Parliamentary questions
Mary Scanlon
4,514 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
14 Nov 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that training in primary and secondary breast cancer treatments is available and updated to support GPs working in rural or remote medical practices.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Regional and localcancer networks are responsible for ensuring that GPs are updated and supportedwith regard to training for any new developments in the management of cancer. Inaddition, these networks monitor compliance with treatment guidelines, includingwo…
14 Nov 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to ensure that information about the risk and management of lymphoedema is provided to patients.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards are responsiblefor meeting the health care needs of those with conditions such as lymphoedema.Services, including the provision of information, for those with conditions suchas lymphoedema are primarily the responsibility of NHS boards to plan and …
12 Nov 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which organisation is responsible for the post-school transition of people with learning disabilities.
Answer · Adam Ingram: While there is nosingle organisation that is responsible for the post-school transition ofpeople with learning disabilities, the Education (Additional Support forLearning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (the Act) requires education authorities to takespecific action to …
12 Nov 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5836 by Adam Ingram on 9 November 2007, whether the answer means that the goal of the previous administration to make every school a health promoting school by 2007 has not been achieved.
Answer · Adam Ingram: The inspectionevidence available on a national basis from over 500 primary and secondaryschools across all 32 local authorities supports the view that schools across Scotland are endeavouring to be health promoting schools. Onthis basis, we are satisfied that…
9 Nov 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional school nurses will be employed by 2011.
Answer · Shona Robison: The exact numberof school nurses employed in 2011 will depend on a number of factors yet to bedetermined. Our intention is that those school aged children and young peoplein areas of greatest need will in the future have easier access to a widerrange of nursi…
9 Nov 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to expand the roles and responsibilities of school nurses.
Answer · Shona Robison: Our plans are toincrease the range of nursing and other health care support available to schoolaged children and young people. A health care model targeted at deprived and other areas with highnumbers of disadvantaged children will be developed in 2008. Schoo…
9 Nov 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce a lung cancer screening pilot programme.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are at presentno plans to introduce a lung cancer screening pilot programme. The UK National ScreeningCommittee (NSC) provides advice to government on matters relating to national screeningservices. The NSC does not currently recommend the introduction …
7 Nov 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why NHS boards work to set budgets while local authorities have total debts of over £9 billion.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards have nostatutory authority to borrow money and are required to break even on their revenueand capital budgets. The Scottish Government has no power to extend the borrowingcapability of individual NHS boards in Scotland as it is a reserved matter fo…
6 Nov 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS hospital admissions had a primary diagnosis of a mental or behavioural disorder related to the use of cannabis in each of the last five years.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Information isprovided on the number of discharges from Scottish general/acute hospitals andScottish mental and psychiatric hospitals for the last five years.</p><p class=nhsrecipient>Table1 shows the number of discharges from NHS general acute hospitals with…
5 Nov 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to screen the families of patients with premature coronary heart disease in respect of their risk of developing this disease.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-5083 on 18 October 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.<…
5 Nov 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the families of all patients with inherited heart conditions are routinely screened for similar conditions.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-5083 on 18 October 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be foundat http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.<…
31 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether fertility treatment will be considered for inclusion in the waiting times targets, given the age bar on such treatment for women.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-4584 on 18 October 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
31 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5222 by Nicola Sturgeon on 24 October 2007, why podiatrists in NHS Grampian are paid at a lower rate that podiatrists in NHS Highland.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: All parties to theAgenda for Change agreement have taken the view that equity and consistency of outcomeare central to the effective introduction of the new pay system. As a result, thejob evaluation system which assesses pay relativities has been designed to…
31 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of providing locum support for out-of-hours and other GP services has been since the new GMS contract came into effect.
Answer · Shona Robison: <b> </b></p><p>Out-of-Hours</p><p>The information onthe cost of providing locum support for out-of-hours care is not held centrallyby the Scottish Government.</p><p>Other GP Services</p><p>The following tablesummarises the cost to NHS boards for all Scot…
31 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5259 by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 October 2007, why the 2007 level of sickness absence in NHS 24 is 9.88%.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The plans that NHS24 have in place to reduce sickness absence to the national target of 4% were discussedat its recent annual review.</p>
31 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5259 by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 October 2007, what is being done to reduce the levels of sickness absence in the NHS, including the rate of 9.88% in NHS 24.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As part of the annualStaff Governance Self Assessment Audit, all NHS boards are required to submit StaffGovernance Action Plans, which includes measures to ensure that boards are progressingtowards the Efficient Government sickness absence target of 4% by end…
30 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice and support on and treatment for adult obesity is available, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Governmentcurrently centrally funds the Counterweight adult obesity treatment programme inKeep Well Wave 1 practices in Lanarkshire, Lothian and Tayside NHS board areas.As part of Wave 2 of Keep Well Counterweight will also be introduced in pract…
30 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the healthy living campaign and supplemental programmes have been monitored and reviewed to ensure that people receive appropriate health improvement advice.
Answer · Shona Robison: The impact of thehealth improvement campaigns, including the “healthy living” campaign, were until2005 evaluated on behalf of the Scottish Government by NHS Health Scotland throughthe Health Education Population Survey (Scotland) and a communications tracking…
30 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the goal of the previous administration to make every school a health promoting school by 2007 has been achieved.
Answer · Adam Ingram: Schools across Scotland have risen to the challenge and are working in partnershipwith parents and a wide range of agencies to promote health and wellbeing. Inspectionevidence, from over 500 primary and secondary schools across all 32 local authorities,highli…
30 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to tackle childhood obesity.
Answer · Shona Robison: A wide range of actionsthat contribute to children achieving and maintaining a healthy weight are deliveredthrough implementation of the Scottish Diet Action Plan and Physical Activity Strategy.</p><p>Implementation of the Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrit…
30 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what actions are being taken to implement fully the next phase of the Scottish Diet Action Plan so that it has measurable and incremental impacts up to 2010.
Answer · Shona Robison: The ScottishGovernment is taking forward a wide range of action on food and health.Examples include the healthyliving campaign which promotes awareness of ahealthier diet and encourages people to choose healthier food options; theHealthyliving Award which pro…
30 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to increase patients’ self-management of asthma, to assist them to understand their condition and moderate their own medication.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The key to self-managementof asthma is the use of Personal Asthma Action Plans, which give people more controlover the management of the condition, and provide them with earlier care to preventdeteriorations in their health.</p>
30 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that access to cancer treatments is equitable throughout Scotland.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Equity of access toand funding of services for individuals with cancer is primarily the responsibilityof NHS boards to plan, in the light of the needs of their resident population, fromthe unified budgets which are made available to them from the Scottish Exe…
30 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to improve the survival rates for pancreatic and lung cancer.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There has been a significantprogramme of investment in cancer care in Scotland. The Scottish Cancer Strategy, <i>Cancer in Scotland: Action for Change,</i>which is currently being updated, is a wide ranging plan to help control theburden of cancer in Scotland…
30 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will encourage attendance at current screening programmes for cancer.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Bowel Cancer ScreeningProgramme is currently being rolled out across Scotland and it is supported by a communication strategy delivered locally as eachboard joins the programme. The nationally produced information includes a packagefor health professional…
30 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to encourage GPs to be involved in cancer prevention and research.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish PrimaryCare Research Network (SPCRN) encourages GPs to be involved in cancer preventionand research. This is funded by the Chief Scientist Office (at a cost of £207,122in 2007-08) and centrally managed by the Scottish School of Primary Care (SSPC…
23 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5225 by Kenny MacAskill on 22 October 2007, whether it has the power to legislate on the pricing of alcohol and alcohol promotions in retail outlets.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 already sets mandatory conditions for licensedpremises in relation to pricing of alcohol and irresponsible drinks promotions.It also gives the Scottish ministers powers to add such further conditions as theyconsider necessary…
23 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cochlear implants performed on (a) children and (b) adults in each year from 2003-04 were (i) unilateral and (ii) bilateral fittings.
Answer · Shona Robison: <b> </b></p><p>Numbers of Unilateraland Bilateral Cochlear Implants in Children and Adults since 2003-04</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td nowrap rowspan=2 valign=bottom> <p> </p> <p> </p> </td> <td nowrap colspa…
22 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to improve child and adolescent mental health inpatient units.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Education Scotland(NES) has now developed and delivered a New to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) training pack. The associated trainingis being introduced nationally and evaluated. Work continues on Advanced CAMHS trainingto incorporat…
22 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff vacancies in (a) child and adolescent and (b) adult mental health care units there are, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requestedis not held centrally. Each NHS board holds employment details for its own staff.</p>