Parliamentary questions
Jackie Baillie
9,379 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
16 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure the sustainability of Rapid Diagnostic Cancer Services, in light of reported uncertainty around future funding, as highlighted in the final evaluation report by the University of Strathclyde.
Answer · Neil Gray: As reflected in Scotland’s Cancer Strategy for Scotland, published June 2023, we are committed to “expanding and evaluating Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDS) to ensure population-based coverage”.To date, we have five fully operational …
16 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS (a) Fife, (b) Dumfries and Galloway, (c) Ayrshire and Arran, (d) Lanarkshire and (e) Borders regarding the future funding of Rapid Diagnostic Cancer Services.
Answer · Neil Gray: Development of Scotland’s Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDS) is being led through the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD). Colleagues in CfSD have regular progress discussions with each of the established RCDS teams.The Scottish Government have …
12 Sep 2024 · First Minister's Question
Question to be taken in Chamber.
9 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to the Finance and Public Administration Committee on 3 September 2024, whether it will provide a full breakdown of the £27.7 million in budget savings that were listed under the category "…
Answer · Neil Gray: On the 3 September 2024, the Scottish Government pre-budget fiscal update outlined "other" savings measures of £27.7M in the Health and Social Care budget, with funding redirected to support emerging pressures within Health and Social Care, not used for…
2 Sep 2024 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking in response to reports that newly qualified nurses are unable to find employment in the NHS despite there being over 3,300 whole-time equivalent unfilled nursing and midwifery vacancies.
28 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what dates it has met with the independent advisers on the Scottish Ministerial Code to discuss the recommendations of the Hamilton Report since it was published in March 2021.
Answer · Kate Forbes: Following his appointment as First Minister, Humza Yousaf met with James Hamilton on 27 July 2023 and with Lady Dame Elish Angliolini on 2 August 2023. Scottish Government officials have also engaged with the First Minister's independent advisers on a number …
28 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to S6W-28676 by Kate Forbes on 27 August 2024, what its position is on whether its answer represents a reversal of its previous position of considering changes to the Scottish Ministerial Code and the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, as recommended by the Hami…
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government set out in June 2021 its plan for implementing the recommendations of James Hamilton’s report, alongside the recommendations of the reports by Laura Dunlop QC and the Scottish Parliament Committee on the Handling of Harassment Co…
28 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to S6W-03307 by George Adam on 5 October 2021, whether any progress has been made on revisions to the (a) Scottish Ministerial Code and (b) Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
Answer · Kate Forbes: (a) The First Minister announced his intention to publish a strengthened Scottish Ministerial Code later this year on 4 September 2024, as part of his Programme for Government statement in the Scottish Parliament. Under his new Code, the First Minister's inde…
15 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many whole-time equivalent anaesthetists have (a) been employed and (b) retired or left the profession, in each year since 2019.
Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested on how many whole-time equivalent anaesthetists have been employed in each year since 2019 can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (Employmen…
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how NHS boards match demand for funded stroke beds with the flow of patients, and how many patients have been impacted by not having a fully funded stroke bed during their stay in each month in the last five years.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government. Individual NHS Boards are best placed to advise on the decisions they take to match service provision with demand.
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, on average, what proportion of patients who survive a stroke are eligible for rehabilitation within NHS Scotland.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government.A tool for collection of empirical data relating to stroke rehabilitation provision - including time to rehabilitation assessment, creation of rehabilitation plans, commencement of rehabilitatio…
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many thrombectomy patients have been treated at each of the thrombectomy hub centres in each of the last five years, also broken down by the number of patients who have been transferred in as part of the hub and spoke model.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The number of thrombectomy patients treated at each thrombectomy hub is shown in the following table.YearEast of Scotland (Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh)North of Scotland(Ninewells)West of Scotland(Queen Elizabeth University Hospital)NHS Scotland Total20200303…
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take to improve out-of-hours thrombolysis times, in light of data reportedly showing that out-of-hours demand exceeds in-hours demand.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme team works closely with stroke services in all NHS boards to use learning from the Scottish Stroke Care Audit to support improvement across the whole stroke pathway, including timely access to thrombolysis.We have est…
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what obligations NHS boards have to meet Scottish Stroke Standards and national stroke guidelines, in light of the latest Scottish Stroke Care Audit report, which reportedly shows a failure to meet many of these key standards.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Stroke Care Standards are designed to enhance service delivery and improve patient outcomes. Monitoring performance against these standards through the Scottish Stroke Care Audit allows us to identify where challenges are being faced in the deliv…
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the Scottish Stroke Improvement Plan RAG (red, amber, green) charts, which reportedly show a large number of amber ratings for various rehabilitation priorities, indicate that many patients are not getting the help that they need to achieve their stroke re…
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme Board review process allows for an evaluation of stroke service performance, identification of areas for improvement and agreement of steps to implement local action plans to improve the delivery of stroke care in eve…
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what a funded stroke bed is, as referenced on page 9 of the latest Scottish Stroke Care Audit report, and how many will be available over the next year across Scotland.
Answer · Jenni Minto: A funded stroke bed is a bed which has established funding for the provision of stroke nurse and therapist staffing. There are currently 531 stroke beds available in Scotland, including hyperacute, acute and integrated stroke beds. However, stroke services ma…
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what obligations are currently placed on NHS boards to deliver stroke rehabilitation.
Answer · Jenni Minto: As part of the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme Board review process, Boards are expected to demonstrate rehabilitation provision in a variety of settings, and at a range of intensities, as well as outlining a robust rehab assessment process and the avai…
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason only NHS Tayside, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Shetland and NHS Borders have reportedly achieved an acceptable level of stroke care governance, according to the latest Scottish Stroke Care Audit report, and when it expects that the remaining NHS boards will have appropriate gover…
Answer · Jenni Minto: The revised criteria assessing NHS Boards requires more rigorous reporting on stroke service governance structures and data reporting, and these will take time to fully implement.I expect NHS Boards to prioritise their stroke governance structures and have sc…
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the projected savings will be as a result of thrombectomy being made available to all eligible patients, and how any savings will be used.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has not calculated the likely savings resulting from the provision of thrombectomy procedures. However, academic research suggests that thrombectomy is cost-effective and likely to result in long-term savings.
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will routinely provide details of stroke outcomes for stroke patients, in light of reported concerns that only information relating to mortality levels is provided in the Scottish Stroke Care Audit report.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government does not currently plan to provide overall outcome information beyond mortality.A tool for collection of empirical data relating to stroke rehabilitation provision - including time to rehabilitation assessment, creation of rehabilitati…
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether patients in stroke units are being cared for by a full complement of stroke professionals who are fully trained to provide timely interventions as necessary.
Answer · Jenni Minto: We expect staff providing care for individuals who have had a stroke to be fully trained in providing stroke care. However, in smaller Health Boards, it is not always possible to maintain a dedicated stroke unit.A range of online stroke care competency traini…
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the reporting of organisational data in relation to stroke care will be routinely published.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Stroke Care Audit already tracks the number of beds by health board as part of the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme. This information will be added to the dashboard of the most recent annual report within the next two weeks.We will continue …
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the reporting of data in relation to stroke care across Scotland, as referenced in its updated Stroke Improvement Plan 2023.
Answer · Jenni Minto: A tool for collection of empirical data relating to various stroke rehabilitation outcomes - such as time to rehabilitation assessment, creation of rehabilitation plans, commencement of rehabilitation, input from various Allied Health Professional specialitie…
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what projected savings through thrombectomy provision have been made to date as a result of reduced length of stay and reduced care costs due to associated better health outcomes.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has not calculated the likely savings resulting from the provision of thrombectomy procedures. However, academic research suggests that thrombectomy is cost-effective and likely to result in long-term savings.
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether implementing a robust governance process will remedy any failure of NHS boards to meet Scottish Stroke Standards and national stroke guidelines.
Answer · Jenni Minto: A robust governance process is one important aspect of delivering effective care and meeting the Scottish Stroke Care Standards measured in the Scottish Stroke Care Audit.That is why NHS Board reviews conducted by the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme exp…
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will encourage Tradebe to honour its reported pledge to process clinical waste in Scotland rather than transporting it to Wales.
Answer · Neil Gray: This is a matter for NHS National Services Scotland. The information requested is not held centrally.
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Malcolm Group is contracted to undertake the transportation of NHS Scotland clinical waste, and whether it will outline which other hauliers are also contracted to undertake such transportation.
Answer · Neil Gray: This is a matter for NHS National Services Scotland. The information requested is not held centrally.
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide the estimated number of miles travelled per month, since January 2018, in the transport of NHS Scotland clinical waste by road to Wales.
Answer · Neil Gray: This is a matter for NHS National Services Scotland. The information requested is not held centrally.
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the estimated cost to NHS Scotland of transporting clinical waste by road to Wales.
Answer · Neil Gray: This is a matter for NHS National Services Scotland. The information requested is not held centrally.
14 Aug 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide the estimated number of lorry journeys being made by Tradebe per month to transport NHS Scotland clinical waste to Wales.
Answer · Neil Gray: This is a matter for NHS National Services Scotland. The information requested is not held centrally.