Parliamentary questions
Mary Scanlon
4,514 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
2 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Scottish School of Primary Care plays in supporting nurses and doctors in promoting coronary heart disease awareness.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish School of Primary Care (SSPC) is concerned with developing research that can be used to support patients, clinicians and managers when they make decisions about health and health care. Much of the school's work in relation to coronary heart disea…
2 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to allow or disallow any medicines or classes of drugs to be included on the prescribing list in Scotland in variance to the selected list in England.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27268.
2 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to vary the selected list or prevent a medicine or class of medicines from being provided on the NHS and whether it has used such powers and, if so, when.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Schedule 10 to the National Health Service (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995 lists those drugs and other substances which general practitioners may not prescribe on the NHS. Schedule 10 is known as The Selected List.<P>Amendments to Sched…
20 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all student nurses have to pay for (a) uniforms and (b) occupational health assessments.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: All student nurses are provided with free uniforms.<P>Occupational health assessments are carried out free of charge by the seven higher education institutions contracted to the Scottish Executive Health Department to provide pre-registration nursing educatio…
20 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the range in costs of nurse training provided by each contracted nurse education provider has been per trainee nurse in each of the last five years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Expenditure on the seven pre-registration nursing education contracts in the last five years and the number of students in training is as follows.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=521><TR><TD WIDTH="19%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="16%" V…
20 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all universities that provide undergraduate nurse education were asked to bid for the recently announced increase in intakes for student nursing.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The increase in intakes for student nursing arose from the recommendation of the Student Nurse Intake Planning process. This informs assessment of the numbers of higher education places needed each year for pre-registration nursing and midwifery students. Pre…
19 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to improve the management of mental health problems in light of the report by the Primary Care Modernisation Group, Making the Connections: Developing Best Practice into Common Practice.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Primary Care Modernisation Group's report identified mild to moderate mental health problems as a priority in improving and developing primary care services. NHS boards have responsibility for ensuring the actions identified in the report are implemented …
19 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve access to primary care services in light of the report by the Primary Care Modernisation Group, Making the Connections: Developing Best Practice into Common Practice.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The report of the Primary Care Modernisation Group which was issued to NHSScotland on 22 March 2002 identified access to services as a priority in improving and developing primary care. The Chief Executive of NHSScotland has informed NHS boards that they have…
19 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure the highest standards of chronic disease management in light of the report by the Primary Care Modernisation Group, Making the Connections: Developing Best Practice into Common Practice.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Primary Care Modernisation Group's report identified chronic disease management as a priority in improving and developing primary care services. NHS boards have responsibility for ensuring the actions identified in the report are implemented locally. Ther…
19 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the development of a fast inshore marine ambulance as suggested in the "Transport" chapter of the report by the Solutions Group of the Scottish Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative, Solutions for the Provision of Health Care in the Remote and Rural Areas of Sco…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative's (RARARI) Solutions Group report was intended to stimulate interest within NHS boards in piloting a range of work aimed at improving remote and rural services.<P>The development of a fast inshore marine ambulanc…
19 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider the expansion of local community hospitals to act as out-of-hours bases as suggested in the "Retention" chapter of the report by the Solutions Group of the Scottish Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative, Solutions for the Provision of Health Care in the Remot…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative's (RARARI) Solutions Group report recognises that community hospitals can contribute in a number of ways to the delivery of health care services in remote and rural parts of Scotland. The report was intended to s…
19 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it plans to introduce to increase recruitment and improve the retention of doctors in practice in remote areas as suggested in the "Recruitment" and "Retention" chapters of the report by the Solutions Group of the Scottish Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative, Solution…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: An additional investment package of £2 million per year was announced in November 2001 to improve the recruitment and retention of general practitioners, particularly in remote and rural areas. We are also establishing new workforce development arrangements, …
19 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken with regard to the development of mobile health units to improve access to treatment for those in remote areas as suggested in the "Access to Care" chapter of the report by the Solutions Group of the Scottish Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative, Solutions fo…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Maximising access to services is an important part of NHS Boards' responsibilities, particularly in rural areas. The Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative's (RARARI) Solutions Group report was intended to stimulate interest within NHS boards in piloting …
19 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve the provision of out-of-hours medical cover in remote and rural areas as suggested in the "Team Working" chapter of the report by the Solutions Group of the Scottish Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative, Solutions for the Provision of Health Care i…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative's (RARARI) Solutions Group report identifies team working as the key to many solutions to the provision of out-of-hours cover in remote and rural areas. The report was intended to stimulate interest within NHS Bo…
19 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which targets the Scottish Prison Service failed to meet in each of the last three years in relation to the report Standards for the Health Care of Prisoners.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The results of an audit of Health Care Standards carried out in 1999 are shown in the following table.<P>Following on from this piec…
19 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what methods for the monitoring and auditing of targets set by the Scottish Prison Service exist in relation to the report Standards for the Health Care of Prisoners.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:<P>I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26897.
17 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average length of time is that a patient at the State Hospital, Carstairs, needs to wait for a placement in a medium secure unit in each NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26825.
17 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what rights patients at the State Hospital, Carstairs, have to receive the appropriate care according to assessments done in the hospital.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26825.
17 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to enable patients at the State Hospital, Carstairs, to move to an appropriate care and treatment regime in a medium secure unit.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26825.
17 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients at the State Hospital, Carstairs, have been assessed as "ready to leave" but are unable to do so due to a lack of medium secure units.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As at 31 May 2002, there were 38 patients approved for transfer to alternative care. 31 had waited more than three months since clinical agreement had been reached. Given that individual recommendations must be considered in each case, information on average …
17 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency have made to it on the issuing of advice and guidance to people with mental illness and their fitness to drive.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has made no such representations. The agency's publication <I>At a Glance Guide to the Current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive</I> is issued to all General Practitioners and provides advice about the relevance of …
17 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support is being given to assist people with mental health problems to stop smoking.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: People with mental health problems may be referred to local smoking cessation services which should provide motivational support. Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Zyban are also available on prescription. In addition a smoking cessation "pathway" fo…
17 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available to dental practices to enable them to meet infection control and new regulatory standards.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Funding of infection control procedures are incorporated in the fee scale system where dentists receive payments for each item of service given on each patient. The British Dental Association Advice Sheet "Infection Control in Dentistry" is used as the model …
17 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what percentage of dental practices in each NHS board area no longer take NHS patients.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: Information on private dental practices which take no NHS patients is not available. We are aware that there are problems with access to NHS dentistry in some parts of Scotland. That is why I announced a £1 million "Golden Hello" package on 25 April…
17 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available to enable dental practices to introduce fully computerised records systems in their premises.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: There is no direct financial assistance for general dental practices to install computerised records systems. Dentists who wish to transmit their dental claims to the Common Services Agency for the NHS in Scotland via electronic data interchange can receive a…
17 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures will be put in place to ensure that dental practices remain in locations which are convenient to patients whilst meeting health and safety and disability access requirements.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: On 3 June I announced a £3 milion investment to fund improvements to dental practice premises and facilities which will improve patient safety and access and address the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act. This is additional to the £4.3 million…
14 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to gauge the clinical efficiency of drugs which have been in use for many years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Review of medicines available on the UK market is an on-going process. Medicines are granted a marketing authorisation (previously product license) if they meet the Medicines Control Agency's (MCA) standards of safety, quality and efficacy. Marketing authoris…
14 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether an out of hours emergency service for dentistry exists in all NHS board areas.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: There are currently out of hours emergency dental service arrangements in every NHS board area except Argyll and Clyde and Lanarkshire.
14 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken in respect of the recommendations contained in the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report, Huntingdon's Disease, Acquired Brain Injury and Early Onset Dementia.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally. Scottish Needs Assessment Programmes provide NHS boards with good practice recommendations for the planning of services, but are not mandatory.
14 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average waiting times are for appointments with dermatologists in each NHS trust.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The median waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with a Consultant in Dermatology, following referral by a General Medical Practitioner, by NHS trust of treatment, in the year ending 31 December 2001, are given in the table.<P>NHSScotland: Median …