Nanette Milne

1 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that the experience of treatment and care reported by men with prostate cancer is at the level of that reported by patients with other cancers.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to thequestion S2W-23700 answered on 9 March 2006. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forwhich can be found at: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.se…

1 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to monitor the experience reported by men with prostate cancer.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The views of all patients withcancer including those with prostate cancer are fundamental to the design, deliveryand development of cancer services. Patient Involvement Workers have been workingin the North, South East and West of Scotland Cancer Networks to …

1 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any NHS boards are in contact with Dade Behring Ltd to discuss the application of its approach to improve the availability of Troponin testing throughout the United Kingdom.

Answer · Andy Kerr: This is a matter for NHSboards.</p>

1 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether analysers for Troponin testing for cardiac disease are used in the NHS.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Analysers are available for usein NHSScotland.</p>

1 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has met its pledge that all diabetes patients would have access to screening by March 2006 and whether it will provide a breakdown of any relevant statistics.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Following a successful pilotin Lothian, a national, quality assured, digital photography based diabetic screeningprogramme is being rolled out in March 2006. During the course of the next year,all people with diabetes in Scotland will be offered an opportunit…

27 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the publication of Scottish Health Statistics – Acute Hospital Care on 23 February 2006, what method it uses for recording the number of in-patient and day cases with a national waiting times guarantee.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The number of in-patients andday cases with a guarantee is currently measured by a quarterly in-patient/day caseWaiting List Census (SMR3). The census records each patient waiting and how longthey have been waiting on the last day of March, June, September an…

27 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the data it uses for measuring its waiting time targets include patients who are currently waiting.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Yes. The key datasets usedto measure performance against waiting times targets are the inpatient and daycase and outpatient waiting list censuses, which show the numbers of patientscurrently waiting – and how long they have been waiting – on the census dates.…

27 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its target in the partnership agreement to deliver “a maximum wait of 26 weeks for all out-patient appointments by the end of 2005” means that patients will be treated within 26 weeks.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Our commitment in thePartnership Agreement means that, from 31 December 2005, the maximum time a patient with a guarantee should wait for a firstoutpatient consultation at a consultant-led clinic, following referral by a generalmedical or dental practitioner,…

27 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many in-patients were treated within six months from GP referral in each quarter in each of the last five years, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of in-patients.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The specific information requestedis not readily available from central statistical returns. It is not currently possibleto calculate the length of time that in-patients/day cases waited between GP referraland admission to hospital. However, information is av…

27 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the publication of Scottish Health Statistics – Acute Hospital Care on 23 February 2006, what the baseline figure is in respect of 90.5% of in-patients being admitted within six months in the quarter ending in December 2005.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The figure was calculated fromthe total number of patients who were admitted to hospital from the in-patient/daycase waiting list and who were discharged between  1 October 2005 and 31 December 2005. Ofthis total, 90.5% experienced a wait of  six months or le…

27 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many out-patients were treated within 26 weeks from GP referral in each quarter in each of the last five years, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of out-patients.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Centrally held informationcan provide details of general medical and dental practitioner (GP) referrals toconsultant outpatient clinics and the time elapsed to the first out-patient appointment.</p><p>The following table details the number and percentageof ap…

27 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the publication of Scottish Health Statistics – Acute Hospital Care on 23 February 2006, what the baseline figure is in respect of 89.9% of out-patients being seen within 26 weeks in the quarter ending as at December 2005.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The figure quoted was calculatedfrom SMR00 (out-patient return) data records provided by all NHS boards in respectof patients who attended for new out-patient appointments at NHS clinics taken orled by consultants in acute specialties between 1 October 2005 a…

27 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the initial work undertaken by managed clinical networks can be resourced after the end of the pump priming period and what encouragement will be given to regional planning groups to ensure that managed clinical networks for epilepsy continue.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Regional Planning Groups (RPGs)are aware of the need to support and monitor regional Managed Clinical Networksonce their pump&#8209;priming funding comes to an end. This will be re-iteratedin the new Health Department Letter on Managed Clinical Networks menti…

23 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many salaried general dental practitioners are in post in each NHS board area, expressed also as whole-time equivalents.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The responsibility for employing salaried dentists rests with NHS boards. Not all salaried dentist posts are filled by a single dentist, for example some posts are jointly filled by a number of dentists.</p> <p>Information on the number of salaried dentists c…

23 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many salaried general dental practitioner posts there are in each NHS board area.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The responsibility for approving salaried dentist posts rests with NHS boards. The latest information held centrally from NHS boards indicates that the following number of salaried dentist posts have been approved in each NHS board area.</p> <table border=1 …

22 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Advisory Committee on the Dental Workforce last met.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-23398 on 8 March 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…

22 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the dental workforce needs for Scotland are determined and what the role of the Scottish Advisory Committee on the Dental Workforce is in this regard.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: To date, the dental workforce needs for Scotland have been considered by NHS Education for Scotland and published in biannual Workforce Planning in Dentistry reports, informed by advice from the Scottish Advisory Committee on the Dental Workforce.</p> <p>The …

15 Feb 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to ski areas to encourage the development of ski communities.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The Executive, through the Enterprise Networks, VisitScotland and sportscotland works with communities including those close to ski centres, to support their development.</p> <p>Assistance is tailored to local opportunities and can include activities such as;…

7 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that voluntary sector services are not disproportionately affected by funding cuts to the Supporting People programme.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive believessignificant efficiency improvements are achievable through local reviews of thestrategic relevance, quality and value for money offered by all services fundedthrough the Supporting People programme. It is vital that local author…

7 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to local authorities in relation to managing funding cuts to the Supporting People programme and what steps it is taking to monitor compliance with such guidance.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Comprehensive guidance has beenissued to local authorities on the review of local services, through which the efficiencyimprovements will be delivered. The guidance sets out the key principles and processesfor assessing the strategic relevance, quality and va…

7 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what response it has made to the proposals set out in Supporting People: a view from Scotland's voluntary sector.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Community Care Providers Scotlandand the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, who helped produce the materialset out in <i>Supporting people: a view</i> <i>from Scotland’s voluntary sector</i>,are both represented on the group which is helping the Sco…

6 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to increase the number of specialist neonatal nurses.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We are on track to achieve thePartnership Agreement target of attracting 12,000 nurses and midwives into NHSScotlandby 2007. This target is associated with all qualified nurses and midwives, includingneonatal nurses. Information on specialist neonatal nurses …

6 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many neonatal units have a specialist counsellor in breastfeeding.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This is a matter for individualNHS boards. The information requested is not held centrally.</p>

6 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether neonatal units issue the free information packs provided by the charity, BLISS.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This is a matter for individualNHS boards. The information requested is not held centrally.</p>

6 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist neonatal nurses there are, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Information on specialist neonatalnurses is not held centrally. Informationon the number of nurses and midwives in NHSScotland, broken down by NHS board, ispublished on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics,at <ahref="http://www.is…

18 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5654 by Mr Tom McCabe on 2 February 2004, how many calls there have been to the healthyliving line in each month since January 2004.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The number of calls to the healthy living advice line between 1 February 2004 and 31 December 2005 are as follows:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>2004</p></td> <td> <p> 2005</p></td> </tr> </thea…

13 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the rationale is for its records management process.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The Executive manages its records in accordance with the UK Public Records Acts of 1958 and 1967. Although these acts have no legal force in Scotland, they have been applied by the Executive in managing its records by agreement with the UK Cabinet Office, in …

13 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for the destruction or retention of its records.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The Executive reviews and disposes of its records in accordance with the Public Records Acts of 1958 and 1967. Although these acts have no legal force in Scotland, they have been applied by the Executive in reviewing and disposing of its records by agreement …

13 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its records and those of the Scottish Office have been destroyed in the last ten years, broken down by (a) year (b) topic and (c) name.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The numbers of Scottish Office/Scottish Executive files destroyed each year for the last 10 years is given below. It is not possible to break these figures down by topic or name, as this information either does not exist or could be provided only at dispropor…

10 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many under 16-year-olds have received contraceptive implants or injections in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) age and (b) NHS board.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requestedis not available centrally. Data collected centrally relate to prescribed itemsdispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors and do not include itemsdispensed through hospitals or hospital-based services. In addition, the …