Mary Scanlon

2 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to ensure that people with Parkinson’s disease are given early access to physiotherapy to help keep them mobile and prevent falls.

Answer · Shona Robison: Standard 17 of the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) Clinical Standards for Neurological Health Services requires care to be delivered by a defined Parkinson''s Disease multi-disciplinary team that specifically includes physiotherapy. Standard 19 sti…

2 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will help to ensure that all carers for people with Parkinson’s disease are told about their right to a carer’s assessment.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, as amended by the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002, gives substantial and regular carers the right to request an assessment of their ability to provide or to continue to provide care. It also requires local au…

2 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that everyone with Parkinson’s disease has access to a Parkinson's disease nurse specialist.

Answer · Shona Robison: Standard 17 of the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) Clinical Standards for Neurological Health Services requires an effective and comprehensive Parkinson''s disease service to be delivered through a multidisciplinary team, including a Parkinson''s d…

2 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many secondary care appointments have been saved in each NHS board as a result of optometrists managing patients in the community.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is not available centrally.</p>

26 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS boards now deliver faster access to child and adolescent mental health services, as outlined in the NHS Scotland Performance Targets for 2009-10.

Answer · Shona Robison: The target for 2009-10 is a developmental one that has provided a focus for NHS boards and the Waiting Times Delivery Board in their work to implement the new referral to treatment waiting time target. It has focussed attention on workforce, services, data co…

26 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether drug misusers have faster access to appropriate treatment to support their recovery, as outlined in the NHS Scotland Performance Targets for 2009-10.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: In July to September 2009, 72% (5,060 clients) of those offered an appointment for assessment were offered a date within 14 days of referral compared to 66% (4,674) during April to June 2009.</b></p> <p >Of those who were still waiting for an appointment fo…

26 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the waiting time is for treatment at the Scottish Advanced Heart Failure Service.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Patients referred to the Scottish Advanced Heart Failure Service are treated within the national waiting time guarantee of 12 weeks, which will reduce to nine weeks at the end of March this year. It should be borne in mind, however, that waiting times for hea…

26 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards offer cardiac resynchronisation therapy undertaken by clinicians in hospitals in their areas.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: All NHS boards offer Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy, which is organised on a regional basis. The service is provided at:</p> <p >Aberdeen Royal Infirmary;</p> <p >the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, and</p> <p >the Golden Jubilee National Hospital. </p…

26 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cardiac resynchronisation procedures have been carried out by the Scottish Advanced Heart Failure Service in each year since 2005.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is given in the following table. As the Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy (CRT) service operates on a regional basis, the table includes equivalent information on all of the centres providing CRT.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 …

26 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been referred to the Scottish Advanced Heart Failure Service in each year since its inception in 2005, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested, which relates to the national services provided by the Scottish Advanced Heart Failure Service, is included in the following table:</p> <p >Referrals to the Scottish Advanced Heart Failure Service</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=…

26 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to allow patients with heart failure access to cardiac resynchronisation therapy.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) services are provided by each of the three regional planning groups, based on a common protocol to ensure consistency of access across Scotland.</p>

11 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the health check for people reaching retirement age will be introduced, as proposed in the SNP manifesto.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is currently developing proposals for a programme of health checks for people when they reach 40 in association with NHS 24. We will make an announcement shortly, including on how these health checks might be rolled out for people at o…

11 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) men and (b) women in each NHS board area have received the Life Begins health check on reaching the age of 40, as proposed in the SNP manifesto.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is currently developing proposals for a programme of health checks for people when they reach 40 in association with NHS 24. We will make an announcement shortly.</p>

11 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools in each local authority area offer annual health and fitness checks to pupils, as proposed in the SNP manifesto.

Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28814, on 2 December 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/App…

8 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to enable people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary hypertension to receive essential supplementary oxygen when travelling by plane around and out of Scotland.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The provision of supplemental oxygen on board Aircraft is a matter for individual airlines and the process is set out in their conditions of carriage. The UK Department for Transport''s 2008 Code of Practice on <i >Access to Air Travel for Disabled Persons an…

8 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research is available on the success or otherwise of current provision of support and services for the treatment of people with drugs and alcohol addiction to gain abstinence in the long term.

Answer · Shona Robison: The <i>Scottish Alcohol Needs Assessment</i> (SANA) 2009 research report, which considered current provision of support and treatment services for alcohol, found that community and residential alcohol services provided a range of treatment interventions. Comm…

8 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the most effective, evidence-based form of treatment and support in the long term is for people addicted to (a) drugs and (b) alcohol.

Answer · Shona Robison: Decisions on the most appropriate treatment for individual clients are taken by clinicians who determine the most appropriate form of treatment, taking account of the needs and circumstances of each client. Their aim is to ensure that the treatment package wi…

8 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the quality of care in the NHS is measured in terms of the benefit to the patient.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The recently launched Quality Strategy sets out the Scottish Government''s commitment to develop a clear framework of measures which allow us to monitor, improve, report and manage the quality of healthcare, with a clear focus on the benefits and outcome for …

4 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the two pilots to help improve access to self-help therapies for people with mild to moderate depression or anxiety will include the use of counselling.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is committed to increasing access to psychological therapies for those with mental illness.</p> <p >The NHS Living Life Pilot, being run by NHS24 for the Scottish Government, offers CBT Self Help Coaching by telephone and three CBT T…

4 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Government Health Directorate Psychological Interventions Team will look at counselling in relation to patient pathways and referral criteria for access to services.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is funding an initiative on patient pathways and referral criteria as part of the process of developing an access target for Psychological Therapies. This work will be co-ordinated within the Psychological Interventions Team - to be ho…

4 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Education for Scotland is supporting or commissioning training in counselling as an evidence-based therapy to meet the needs of patients.

Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Education for Scotland (NES) delivers and commissions training for clinical psychologists, clinical associates in applied psychology, and neuro-psychologists, as well as specific training for particular evidence-based therapies which require a significant…

4 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people or organisations in Scotland have been prosecuted for failure to comply with provisions of EU legislation in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: This information is not held. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service''s Case Management Database records details of specific charges. It is not possible to extract details of offences which have originated from European Union legislation. Some offence…

4 Feb 2010 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the cancellation by Highland Council of a visit to Craggan Outdoors by pupils at Crown Primary School because of the exclusion of a disabled child.

Answer · Adam Ingram: Scottish ministers recognise the challenges for education authorities and schools in balancing the varying needs of all children, including those who are disabled. Ultimately, this is a matter for Highland Council who must comply with their legislative respon…

3 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage increase in demand for ambulance services has been in the last eight years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: A detailed response to this question is available from the Scottish Parliament''s Information Centre (Bib. number 50181).</p>

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was paid as performance-related bonus to managers in each NHS board in each of the last five years.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are approximately 1,300 staff in NHSScotland, equating to less than 1% of the workforce, covered by the executive and senior management performance pay arrangements.</p> <p >The executive and senior management pay arrangements were introduced with effe…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times are for patients seeking access to NHS counselling and psychotherapy services.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not collected centrally. This Scottish Government is committed to developing a referral to treatment target for psychological therapies, and as part of that work is developing information systems to track waiting times for those therapies …

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to increase access to counselling and psychotherapy services for primary and secondary school pupils.

Answer · Adam Ingram: It is for local authorities and NHS boards to design and determine the level of services provided to meet the needs of children and young people who require access to counselling and psychotherapy services, based on local priorities and clinical need.</p> <p…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the increased need for NHS counselling and psychotherapy services.

Answer · Shona Robison: We have a specific commitment to expand and improve access to psychological therapies for all ages. We are working closely with our partners in NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and NHS boards to deliver this commitment and meet patient''s needs better and soo…

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to increase access to NHS counselling and psychotherapy services.

Answer · Shona Robison: We are working closely with NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and NHS boards to expand and increase access to psychological therapies for all ages in a range of settings.</p> <p >We have already established a Psychological Therapies Group (PTG) to administer …

1 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30173 by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 January 2010, for what reason per capita spend in NHS Western Isles in 2008-09 was £480 higher than in NHS Orkney and £568 higher than in NHS Shetland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The per capita spend is calculated on the basis of the total spend by each of the boards in 2008-09 including elements of non-recurring funding.</p> <p >The bulk of funding made available to NHS boards is allocated on the basis of formula. The formula assess…