Parliamentary questions
Mary Scanlon
4,514 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
28 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines are available for NHS treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Answer · Shona Robison: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guidance <i >CG31</i> provides guidelines on NHS treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder. Full guidance can be found at <a href="http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG31">http://guidance.ni…
11 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much each NHS board has spent in relation to clinical negligence claims in each of the last five years.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11099 on 14 April 2008 which contains the data requested for the financial years 2004-05 to 2006-07, and the answer to question S3W-22006 on 25 March 2009 which contains the data requested for the financial yea…
11 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made to move from a paper-based to an electronic referral system for acute care.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The proportion of GP-to-hospital referrals made electronically rather than on paper has increased from 75% in October 2008 to 91% in November 2009.</p> <p >The national eReferral team is supporting NHS boards to continue to improve their performance.</p>
11 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to reduce opthalmology waiting times.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is committed to improving access to healthcare. That is why it has set NHSScotland a challenging target that no patient should wait more than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by the end of December 2011. To deliver the target the Sc…
11 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage breakdown is of NHS outpatients by department.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The number and percentage of new outpatient attendances broken down by clinical specialty for financial year ending 31 March 2009 is shown in the following table.</p> <p align=left >Table: NHSScotland New Outpatient Attendances by Specialty. Financial Year …
17 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the anticipated impact is of minimum pricing on the export of Scotch whisky.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Alcohol etc (Scotland) Bill proposes that a minimum price would apply as a condition of premises or occasional licences granted under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. Minimum pricing would not apply to, or impact upon, alcohol exported from Scotland.</p…
17 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the introduction of a minimum price for alcohol in Scotland would contravene the terms of Article III.4 of the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government considers that the introduction of a minimum price per unit of alcohol would be capable of complying with Article III.4 of the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade.</p> <p c
17 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated percentage is of men and women who drink within the recommended maximum limit of units of alcohol.
Answer · Shona Robison: Alcohol consumption is measured in terms of both daily and weekly drinking. The following tables include survey estimates based on consumption on the heaviest drinking day in the previous week and usual weekly consumption.</p> <p >It is widely accepted that …
17 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many retailers have lost their licence to sell alcohol due to selling to under-age drinkers in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The following table gives the number of off-sales licences suspended (table 1). The data on suspensions do not include the reason for suspension and it is therefore not possible to identify whether suspensions are due to a particular offence.</p> <p >Table 1…
17 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the per capita spend is on health in each NHS board area.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Details are as follows:</p> <p >Per Capita Spend 2008-09 (£)</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=186 valign=top > <p >NHS Board</p> </td> <td valign=top > <p align=right > </p> </td> </t…
17 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students on degree courses in planning are due to graduate in each of the next three years.
Answer · Michael Russell: Students enrolled in first degree level courses at Scottish institutions and studying planning as their main course typically study for four years (though a number may study for only three years). Planning includes; urban and rural planning, regional planning…
17 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether every NHS board has plans in place to introduce a comprehensive programme of thrombolytic therapy as part of its specialist stroke care provision.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards are expected to put such plans in place, in the light of the guidance in the Better Heart Disease and Stroke Care Action Plan on developing models to support the delivery of stroke thrombolysis. In particular, the action plan asks NHS boards, throu…
17 Dec 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what potential savings can be made in the public sector by a shared-service approach and the contracting out of services.
Answer · John Swinney: The public sector has a duty to deliver best value and in doing so develop the most efficient and effective service delivery models. The Local Government Diagnostic programme and the recent Sir John Arbuthnott review of Shared Services in Clyde Valley have in…
16 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether neuromodulation surgery for pain relief is included in its waiting time targets.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Neuromodulation surgery can be undertaken in an outpatient setting or as inpatient or day case treatment. The current 15 weeks waiting times standard for outpatients only relates to first outpatient consultation following referral and does not cover subsequen…
16 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are on a waiting list for neuromodulation surgery for pain relief.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not available centrally.</p>
16 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reintroduce a school-based dental service in the most deprived areas, as promised in the 2007 SNP manifesto.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28811 on 19 November 2009 in respect of the introduction of the school dental service.</p> <p >All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for…
14 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason patients in the North of Scotland Cancer Network have to wait up to 131 days for an urgent referral for suspected melanoma and up to 147 days for a routine wait.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Patients in the North of Scotland Cancer Network (NOSCAN) do not routinely wait as long as 131 days from urgent referral to first melanoma treatment. The latest published statistics show that for patients diagnosed with melanoma between April and June 2009 in…
11 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason optometrists are not used to carry out pre-school vision screening in cases where orthoptists are not available.
Answer · Shona Robison: Where orthoptists are not available, it is the responsibility of NHS boards to make the most appropriate local arrangements to carry out pre-school vision screening. These arrangements should be made based on clinical effectiveness, availability of and ease o…
11 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to use optometrists in diabetic retinopathy screening, given that most now have retinal cameras.
Answer · Shona Robison: The issue of community optometrists'' involvement in the Diabetic Retinopathy Screening (DRS) Programme was raised in the consultation on the revision of the 2006 Diabetes Action Plan. Further thinking on the subject will be set out in the revised action plan…
11 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made to provide N3 connections between community optometry and the rest of the NHS.
Answer · Shona Robison: Officials met with representatives of the Scottish Eyecare Group and NHS National Services Scotland on 18 December to further discuss the project. As a result of these discussions, NHS National Services Scotland will undertake further work to finalise the out…
10 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many residential care beds there are for (a) drug and (b) alcohol treatment and recovery in services that include the provision of mental health services.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on the number of drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities is not held centrally. However, information from the National Directory of Drug Treatment Services, maintained by the Scottish Drugs Forum, showed that 27 facilities currently offer resid…
10 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland’s report, Too close to see: Summary of our investigation into deficiencies in the care and treatment of Mr F, how it will address the recommendation regarding clinical psychology provision to inpatient services and to small specialist…
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Ministers accept the report in full and are taking forward the recommendation within it directed to the Scottish Government relating to the use of the Care Programme Approach.</p> <p >We will monitor the implementation of the other recommendatio…
10 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage increase in emergency hospital admissions was in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The year-on-year percentage increase in emergency admissions to NHSScotland acute (non-psychiatric non-obstetric) hospitals for the years 2007-08 and 2008-09 is shown in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td wi…
10 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason drug-related deaths have risen by 36%, from 421 deaths in 2006 to 574 in 2008.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The National Forum on Drug-related Deaths believe that the majority of deaths are amongst a high cohort of ageing drug users, who are in poor health due to a long history of drug misuse and where their tolerance levels are lower.</p> <p >From the end of this…
10 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what mental health support is given to the 75% of drug users estimated to have a mental health problem.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The National Directory of Drug Treatment Services, maintained by Scottish Drugs Forum, lists 72 services who offer specific assistance to people with mental health problems.</p> <p >We continue to work with NHS boards, local authorities and their partners to…
10 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how each NHS board performed against each HEAT target for (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09 and what the projected performance is for 2009-10.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The performance of NHS boards against each of the HEAT targets due for delivery in 2007-08 and 2008-09 are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 50010).</p> <p >The latest performance on 2009-10 HEAT targets is available thro…
10 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason 19 of the 22 NHS boards were unable to meet the 4% sickness absence target in 2008-09.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The HEAT target for March 2009 of 4% was a very challenging target. Four NHS boards achieved a rate of less than 4%, two boards achieved their individual targets of 5% and 6% respectively and of the remaining 16 NHS boards only one reported a rate higher than…
4 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how telemedicine is used to carry out aortic aneurysm checks.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Telemedicine is not currently used to carry out aortic aneurysm checks.</p>
4 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made to use teledermatology in the triage of suspected skin cancer.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: A successful pilot on teledermatology has been completed by the Scottish Centre for Telehealth (SCT). The SCT has recently become part of NHS24. As a service delivery and improvement organisation NHS24 will provide a national focus for telehealth related acti…
4 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have died as the result of a stroke prior to arrival at hospital in each NHS board area in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally in the format requested.</p> <p >The following tables show the number of deaths from stroke in Scotland between 1999 and 2008 that occurred outwith hospital (including deaths at home and in care homes) broken down by NH…