Parliamentary questions
Mary Scanlon
4,514 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
28 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when electronic health records will be available to all people in Scotland and whether any pilot research projects regarding them are currently taking place or are planned.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Our target for Electronic Health Records is to establish, with active co-operation of patients, pilots based on GP summary information by 2003. We are currently studying options for these pilots and will publish proposals in due course.
27 Feb 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being introduced in order to tackle conditions of the respiratory system following the report by the British Thoracic Society, The Burden of Lung Disease.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Respiratory conditions represents one of the major disease categories requiring care by NHSScotland. Respiratory diseases are many and varied but smoking remains the greatest single cause of lung disease. We are determined to take effective action to implemen…
26 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to monitor repeated use of the emergency contraceptive Levonelle.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is not possible to monitor repeated use of Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) from data available centrally. EHC may be sold under the supervision of a pharmacist to women aged 16 and over without a prescription. Data on medicines purchased privately t…
26 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what clinical trials were conducted to ensure that the emergency contraceptive Levonelle is safe.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23536.
26 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out into (a) the short-term and (b) the long-term safety implications of the emergency contraceptive Levonelle.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Medicines Control Agency (MCA) is the UK-wide medicines regulatory authority responsible for ensuring the safety, quality and efficacy of medicines available on the UK market.<P>The MCA has advised that the decision to grant a marketing authorisation in t…
26 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when disposable equipment will be widely available for ear, nose and throat operations in the NHS and how many patients are currently waiting for operations requiring new equipment.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Single-use equipment for tonsil and adenoid surgery has been widely available to NHSScotland since August 2001.<P>Following concerns about patient health and safety, an embargo on undertaking routine tonsil and adenoid surgery was introduced on 21 December 20…
25 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the cost of medicines per capita in Scotland is lower than in other EU countries and, if so, why this is.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.
25 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to re-examine and review the exemption list for prescription charges.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We have no plans to do so.
25 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio of administration staff to the total number of beds in the NHS was in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the trend in administration staff and available staffed beds, between 1991-92 and 2000-01: <P>Administration Staff and Available Staffed Beds in the NHS<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=415><TR><TD WIDTH="20%" VALIGN="T…
21 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a shortage of specialist thoracic surgeons in the NHS in Scotland and, if so, how many vacancies currently exist.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The latest available information from ISD Scotland, indicates that there were three consultant vacancies and no staff grade vacancies in the specialty of cardiothoracic surgery, at 30 September 2000.<P>The number of higher specialist training posts available …
21 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all patients who would benefit from linear accelerators to treat tumours will have access to this treatment.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS doctors are responsible for ensuring appropriate clinical treatment in individual cases. <P>Radiotherapy, which is delivered by linear accelerators, is provided from all five cancer centres in Scotland, in Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasg…
20 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans for (a) the Health Technology Board for Scotland and (b) the Scottish Medicines Consortium to consider statins during the course of 2002.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) and the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) have no plans to consider statins during 2002.<P>However, in recent years SIGN has published two clinical guidelines, in which the prescribing of statins was covered (…
20 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to implement in all NHS board areas the initiative launched in the NHS Lanarkshire area whereby defibrillators have been placed in main shopping areas.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and Stroke Reference Group is currently considering the evidence on the effectiveness of defibrillators in public places, including the Lanarkshire initiative, as part of the national strategy it is developing for coronary hea…
20 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurse consultants specialising in coronary heart disease there are in each NHS board area and what action is being taken in respect of this matter.
Answer · Hugh Henry: New nurse/midwife consultant posts were introduced in Scotland in spring 2000 and 13 were recommended for establishment. None of these posts were for nurse consultants specialising in coronary heart disease.<P>Following the nurse recruitment and retention con…
20 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on prescribing statins by each NHS board in each of the last two years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following figures, derived from the Prescription Cost Analysis system, give the number of prescriptions and the cost of statins (atorvastatin, cerivastatin, fluvastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin), by prescribing health board in Scotland. Data are prese…
20 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether statins have been identified as a means of reducing the occurrence of coronary heart disease and preventing people from developing complications following a major coronary event and what action it and NHS boards are taking in order to ensure that any patients who need such treatme…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: SIGN Guideline 40, on Lipids and the Primary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease, indicates that for primary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD), statins are the drugs of first choice for lowering the level of fat circulating in the blood. The guideli…
20 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the number of primary care nurses working in the field of coronary heart disease is adequate and what action it is taking in respect of this matter.
Answer · Hugh Henry: All primary care nurses are involved in the management and prevention of coronary heart disease.<P>Work relating to coronary heart disease mainly falls within the remit of practice nurses (chronic disease management), health visitors (primary and secondary pr…
20 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what training and education in addressing coronary heart disease issues is received by primary care nurses and what money has been allocated to each NHS board for the provision of such training and education.
Answer · Hugh Henry: All primary care nurses receive education in relation to health promotion principles, nutrition and primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease, as part of their post-registration specialist practice qualification. In addition, there are a wide…
20 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what comparative information it has about health spending per capita on the promotion and treatment of coronary heart disease in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) other countries in the European Union and how such spending compares with spending by the NHS in Scotland in each case.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.
20 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) Health Education Board for Scotland and (b) Public Health Institute for Scotland have planned in the way of health promotion in respect of coronary heart disease in 2002-03; what budget has been allocated for such promotion, and how these bodies are working with their NHS col…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: During 2002-03, the Health Education Board for Scotland's <B>(</B>HEBS') approach to coronary heart disease (CHD) prevention will continue to be through programmes focussing on behavioural aspects such as stopping smoking and promoting physical activity and h…
15 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have died from hospital-acquired infection and in how many deaths has hospital-acquired infection been a significant factor in the cause of death in each of the last five years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information about deaths resulting from healthcare associated infection (HAI) is not available. HAI is not a notifiable cause of death.<P>There are considerable clinical uncertainties about the degree to which a HAI may contribute to death. In addition, there…
15 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated financial cost of tackling hospital-acquired infection is in the current financial year.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information is not held centrally in the form requested. Individual NHS boards and trusts are responsible for deciding what resources are necessary for effective infection control, and for identifying these resources within the increased allocations made avai…
14 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who would accept any legal liability for any medical damage caused by fluoridation of the water supply.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It would be for the courts to determine in the circumstances of any particular case, legal liability in relation to any medical damage caused by fluoridation.
14 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether patients in all NHS board areas will have access to all drugs and treatments for Al'heimer's disease as recommended in the Health Technology Board for Scotland's Comment 1, Comment on the National Institute for Clinical Excellence Technology Appraisal Guidance on the use of donepe…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHSScotland should take account of advice and evidence from the Health Technology Board for Scotland and ensure that recommended drugs or treatments are made available to meet clinical need. Likewise, individual clinicians should take account of evidence-base…
14 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the Health Technology Board for Scotland will eradicate any inequality of access to medicines through the issuing of guidance alone and whether it has any plans to make such guidance statutory in line with the rulings by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHSScotland should take account of advice and evidence from the Health Technology Board for Scotland, and ensure that recommended drugs or treatments are made available to meet clinical need. Likewise, individual clinicians should take account of evidence-bas…
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the single measles vaccine is as effective as the measles component of the triple MMR vaccine.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The single measles vaccines currently being administered in the UK are unlicensed in the UK and have been imported to meet, in the view of the prescribers and on their direct personal responsibility, the special clinical needs of individual patients. These un…
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to raise awareness of and treat sexually transmitted diseases amongst teenagers.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The £3 million Healthy Respect national health demonstration project seeks to increase awareness of sexually transmitted diseases, particularly chlamydia, among young people in Lothian. Lessons learned will be shared throughout the country. The project's webs…
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that all extant guidelines issued to NHS boards and trusts are adhered to; what monitoring system is in place to measure compliance, and what measures are implemented in the event of any non-compliance.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: A range of guidance is provided to the NHS in Scotland by the Scottish Executive Health Department, by other central government departments and agencies, by professional organisations and by organisations which monitor standards and quality of healthcare.<P>T…
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that patients with symptoms of learning disability and substance misuse are given a dual diagnosis in order to address both conditions.
Answer · Richard Simpson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23107.
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that patients with symptoms of mental disorder and substance misuse are given a dual diagnosis in order to address both conditions.
Answer · Richard Simpson: Good medical and psychiatric practice for patients with a diagnosis of mental disorder or learning disability involves multi-disciplinary reviews of people in community care, or in-patient facilities, including the presenting problems, diagnosis, behaviour an…