Mary Scanlon

27 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to raise awareness of how HIV infection is spread and how it can be prevented.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government currently fund a number of voluntary organisations which focus on HIV. This helps us to deliver the aims of <i >Respect and Responsibility</i>, our sexual health strategy, through the delivery of HIV prevention work. NHS boards across …

19 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the longest waiting time is in each NHS board for accessing treatment with regard to (a) infertility, (b) alcohol addiction, (c) mental health and (d) physiotherapy.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not available centrally.</p> <p >The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that patients have rapid access to the full range of services they need from the NHS. Specific targets are in place for first out-patient appointm…

19 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it proposes to increase access to cardiac rehabilitation, as recommended by the British Heart Foundation.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Cardiac Managed Clinical Networks in each board area are responsible for cardiac rehabilitation programmes in their area and ensuring appropriate access including encouraging participation of groups which historically have tended to be excluded, such as w…

19 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to increase access to cardiac rehabilitation for angina patients, as recommended by the British Heart Foundation.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The evidence which suggests that people who undergo a step change in their condition, such as unstable angina, new onset angina or heart failure, also benefit from cardiac rehabilitation will be reflected in our refreshed strategy, which is due to be publishe…

19 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the 14 recommendations from the organ donation taskforce will be implemented.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We intend that the recommendations should be implemented as soon as possible, in view of the shortage of organs for transplantation.</p> <p >The Scottish Government is grateful that the Scottish Transplant Group has agreed to oversee implementation in Scotla…

19 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional donor transplant co-ordinators will be employed by the NHS in 2008.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: It is clear that we will need to recruit additional donor transplant co-ordinators in Scotland in order to implement recommendation 9 in the first report from the organ donation taskforce, which calls for an expansion and strengthening of the current network …

19 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the £40 million allocated for obesity issues will be spent.

Answer · Shona Robison: An obesity action plan providing details of how the Scottish Government will be investing £56.5 million, of which £40 million is newly allocated to this area, over the next three years in initiatives dedicated to tackling obesity, healthy eating and physical …

19 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the overall financial cost of alcohol misuse is, defined by healthcare, social work, criminal justice, emergency services, and wider economic costs in terms of working days lost through alcohol-related absenteeism.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-5468 on 31 October 2007. No updated figures are available.</p> <p >Fuller details on the estimates can be found in <i >Cost to Society of Alcohol Misuse in Scotland: An Update to Alcohol Misuse in Scotland Tr…

19 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) men and (b) women who drink above the recommended daily guidelines for the consumption of alcohol suffer from depression.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally.</p>

19 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what systems and guidelines are used for the detection and management of alcohol misuse in accident and emergency departments and general hospital settings.

Answer · Shona Robison: Evidence-based systems for detection of alcohol misuse are AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and CAGE (attempts to C</b>ut back on drinking, being A</b>nnoyed at criticisms about drinking, feeling G</b>uilty about drinking, and using alcohol a…

19 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how GPs are being made aware of the existence or benefits of social prescribing.

Answer · Shona Robison: <i >Developing Social Prescribing and Community Referrals for Mental Health in </i><i >Scotland</i> (Bib. number 45194) was published and promoted within primary care last year setting out the care advantages of and steps toward social prescribing for those…

19 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been done on the benefits of social prescribing for mental health patients.

Answer · Shona Robison: A range or sources and published research is referenced in our report, <i >Developing Social Prescribing and Community Referrals for Mental Health in Scotland</i> (Bib. number 45194) which also sets out the potential care advantages of social prescribing for …

19 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans are in place to increase social prescribing for mental health patients.

Answer · Shona Robison: We published a guidance report last year setting out the care advantages of and steps toward social prescribing for those with anxiety and depression or other mental illness.</p> <p >That report, <i >Developing Social Prescribing and Community Referrals for …

19 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will fully fund free personal care for the elderly on the basis of the eligibility criteria contained in existing legislation.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Independent Funding Review on Free Personal and Nursing Care, chaired by Lord Sutherland, is currently investigating both the level and distribution of resources to local authorities for free personal and nursing care. The review will not only look back a…

21 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to monitor the implementation of the recommendations made in the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland report on services for young physically disabled adults in Glasgow 2003.

Answer · Shona Robison: It is for NHS boards to determine the levels of service provision for young physically disabled adults based on local needs. The majority of the recommendations from the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland review were for the NHS board. Implementing and monitori…

20 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the personal expenses allowance for residents in care homes for elderly people.

Answer · Shona Robison: We agree that the personal expenses allowance needs to be maintained at an adequate level.</p> <p >A Department of Health Stakeholder Group “ including Age Concern and Help the Aged - has been reviewing the care home charging rules in England. The Group is e…

8 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether dentists will be permitted to send their work overseas, rather than use General Dental Council registered laboratories in Scotland and the United Kingdom, following full registration in July 2008.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has no power to stop dentists sending their work overseas, rather than to laboratories in Scotland or the rest of the UK, now or after July 2008, as to do so would be to act incompatibly with community law. It is for dentists themselve…

8 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to ensure that significant numbers of dental technicians continue to work in their profession, following the requirements for mandatory registration by the General Dental Council.

Answer · Shona Robison: From 31 July 2008, all dental technicians must be registered with the General Dental Council in order to practise as such. In terms of legislation made in 2006 they have already had two years to register on the basis of GDC approved experience and/or qualific…

8 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why mandatory registration of dental technicians and other dental care professionals is needed.

Answer · Shona Robison: The primary aim of statutory regulation of the healthcare professions is to improve public safety. Regulation by the General Dental Council (GDC) was introduced for professions complementary to dentistry by the Dental Act 1984 (Amendment) Order 2005 following…

7 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the average cost of a patient stay in an intensive care unit in 2006 was £4,000 in NHS Borders and over £12,000 in NHS Fife.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish Health Service Costs information is published annually by Information Services, part of NHS NSS. This information is mainly derived from financial and statistical data compiled by Scottish health boards. Each board submits overall hospital running co…

7 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many mental health patients have been reported missing to the police, broken down by psychiatric hospital and unit, in each of the last five years.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally and we seek to avoid ad hoc information gathering exercises. However, we are aware that some individual police forces do collate this information.</p>

7 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional money will be made available to GPs to ensure that surgeries open for extended hours have the appropriate staff.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The total additional value of the offer is £19 million. We estimate that this is worth £19,000 per annum to the average practice.</p> <p >The extended hours enhanced service will be supported by £16 million of funding (£2.95 per registered patient), of which…

7 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been done in Scotland to provide the evidence base for extending GPs’ opening hours.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Better access to GP practices remains a significant issue for people.</p> <p >In producing the <i >Better Health, Better Care Action Plan</i>, we saw over 2,000 people face to face and received nearly 600 submissions. This exercise revealed that improving ac…

7 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any GPs’ services will be reduced as a result of the policy to extend GPs’ opening hours and, if so, which ones.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The offer currently being considered by GPs will pay for additional services over and above what is already provided.</p>

7 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when negotiations with the Scottish General Practitioners Committee will be completed in relation to extended hours for GPs.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We expect the result of the GP poll early in March. Depending on the outcome of the poll we will be seeking thereafter to finalise the detailed arrangements for extended hours in Scotland with Scottish General Practitioners Committee.</p>

7 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of psychologists employed in the NHS who have received a banding under Agenda for Change have appealed for that banding to be reviewed, according to the most recently available returns.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We are starting to collate information on requests for reviews but NHS boards are not yet in a position to provide any statistics detailed by staff group. For many boards, the review process is only just beginning as they continue to concentrate on concluding…

7 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of psychologists working in the NHS are on protected pay following banding under Agenda for Change and, if this percentage is significant, what steps it is taking to ensure there is no loss of expertise at a senior clinical and managerial level to the delivery of health ca…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of psychologists on protection is not held centrally since the information collected on protection is only broken down as far as staff group. However, the level of protection within Allied Health Professions (which includes psycholog…

7 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that there is capacity in the NHS to complete reviews under Agenda for Change in a timely manner and whether there is a target date for completion of the process.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Every board in Scotland has recently been contacted and asked to submit a revised implementation plan to inform the Scottish Government when they expect to conclude the process. Once received, these plans will be analysed and a national implementation plan de…

7 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has set a target date for completion of job matching and assimilation to new payscales under Agenda for Change and, if so, what that target is.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Every board in Scotland has recently been contacted and asked to submit a revised implementation plan to inform the Scottish Government when they expect to conclude the process. Once received, these plans will be analysed and a national implementation plan de…

7 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that the bandings of psychologists under Agenda for Change are consistently applied across different NHS boards.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Agenda for Change is designed to be consistent across all staff covered by the new system using the same job evaluation process and the same job profiles. Outcomes are checked both at local and national level before bandings are confirmed. Any staff member wh…