Parliamentary questions
Jackie Baillie
9,397 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that E. coli affects more patients than (a) MRSA and (b) Clostridium difficile.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Health Protection Scotland (HPS) NHSScotland National HAI Prevalence Survey, dated July 2007, confirmed that E. coli accounted for 6.7% of infections and was predominantly associated with urinary tract infections. This same report also confirmed that both…
29 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will collect and publish statistics on the number of hospital-acquired E. coli deaths.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The medical certificate of the cause of death, which is the information source for General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) statistics, describes the diseases or conditions leading or contributing to death. It does not detail whether the disease or conditi…
24 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34554 by Shona Robison on 23 June 2010, when ministers expect to receive the recommendations from the National Infertility Group and when they will respond.
Answer · Shona Robison: The National Infertility Group will provide its first report to Scottish Government Ministers by the end of 2010.</p>
24 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34555 by Shona Robison on 23 June 2010, on what date in 2009 that the intention to set up the National Infertility Group was first announced.
Answer · Shona Robison: The intention to set up the National Infertility Group was first announced in a Scottish Government press release on 31 May 2009.</p>
24 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W–34553 by Shona Robison on 23 June 2010, in what month it will publish the Interim Report from Infertility Network Scotland on IVF services.
Answer · Shona Robison: Infertility Network Scotland''s interim report was discussed at the second meeting of the National Infertility Group on 13 July, and the report will be published on the maternity services website www.maternityservices.scot.nhs.uk and a copy placed in the Scot…
24 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W–34552 by Shona Robison on 23 June 2010, when it received the interim report from the Infertility Network Scotland on IVF services.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government received Infertility Network Scotland''s interim report on 29 January 2010.</p>
24 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the national scrutiny group announced on 3 June 2010 first met.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As I said on 3 June, the detailed remit and operation of the scrutiny group will be finalised in consultation with the stakeholders involved. Members of the group have been asked to submit their views on membership, remit and operation of the group. The first…
24 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who is represented on the national scrutiny group announced on 3 June 2010.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As I said on 3 June, the detailed remit and operation of the scrutiny group will be finalised in consultation with the stakeholders involved. Members of the group have been asked to submit their views on membership, remit and operation of the group. The first…
24 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit is of the national scrutiny group announced on 3 June 2010.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As I said on 3 June, the detailed remit and operation of the scrutiny group will be finalised in consultation with the stakeholders involved. Members of the group have been asked to submit their views on membership, remit and operation of the group. The first…
23 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it expects that the increase in VAT from 17.5% to 20% will have on NHS dentistry services in one year.
Answer · Shona Robison: No specific assessment has been undertaken on the effects of the VAT increase on dentists who provide NHS general dental services. However, we do provide considerable financial support through a series of allowances to help support dental practice costs in Sc…
23 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it estimates that the increase in VAT from 17.5% to 20% will cost each geographical and special health board in one year.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the question S3W-33760 answered on 21 May 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQ…
23 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it estimates that the increase in VAT from 17.5% to 20% will cost NHSScotland in one year.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the question S3W-33760 answered on 21 May 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:</p> <p >http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Bu…
17 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the increase in the cost of the use of medical locums in 2008-09 by NHS boards was approximately double the amount spent in 1996-97 in real terms, as reported in the Audit Scotland report, Using locum doctors in hospitals.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As stated in the Audit Scotland report, while the cost of agency medical locums has increased since 1997, the overall spend on medical locums has remained static in recent years. Contributing factors identified in the Audit Scotland report include increased d…
17 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any NHS boards owe payment for services to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Yorkhill) and, if so, what action it will take to ensure that the money is transferred.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has a number of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with other NHS boards across Scotland. The SLAs are based on a three-year, rolling average activity level and cover all specialties within the board rather than separate agreements …
17 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) beds were removed and (b) wards were reconfigured at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Yorkhill) in 2009-10 and what the numbers will be in 2010-11.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-34590 on 1 July 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website; the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Bu…
17 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds will be available for children at the new Southern General Hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: According to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, their bed model projects (on a like-for-like basis) that there will be 201 beds available at the new Children''s Hospital.</p> <p >In addition to these, 12 neonatal beds will transfer to the new Maternity Hospital.…
17 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds were available for children at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Yorkhill) in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10 and how many will be available in 2010-11.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information is presented in the following table. It is important to note the context for the changes in bed numbers: increasingly, for both children and adults, clinical care and treatment is provided on a day care basis. This reduces the need for a stay …
17 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to ensure that NHS boards adopt and implement the recommendations of the Audit Scotland report, Using locum doctors in hospitals, and in what timescale this will be carried out.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Arrangements for the use of temporary medical staff have been under consideration by a Scottish Government-led Short Life Working Group, established in February 2010. The group is consulting NHS boards on proposals for reducing demand for temporary medical st…
17 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will accept the recommendations of the Audit Scotland report, Using locum doctors in hospitals, in full.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Yes.</p>
17 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the pay rates are for internal medical locums.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As at 1 April 2010, the locum rates for doctors in training and specialty doctors are set out in Section 8 of NHS Circular PCS (DD) 2010/4. Rates for locum consultants are set slightly differently. If a locum has never held a substantive NHS consultant post t…
17 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the pay rates are for medical locums in the new national contract.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The pay rates for medical locums in the new national contract are based on NHS Circular PCS (DD) 2009/2 and 3. Electronic versions of the circulars are available at <a href="http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/">www.show.scot.nhs.uk</a>.</p> <p >Pay Bands</p> <tabl…
17 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether additional costs in employing medical locums from agencies arose due to the delay in establishing the national contract.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Market rate costs for medical locum doctors have been increasing in recent years, as have requests by NHS boards for agency locum doctors. Those factors are likely to have contributed to any increase in NHS boards'' spend on agency locum doctors. It is not po…
17 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason there was a delay of over one year in establishing a national contract for agency locums to standardise pay rates and reduce costs.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHSScotland had expected to use the new UK-wide NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) framework on the expiry of the 2009 Scottish agreement. Following a rise in NHS PASA''s framework charge rates the cost impact in Scotland would have been higher than else…
17 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the expenditure on medical locums was in each territorial NHS board for (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not centrally available in respect of substantive NHS medical staff undertaking locum work. Expenditure on agency locum doctors is shown in the following table: </p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr …
17 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the medical staffing expenditure was in each territorial NHS board for (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: A breakdown of the amount spent by territorial boards on medical and dental staff for 2008-09 and 2009-10 is shown in the following table: </p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td rowspan=3 valign=bottom > <p align=lef…
15 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the definition is of one cycle of IVF treatment.
Answer · Shona Robison: As NHS boards across Scotland currently define one cycle of IVF treatment in several different ways, the National Infertility Group has been asked to consider and make recommendations to ministers.</p>
15 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34074 by Shona Robison on 15 June 2010, when the National Group on Infertility was first announced and how many times it has met.
Answer · Shona Robison: The intention to set up the National Infertility Group was first announced during 2009. Scottish Government officials have been in discussion with NHS boards regarding the role of the group and membership. The group met for the first time on 28 April 2010, an…
15 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that consistent criteria are applied to IVF treatment across Scotland.
Answer · Shona Robison: The National Infertility Group will look at standardisation of access criteria across Scotland, and make recommendations to ministers.</p>
15 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the interim report from Infertility Network Scotland on IVF services.
Answer · Shona Robison: Infertility Network Scotland''s interim report will be published shortly on the Maternity Services website <a href="http://www.maternityservices.scot.nhs.uk/">www.maternityservices.scot.nhs.uk</a>.</p>
15 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received the interim report from the Infertility Network Scotland on IVF services.
Answer · Shona Robison: Infertility Network Scotland''s interim report has been received and will be published shortly on the Maternity Services website <a href="http://www.maternityservices.scot.nhs.uk/">www.maternityservices.scot.nhs.uk</a>.</p>