Parliamentary questions
Jackie Baillie
9,379 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide funding to fill any gaps in NHS Scotland's provision for community children’s nursing posts.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government increased student funded places for pre-registration nursing, including children's nursing, for ten successive years and we now have a record intake target of 4,536 to support workforce sustainability. Whilst the Scottish Government s…
5 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many community children’s nurses are employed by NHS Scotland, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested on how many community children’s nurses are employed by NHS Scotland, broken down by NHS board can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: 05 March 2024 Workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (nhs.…
5 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to sustainably fund Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) for the long-term, to ensure that it can provide lifeline care and support to children and families in light of the reported rising costs and increased need for its services.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is working with NHS NSS, CHAS and Health Boards to improve the sustainability and oversight of funding for CHAS and to develop a long term sustainable funding model.
5 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will support the development of a Specialist Practitioner Qualification, at Masters level, for community children’s nursing in Scotland.
Answer · Neil Gray: Access to continuing professional development and education for community children’s nursing staff in Scotland is vital as it enables children to receive specialist care within a setting that is familiar and comforting to them. However, it is the responsibili…
5 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards provide 24/7 end of life care at home for children.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government does not hold central information on NHS boards’ provision of 24/7 end of life care at home for children.
5 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made to ensure that the new national strategy for palliative and end of life care addresses the needs of children.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Children’s palliative care is an integral part of the new strategy on palliative care currently being developed. In addition to representatives of palliative care for children and young people on the Strategy Steering Group, we have established a Children and…
5 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns that inflationary costs for hospices and recent Agenda for Change pay awards have resulted in current funding levels being insufficient for hospices to operate sustainably.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government fully understands the pressures that hospices are currently facing. The Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health engages regularly with this sector, and has visited a number of hospices and met with hospice leaders over the last f…
5 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason training places for radiology students reportedly decreased between 2023 and 2024.
Answer · Neil Gray: The number of established clinical radiology training posts in Scotland has not decreased between 2023 and 2024 in any region. There are 192 established posts in clinical radiology spread across the five year training programme (ST1-ST5) and this has been the…
5 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many training places for radiology students there have been in each year since 2018, also broken down by training centre/region.
Answer · Neil Gray: The following table sets out the number of clinical radiology training places advertised and filled per year from 2017 onwards (broken down by region) as well as the overall training establishment in each year. ‘Training establishment’ is the term given to th…
5 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason training places for radiology students reportedly decreased for the West of Scotland training centre/region from 19 places in August 2023 to six places in August 2024.
Answer · Neil Gray: The number of established clinical radiology training posts in Scotland has not decreased between 2023 and 2024 in any region. There are 192 established posts in clinical radiology spread across the five year training programme (ST1-ST5) and this has been the…
5 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns that any decrease in training places for radiology students between 2023 and 2024 will prevent it meeting its aim to provide 10 additional radiology training places each year.
Answer · Neil Gray: A commitment was made in 2018 to create 10 additional clinical radiology training places per year over a five-year period. This commitment was met in full in 2022 following five years of consecutive uplifts. This saw the overall training establishment rise fr…
4 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has consulted the Scottish Information Commissioner regarding cyber protection for NHS Scotland, and, if so, when.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government has not consulted the Scottish Information Commissioner, as the role of the Scottish Information Commissioner is limited by law to promoting and enforcing Scotland's freedom of information (FOI) law.
4 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS boards currently use versions of Microsoft operating systems for which support and security updates have ended.
Answer · Neil Gray: Microsoft are a key partner to NHS Scotland Boards. NHS Boards regularly engage directly with Microsoft regarding licencing and systems required. As the member will appreciate, it would not be appropriate to disclose information publicly that may compromise …
4 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what tests of IT systems regarding their vulnerability to cyber attacks are undertaken (a) by individual NHS boards and (b) on an NHS Scotland-wide basis.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Network and Information System Regulations set out standards which NHS Scotland Health Boards must comply with. Boards must test themselves against these standards which cover managing security risk, defending systems against cyber-attack, detecting cyber…
4 Apr 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards were affected by the recent cyber attack on NHS Scotland.
Answer · Neil Gray: Unauthorised access to information by the cyber threat actor was contained to information on the NHS Dumfries and Galloway network.
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Workforce Specialist Service will be renewed once the current contract expires.
Answer · Neil Gray: Scottish Government has confirmed funding for the Workforce Specialist Service (WSS) for 2024-25 and the current contract will be extended for a further 12 months. WSS provides confidential mental health assessment and treatment for regulated health, social c…
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when Public Health Scotland will begin publishing data on Scotland’s four gender identity clinics.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government understands that Public Health Scotland intends to publish, as official statistics in development, gender identity clinic waiting times information provided by NHS Grampian, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Highland and NHS Lothian i…
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set up a study into the effects of puberty suppressing hormones on children and young people.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The term “puberty-suppressing hormones” is non-specific, and could be applied to a range of medicines used for a variety of conditions. The Scottish Government and NHS Scotland are proactively engaged with NHS England and its commissioned research study on p…
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made by the National Gender Identity Healthcare Reference Group to implement the commitments set out in the NHS gender identity services: strategic action framework 2022-2024.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The National Gender Identity Healthcare Reference Group continues to meet and make progress against all the commitments set out within the referenced December 2021 Strategic Action Framework. This includes:Healthcare Improvement Scotland developing standards …
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions have taken place between NHS Scotland and the UK Government regarding the prescription of puberty suppressing hormones to children and young people.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Decisions on clinical pathways are not for the Scottish Government. These decisions are for clinicians, based on the best evidence available, through the appropriate clinical governance structures. The Scottish Government is unaware of any discussions betwee…
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what data collection and research it has been carried out regarding gender identity services.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has commissioned Public Health Scotland (PHS) to collect, collate and publish waiting times for all gender identity clinics within the NHS in Scotland. This work will standardise and make routine reporting of waiting time information f…
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns that children and young people in England who are waiting to receive puberty suppressing hormones (PSH) may relocate to Scotland to procure these treatments, in light of NHS England's decision that PSH "are not available as a routine commissionin…
Answer · Jenni Minto: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Young People’s Gender Service only accepts referrals from individuals residing in Scotland. On 18 April, in a joint statement, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian confirmed that both Boards have paused any new prescr…
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to put new prescriptions for puberty suppressing hormones on hold, in light of reported concerns around a lack of data on the effects of puberty suppressing hormones on children and young people.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Decisions on clinical pathways are not for the Scottish Government. These decisions are for clinicians, based on the best evidence available, through the appropriate clinical governance structures. On 18 April, in a joint statement, NHS Greater Glasgow and C…
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6F-02948 by Humza Yousaf on 21 March 2024, whether it will confirm if it plans to replicate NHS England's decision that puberty suppressing hormones "are not available as a routine commissioning treatment option for treatment of children and young peop…
Answer · Jenni Minto: Decisions on clinical pathways are not for the Scottish Government. These decisions are for clinicians, based on the best evidence available, through the appropriate clinical governance structures. On 18 April, in a joint statement, NHS Greater Glasgow and C…
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to gather any long-term evidence and data on the effects of prescribing puberty suppressing hormones to children and young people.
Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to S6W-26400 on 19 April 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written…
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6F-02948 by Humza Yousaf on 21 March 2024, whether it will confirm if NHS Scotland will continue to offer puberty suppressing hormones to children and young people, in light of reported concerns from governments in England, Sweden, Finland and France r…
Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26406 on 19 April 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committee…
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions have taken place between NHS Scotland and Dr Hilary Cass regarding the prescription of puberty suppressing hormones to children and young people.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The final report from the NHS England-commissioned Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People (the ‘Cass Review’), chaired by Dr Hiliary Cass, was published on 10 April. The Cass Review did not review or consider clinical ser…
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people have been referred to gender identity services in each year since 2013.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Sandyford Young People’s Gender Service, based in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, is the only gender identity clinic in Scotland providing care to those aged under 17 years. This service offers a range of support to young people and their families and acce…
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the discussions and scoping by NHS National Services Scotland and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to consider current and future national provision of gender identity services will conclude.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has commissioned NHS National Services Scotland to work with a wide range of clinical and other stakeholders to consider how best to meet the needs of the population in terms of young people’s gender healthcare services for NHS Scotlan…
21 Mar 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome is of its consideration of the Cass Review, and whether any of its findings have been taken on board, as they apply to Scotland.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government welcomes the publication, on 10 April, of the final report and recommendations of the NHS England-commissioned Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People, chaired by Dr Hiliary Cass (‘the Cass Review’)…