Parliamentary questions

Nanette Milne

1,264 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

19 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, whether community health nurses will be a hybrid of community nurses in the home and public health nurses; if so, to which community nursing specialists t…

Answer · Andy Kerr: The district, public health (healthvisiting and school nursing) and family health nursing disciplines will be absorbedinto a new, single community health nursing discipline sitting in a wider team ofspecialist nurses. Development sites in four NHS boards will…

19 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, how practitioners will be supported in their current practice and in implementing the recommendations of the report.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The new model for community nursingwill be piloted in four NHS boards over the next two years. This will allow forfurther testing of the implications of the model and highlight further work thatneeds to be done. The development project, which will include hig…

19 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, how it envisages that the proposed new generic role of community nurses will address issues such as early intervention and preventative work as part of th…

Answer · Andy Kerr: All nurses have a role to playin improving the health of the people of Scotland. We need to harness the whole nursing resource, not justone element of it. We are enhancing the quality of that resource with theintroduction of the community health nurse.

19 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, whether feedback from professional bodies, practitioners, higher education institutions and professional organisations informed the final outcome of the r…

Answer · Andy Kerr: A formal written consultationprocess was not carried out. There was on-going involvement of key stakeholders,patients and carers and professional groups which informed the process and outcome.Consultation with key stakeholderswas an integral part of th…

19 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care - Report of the Review of Nursing in the Community in Scotland, whether it considers that the timescale for the review was sufficient and what the reasons are for the length of time (a) taken for and (b) given to imple…

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Review of Nursing in theCommunity commenced in December 2005 with the report of the Review published on14 November 2006. The timescale for the review was sufficient to enablethe following to be undertaken:A scopingexercise of current community nurs…

19 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why it started a process of reviewing nursing in the community and committing public funds to it before the recommendations of Nursing for Health: A review of the contribution of nurses, midwives and health visitors to improving the public’s health in Scotland and Nursing For Health: Two …

Answer · Andy Kerr: We are not moving away from therecommendations in Nursing for Health –Two Years On, rather we are buildingon it. The two overriding messages in Nursing for Health are that all nursesshould base their practice on Public Health principles and spec…

7 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1304 by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 July 2003, how many patients resident in England treated in NHS facilities in Scotland and paid for by English NHS authorities in each year since 2002.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-29635 on 17 November 2006. All of these cases were payable byEnglish NHS authorities.All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facilityfor which c…

7 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1304 by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 July 2003, how many patients resident in Scotland were treated in NHS facilities in England and paid for by Scottish NHS boards in each year since 2002.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Information on the actual numberof Scottish residents receiving treatment in NHS hospitals in England is notavailable. The following table gives the numbers of finished consultant episodes(FCE) Scottish residents have received in NHS facilities in England. An…

27 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider collating up-to-date information on levels of cardiomyopathy.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Numbers of thosewith cardiomyopathy are available from hospital discharges, death registrationsand contacts in General Practice, but these sources identify only those who havebeen diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.Data on the number of patientsadmitted to …

27 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Health and Community Care has made a statement on endorsing the video about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy produced by the Cardiomyopathy Association in 2002.

Answer · Andy Kerr: My predecessor as Minister forHealth and Community Care issued a letter to general practices in 2002 supportingthe Cardiomyopathy Association’s video on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

27 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will prepare guidance on the management of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, similar to the new chapter added to the Department of Health’s national framework for coronary heart disease, and, if not, what action it is taking to highlight cardiomyopathy.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Scotland was represented on the group which drew up chapter8 of the National Service Framework (NSF), dealing with arrhythmia and suddencardiac death. The key elements of that chapter will be reflected in therefreshed CHD and Stroke Strategy which we are…

23 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20130 by Mr Andy Kerr on 7 November 2005, whether the business case has been considered by the minister; if not, when he will consider it, and what the up-to-date position is on the matter.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The process of consulting withthe Regional Cancer Networks and NHS Health Board Chief Executives is now completeand I expect to consider a business case regarding two view mammography before theend of 2006.

15 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29406 by Lewis Macdonald on 14 November 2006, how many children suffering from mental ill-health have been admitted to adult hospital wards in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The information requested isgiven in a table entitled The numbersof children (less than 18 years of age) admitted to general facilities in Scottishpsychiatric hospitals for calendar years 1999 to 2003 published by the Scottish Executive in 2006, a copy…

13 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to publish a waste audit of local authorities.

Answer · Ross Finnie: We have provided a total of £2million to local authorities to conduct waste audits and develop waste preventionaction plans. Some local authorities chose to work with Remade Scotland on this.Remade Scotland intends to publish an analysis of their findings on …

13 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under the age of 18 have received counselling (a) since and (b) prior to receiving anti-depressant drug treatment.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The information requested isnot held centrally.

13 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what average length of time children under the age of 18 receive treatment when they are prescribed anti-depressant drugs.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This information is not available.Prescription data collected centrally are not patient-specific but relate to thenumbers and cost of prescribed items dispensed in the community by community pharmacistsand dispensing doctors.

13 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many flu vaccinations were (a) ordered and (b) assessed as being needed and how many have been accrued for the 2006-07 winter period.

Answer · Andy Kerr: In Scotland, 1.3million doses of flu vaccine have been ordered for the implementation of the fluvaccination programme in 2006-07. This is 200,000 more doses than last year.By the end of October, over 61%of the vaccine had been delivered. This will rise…

9 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies there were for newly qualified midwives in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requested isnot held centrally. Information on those vacancies suitable for newly qualifiedmidwives are held by individual NHS boards in Scotland.However, Table 1 shows the wholetime equivalent number of registered vacancies within mate…

9 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be equal access to the flu vaccination programme across Scotland and whether any NHS boards will be short of vaccine this winter.

Answer · Andy Kerr: ‎As a result of a Europeanwide delay in the delivery of flu vaccine, the UK Joint Committee on Vaccinationand Immunisation (JCVI) recommended that the vaccine should be prioritised accordingto clinical need as vaccine becomes available.Strenuous …

6 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the central stockpile of antiviral agents for avian influenza has been completed and, if so, whether each NHS board has been allocated its share.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive hasstockpiled 1.3 million courses of oseltamivir (known as Tamiflu), an antiviralmedicine which may reduce deaths and complications from an influenza pandemic. Although theavian influenza virus poses a risk to birds its risk to humans i…

6 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28683 by Mr Andy Kerr on 24 October 2006, how many cases of MRSA and MSSA there were for the third quarter of 2006, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Andy Kerr: This information will be publishedby Health Protection Scotland in January 2007.

6 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1303 by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 July 2003, how many episodes of care English residents have received as out-patients, in-patients or day cases in NHS Scotland facilities in each year since 2002.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The numbers of new out-patientappointments and episodes of in-patient day-case care that English residentshave received in NHS Scotland facilities between 2002 and 2006 are shown inTable 1, broken down by data source.Table 1: New Out-PatientAppointment…

31 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children suffering from mental ill-health have been admitted to adult hospital wards in each year since 1999.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The numbersof children (less than 18 years of age) admitted to general facilities in Scottishpsychiatric hospitals for calendar years 1999 to 2003 are shown in the followingtable.<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td nowrap rows…

31 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many full time school nurses worked in schools in each year since 1999.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The following table lists thenumber of Whole Time Equivalent1 school nurses in Scotland between1999 and 2005 (the most recent figures) at September of each year:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td valign=top> …

31 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the level of graduate unemployment among (a) physiotherapists, (b) nurses, (c) midwives and (d) occupational therapists in each year since 1999.

Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not heldcentrally.

26 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28042 by Mr Andy Kerr on 23 September 2006, whether it will provide a breakdown of the number of cases of MRSA and MSSA since 2003 by NHS board area.

Answer · Andy Kerr: A national mandatoryhealthcare associated infection surveillance system was introduced in 2001 tomonitor meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemias (bloodinfections). From September 2006 mandatory reporting of meticillin-sensitiveStaphyloc…

30 Aug 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the NHS investing in shares; how much each NHS board has invested and in what companies; who incurs any losses that are accrued, and who monitors the receipts.

Answer · Andy Kerr: NHS boards are not permittedto invest in shares and will therefore have no reason to do so and invest nil,incurring no losses and having no receipts.NHSboards may, however, invest funds donated to them in shares but the ScottishExecutive does not hold …

30 Aug 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11273 by Mr Andy Kerr on 2 November 2004, how many cases of (a) MRSA and (b) other forms of staphylococcus aureus there have been in each year since 2003.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Further to the answer toquestion S2W-11273 on 2 November 2004, there have been the following number of cases of methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin sensitive Staphylococcusaureus (MSSA) isolated from blood samples s…

29 Aug 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any proven links between Borreliosis (Lyme’s disease) and ME and, if so, whether any routine testing is carried out for these diseases.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive is not aware ofany proven links between Borreliosis (Lyme’s Disease) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis(ME).Clinicians are expected to carryout tests appropriate to the range of symptoms presented.

29 Aug 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS hospitals have (a) in-house and (b) private contracts for cleaning services.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The current pattern ofcleaning services provision in NHS hospitals is as follows:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=605> <thead> <tr> <td width=331 valign=top> Hospital </td> <td width=123 nowrap valign=top> <p align=cente…