Parliamentary questions

Mary Scanlon

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

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement in the answer to question S1O-1597 by Susan Deacon on 4 May 2000 that the Health Technology Board for Scotland will be "open and transparent", why there has been no announcement of the recent appointment of a director and when the board will have a location and a…

Answer · Susan Deacon: I announced the names of the members of the Health Technology Board for Scotland on 18 May. At that time, arrangements on the appointment of the Director had still to be finalised. These have now been completed and the Director will take up post on 3 July. I …

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any evidence that health boards are not following national guidelines on prescribing due to local budget constraints and whether this will have any effect on the work of the Health Technology Board for Scotland in ending "postcode prescribing".

Answer · Susan Deacon: No. It is a matter for each individual Health Board to determine its prescribing policy on drugs, taking into account advice from Local Drug and Therapeutic Committees. When the Health Technology Board for Scotland begins work later this summer Health Boards …

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether "postcode prescribing" will continue, given that B-interferon is being prescribed in Tayside and Grampian but not in Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Answer · Susan Deacon: It is a matter for each health board to determine its prescribing policy on drugs, taking into account advice from local Drug and Therapeutic Committees. When the Health Technology Board for Scotland begins work later this summer, health boards will have acce…

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how candidates are selected for the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland, the Health Technology Board for Scotland and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidance Network and how it ensures that the individuals sitting on these boards retain an objective and independent view.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The appointment of members to the boards of special health boards such as the Clinical Standards Board and the Health Technology Board, is made by me on behalf of Scottish Ministers. These appointments are made on merit by fair and open process and are subjec…

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the precise remit of the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland is and what is being done to ensure that guidelines from the Health Technology Board for Scotland and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidance Network are being implemented by health boards.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Clinical Standards Board for Scotland is a statutory body, established as a special health board in April 1999. Its role, in line with the Scottish Executive's commitment to quality, openness and public accountability, is to promote public confidence that…

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what safeguards are in place to ensure that the function of the Health Technology Board for Scotland is not to replicate decisions already communicated to it by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The report of the Working Group on the Implementation of the Scottish Health Technology Centre, published on 17 November 1999, indicated that the Health Technology Board for Scotland and NICE would establish a close working relationship with reciprocal observ…

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why it is necessary to have two organisations, the Health Technology Board for Scotland and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidance Network, compared with one organisation, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, in England and Wales.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Scotland's arrangements for clinical effectiveness are different from England and Wales. The Report of the Working Group on the Implementation of a Scottish Health Technology Assessment Centre, published on 17 November 1999, explains the reasons for establish…

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the adoption of each of the eligibility criteria outlined by the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland for NHS-funded assisted conception.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The report of the Expert Advisory Group provides a robust evidence base for the management and delivery of infertility services in Scotland which includes recommendations on eligibility criteria. It will also provide equity of access to services and treatment…

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what strategy is being developed to improve the population's health and reduce inequalities in health in Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive has adopted the White Paper, Towards a Healthier Scotland, which was produced after extensive consultation throughout Scotland, as the basis for its strategy. A copy of the White Paper is available in the Parliament's Reference C…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether pay rates for doctors providing healthcare in the Scottish Prison Service will accurately reflect equivalent rates in the NHS.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-5669.

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether doctors providing general medical services to the Scottish Prison Service will be trained in the advice and treatment of drug misusers.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Mr Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. Mr Cameron's response is as follows:Prison Doctors' continuing medical education includes training on the management of drug misuse.

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether guidelines and resources are in place in prisons in Scotland to screen for mental disorders, monitor psychological adaptation to prison and identify symptoms resulting from use of drugs, medication, alcohol or contagious or chronic conditions.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:In 1998, the Scottish Prison Service published its Health Care Standards for Prisoners. Earlier this month, we launched P…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines are in place to ensure that prisoners in Scotland are given professional health care, advice and support.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Mr Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. Mr Cameron's response is as follows:This is a matter for the Scottish Prison Service which published its Health Care Standards for Prisoners in 1998.

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to ensure minimum disruption in health care of prisoners when they are moved across NHSiS healthcare boundaries for custodial reasons.

Answer · Jim Wallace: This is a matter for the Scottish Prison Service who say that both Prison Medical Officers and Hospital colleagues liaise with each other regarding on-going care when prisoners are transferred for operational reasons.

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to ensure seamless care for prisoners in relation to mental health and drug misuse.

Answer · Jim Wallace: This is a matter for the Scottish Prison Service which in 1998, published its Health Care Standards for Prisoners. These include a specific Standard on Throughcare.

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how issues of consent and confidentiality in relation to medical treatment can be assured for prisoners in Scotland's jails.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Mr Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:Doctors providing services within Scottish prisons are bound by the same rules of confidentiality and consent as those work…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether prisoners will receive an equivalent level of care and access to treatment as elsewhere in the NHS in Scotland.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Mr Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:Prisoners will continue to receive a level of health care provision equivalent to that available in the wider community, wh…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether general medical services in the Scottish Prison Service will in future be provided by qualified general practitioners.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Mr Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:General medical services will continue to be provided by qualified General Medical Practitioners.

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what quality measures will be included in the criteria used to judge the tenders for the care and treatment of prisoners in Scotland's jails.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Mr Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The quality measures included in the criteria are comparable and consistent with those used within the NHSiS. SPS has engage…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress the Scottish Prison Service is making in putting its general medical services out to tender.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Mr Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. Mr Cameron's response is as follows:The responses to the SPS Service Operational Requirement are currently being evaluated.

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether couples living in different health board areas have the same access to NHS in vitro fertilisation services.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The report of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services, which was issued to all health boards and NHS Trusts in Scotland earlier this year, recommends equity of access to services and treatment throughout Scotland. All health boards have been asked t…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place in the NHS to treat and manage malnutrition.

Answer · Susan Deacon: There are no formal guidelines specifically targeted at malnutrition in the community. In 1999 by the Scottish Executive Health Department set out an action plan for nursing homes to assess the nutritional status of residents and provide for their dietary nee…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospital and community dieticians there are in each health board area.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The latest information available centrally on numbers of dieticians employed in the NHS in Scotland is shown in the table.Dieticians employed in the NHS in Scotland by Health BoardHeadcount at 30 September 1999p<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CEL…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether medical records state the nutritional status of patients and, if not, whether there are any plans for them to do so.

Answer · Susan Deacon: There are no national, mandatory standards for the layout or content of medical records in the Primary or Secondary care sectors. The recording of nutritional information is therefore at the discretion of the patient's clinical team.

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what work has been done to assess the role socio-economic factors play in the incidence of malnutrition.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Health Survey of 1995, commissioned by the then Scottish Office, found associations between socio-economic status, defined by occupational social class, and a range of indicators of quality and adequacy of diet. Other UK surveys, such as t…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase awareness of the causes and consequences of malnutrition among healthcare and social services staff.

Answer · Susan Deacon: It is widely recognised that, next to smoking, diet is the most important contributor to poor health, and that overweight or obesity is the main problem in Scotland as opposed to under nourishment. The Scottish Diet Action Plan provides the framework within w…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what new information it obtained from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey and whether the #3.8 million cost of the survey represented value for money.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey studied young people between the ages of four and 18. The only previous national survey of diet among school-age children was carried out in 1983, and included only 11-12 and 14-15-year-olds. The new survey t…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which of the Acheson report's 39 policy recommendations have been or are being implemented in Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: In 1997 Sir Donald Acheson, the former Chief Medical Officer for England, was commissioned by the Secretary of State for Health to review and summarise inequalities in health in England and to identify priority areas for the development of policies to reduce …

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether adequate measures are in place to ensure that incompetent doctors are not allowed to practise.

Answer · Susan Deacon: NHS Trusts and health boards already have a range of formal and informal measures to ensure that incompetent or dangerous doctors are not allowed to practise within their area. These include: voluntary withdrawal from one or more segments of the practitioner'…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether doctors who are struck off the register by the General Medical Council can continue to practice in the private sector in Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: No. A doctor may not practise anywhere in the UK, either in the NHS or the private sector if the General Medical Council has withdrawn his or her registration.