Parliamentary questions

Mary Scanlon

4,514 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

7 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to fund and develop a neuropsychiatric disease prevention programme in order to assist and support people with, or prone to, mental illness.

Answer · Susan Deacon: A wide range of conditions are captured by the term neuropsychiatric disease, including Huntington's Disease, head injury, dementia of cardiovascular origin and senile dementia among many others. The responses and contributions to care and prevention are equa…

7 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure greater integration between mathematics, biology, medicine, engineering and the physical sciences in order to facilitate more joined-up research programmes.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Individual research programmes in Scottish higher education institutions are primarily funded by the UK Research Councils. They have mechanisms in place to ensure co-ordination across and between disciplines.

7 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to design a mechanism to facilitate cross-disciplinary research and development in order to advance integration and innovation in health care and treatment.

Answer · Susan Deacon: At a strategic level, the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) within the Scottish Executive Health Department already encourages research projects to have a multidisciplinary involvement. The CSO publication Research Strategy for the National Healt…

7 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are proposals to design, pilot and evaluate the use of electronic patient-owned health records created and maintained on the Internet.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Work is under way to establish by 2003 Electronic Patient Records (EPRs) which will contain the detailed record of care of an individual patient in primary and secondary care organisations. Separately work is in hand to pilot by 2002 Electronic Health …

7 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the Food Standards Agency plans to monitor imports of meat to ensure that it meets the standards required of home grown meat.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Food Standards Agency advises that all imported meat must conform to the same European hygiene standards as UK production. In accordance with European Single Market rules imports from other member states are not checked on import but the EU Food and Veter…

7 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the Mental Welfare Commission's spending plans are reducing in real terms from #1.5 million in the current financial year to #1.4 million in 2001-02.

Answer · Susan Deacon: In December, when the Budget Documents were being prepared, the Executive had not completed consideration of the allocations to individual health bodies. Since then the Executive has decided to allocate £1,981,000 to the Mental Welfare Commission in 2001-02, …

7 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Prescribing Analysis data is in arrears and, if so, by how much and how primary care trusts can check practitioners' compliance with prescribing policies.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Scottish Prescribing Analysis reports are normally provided quarterly to individual prescribers and Primary Care Trusts. The provision of this information is currently two quarters behind normal schedules. This is due to a delay in the processing of prescript…

6 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS Trusts have a projected overspend in their budget for 2000-01.

Answer · Susan Deacon: As at 31 December 2000, 13 Trusts projected a year-end overspend. Of those Trusts forecasting overspends, six Trusts forecast overspends greater than £1 million.

6 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any evidence of the Common Services Agency overpaying or underpaying dentists, opticians, doctors and pharmacists.

Answer · Susan Deacon: In making payments to over 8,000 primary care contractors each month it is inevitable that occasional errors or estimates will result in over or underpayments. Normally such items are corrected immediately following payment. Other than this there is no eviden…

6 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) projected and (b) actual savings were resulting from the centralising of payments by the Common Services Agency (CSA) for doctors, dentists, opticians and pharmacists and how much money was taken from health boards to enable the CSA to set up this new system.

Answer · Susan Deacon: CSA running costs for the functions transferred were estimated to be £7.3 million per annum as compared to the £8.7 million running costs incurred by health boards. Projected savings, therefore, were £1.4 million per annum. The estimated timing of these savin…

6 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any computer virus problems in the Common Services Agency and, if so, how it will ensure accurate payments to health professionals.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Common Services Agency (CSA) has no current computer virus problems. The CSA's networks are fully protected by high quality firewalls and individual systems have additional virus checking software installed. All virus checking software is regularly update…

6 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Association of Medical Directors will receive terms and conditions of service for Medical Directors in order that their contracts of employment can be agreed with NHS Trusts.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Trust Medical Directors are currently employed on Trust terms and conditions of service. Discussions have been held with the Scottish Association of Medical Directors to bring Trust Medical Directors under ministerial direction similar to other executive dire…

6 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to structure the BCG vaccination programme to ensure that all appropriate pupils are vaccinated as soon as possible.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We expect discussions regarding the restored supply of the BCG vaccine to be concluded shortly.The Executive wrote to health board immunisation co-ordinators in Scotland on 15 March to establish how many secondary school children are currently eligible to …

6 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take in response to the study by the National Radiological Protection Board linking high-voltage electricity pylons with childhood leukaemia.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1O-03093 on 15 March 2001.

6 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the publication by the Health Education Board for Scotland and Glasgow Healthy City Partnership of Understanding the Policy Ma'e - A guide to Social and Health Policy in Scotland, it will set out comprehensively its own strategies and guidelines in these areas.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Understanding the Policy Maze itself gives a useful overview of the field. More recent Executive policy documents are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

6 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to include biomedical scientists in the scope of the pay review body mechanism.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The issue of extended coverage of the Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine Pay Review Body (NPRB) is being considered in discussions on Agenda for Change: Modernising the NHS Pay System.

5 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps can be taken to ensure that local authorities give elderly people and their families the choice of care in council or private residential care homes in accordance with the Community Care Act 1993.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Local authorities are required by the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 (Choice of Accommodation) Directions 1993 to take measures to ensure that people have a genuine choice over where they receive residential care. In conjunction, the Accounts Commission's, <…

5 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many health trusts provide taxane treatments for ovarian cancer.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Taxol and Taxotere are recommended for hospital use only. Centrally collected data relates to items dispensed in the community by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors. Information about the number of women prescribed Taxol and Taxotere as part of thei…

5 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many positron emission tomography scanners are currently in use in the NHSiS.

Answer · Susan Deacon: There is one Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner sited in the Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen which is used for research purposes, for example in hip replacement and assessing how bones heal.The use of PET scanning in cancer will…

5 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS staff will be allocated to assist with home births where this is the preferred option chosen by parents.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Women have the right to choose how and where they give birth, having been given the information to allow them to make informed decisions by balancing risks.Maternity Services, in line with the Framework for Maternity Services i…

5 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how Local Health Care Co-operatives will be consulted on the allocation of NHS resources.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-13891.

5 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change will encourage and bring about innovation and the delivery of better health care by Local Health Care Co-operatives.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-13891.

5 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how Local Health Care Co-operatives will be supported in promoting and advising on disease prevention and health promotion.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Many LHCCs already carry out extensive health promotion activities. We wish to build on this work. We will set out the next steps in the development of LHCCs, over the next few months, following the submission of the LHCC Best Practice Group's report. The new…

5 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the consultation exercise on the fluoridation of the water supply will commence; how the exercise will be conducted, and who will be consulted.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As stated in Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change the Executive proposes a wide-ranging consultation on children's oral health, which will seek views on a range of measures, including ways in which the benefit of fluoride can be ma…

5 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12216 by Susan Deacon on 21 February 2001, when the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland will set out the service standards on infection control, cleanliness and other matters.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Work by an expert group to develop draft standards on infection control, decontamination of medical devices and environmental hygiene is currently under way. We expect draft standards to be produced shortly. The drafts will be reviewed by the Clinical Standar…

2 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of (a) a heart by-pass and (b) a hip replacement operation in the NHS.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive does not collect routine information centrally on the costs of specific operations in the NHS.

2 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of any risk to patients during surgery through tipping operating tables.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Medical devices, including operating theatre tables, are regulated at UK level by the Medical Devices Agency. Scottish Healthcare Supplies, which is a division of the Common Services Agency, acts on behalf of the Health Department to monitor the safety of med…

2 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take in the light of the survey by the British Medical Association Scotland which reported a decline in morale among general practitioners.

Answer · Susan Deacon: GP morale is affected by many factors, some of which are beyond the scope of Government. However, the Scottish Executive values the work of all health professionals and is working closely with professional groups to ensure that their needs are addressed. A ra…

2 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Care Development Group will redefine the Sutherland Commission definition of 'personal care' as set out in Chapter 6 of the Commission's Report.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Care Development Group has been asked to provide a clear definition of what is meant by personal care as part of its terms of reference. The group will decide how best to fulfil its remit and will report in August 2001.

2 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Heart Transplant Unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary is now fully staffed and operational; when heart transplant surgery will recommence there, and how many transplants are planned in the next 12 months.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I am currently considering the position of the Scottish Heart Transplant Unit and intend to make an announcement in the near future. It will cover the points raised in the question.