further information can be found at http://www.hfea.gov.uk/5685.html.

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions legal action has been taken against the NHS as a result of errors made during IVF treatment and what the outcomes were, in each of the last five years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not held centrally. Staff at HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority) licensed fertility clinics are required to report adverse incidents and near misses that happen at their clinic. Further information can be found at http://w…

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much will be spent in 2012-13 on addressing concerns about infertility treatment.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not currently held centrally.

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has approved any decision by an NHS board to end support for infertility treatment.

Answer · Michael Matheson: All 14 NHS boards in Scotland currently provide, or refer eligible patients to an NHS centre for, infertility treatment.