Parliamentary questions
Nicola Sturgeon
676 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate the prescribing of steroid creams on the NHS and, in particular, whether repeat prescriptions for children are common practice in any part of the country, given medical advice that courses of steroid creams for children should be limited to five days.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has no plans to investigate the prescribing of steroid creams on the NHS.<P>It is not possible to monitor repeated use of steroid creams in children from data collected centrally. These data relate to prescribed items dispensed in the community …
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether nurses working in the NHS receive payment, vouchers or any other financial support to pay for off-site childcare as part of their pay and conditions.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The provision of financial support for off-site childcare is a matter for individual health boards and trusts to decide. The Scottish Executive is committed to family friendly policies and encourages all NHSScotland employers to adopt and support appropriate …
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any NHS trust provides on-site childcare facilities for employees.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: Information on the provision of on-site childcare facilities by NHS trusts is not held centrally, but should be available from NHS trusts locally. The Scottish Executive is committed to family friendly policies and encourages all NHSScotland employers to adop…
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to increase the number of (a) nurse practitioners, (b) nurse consultants and (c) clinical nurse specialists.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has supported NHS trusts by pump-priming the development of nurse consultant posts and in providing £6 million for a specialist nurse initiative to train an additional 210 specialist nurses.<P>I expect NHS trusts to address their curren…
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many clinical nurse specialists currently practise in the NHS and in which specialisms they practise.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally.
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurse consultants currently practise in the NHS.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are 13 consultant nurses/midwives currently practising in NHSScotland.
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurse practitioners currently practise in the NHS and in which areas they practise.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally.
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in respect of the care of children in cases where the parents are separated, whether there are any guidelines obliging NHS trusts to communicate with both parents; if there are not, whether it will consider introducing such guidelines, and what the reasons are for the position on this ma…
Answer · Mary Mulligan: Where parents are separated their respective rights to information about their child's health or treatment depends on whether they have parental rights and responsibilities under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. It may also depend on the child's age, maturit…
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to raise the capital limit at which care home residents become liable to pay accommodation charges, currently set at #18,500, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has made unprecedented levels of funding available to support the cost of residential care as part of an overall package of over £1.3 billion for social services for 2002-03. There are no plans at present to raise the capital limits used in asse…
17 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it proposes to introduce new guidelines that will lead to improved conditions and welfare of farm animals.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Comprehensive standards and conditions for the welfare of farm animals, reflecting European and domestic legislation, are in place, in the form of Welfare Codes and leaflets and these are reviewed regularly.<P>A new Welfare Code for sheep has recently been is…
17 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the welfare of farm animals is adequately protected under current government guidelines.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Yes. There is extensive European and domestic legislation and comprehensive guidance in place setting out standards and conditions for the welfare of farmed animals. <P>All producers must meet these conditions. Regular inspections are undertaken and breaches …
17 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many GPs in the NHS reported adverse symptoms of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to the Medicines Control Agency in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Medicines Control Agency received eight reports of <I>suspected</I> adverse drug reactions through the Yellow Card Scheme, in association with HRT use from GPs in Scotland in 1999 and 2000 and nine reports in 2001.
17 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are clinical standards relating to the monitoring of hormone replacement therapy on women undergoing this treatment and, if so, whether these standards are being applied vigorously and consistently.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are no clinical standards for the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The decision to prescribe a drug for a patient is a matter for the clinical judgement of the patient's doctor based on the patient need, and is informed by the advice and guidan…
17 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the effects of hormone replacement therapy on women undergoing this treatment are monitored.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Clinicians with responsibility for treating a patient are also responsible for monitoring their progress and the effects of that treatment, including ensuring that any appropriate follow-up action is taken.
9 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership will be of the Audit Scotland inquiry team looking into waiting lists in the NHS in Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25172.
8 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is on target to meet its pledge to reduce NHS in-patient waiting lists to 75,000 by 31 March 2002.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Figures for the in-patient/day case waiting list on 31 March 2002, by NHS board and trust, will be published by ISD Scotland on <I>its NHSScotland Acute Activity, Waiting Times And Waiting Lists</I> website on 30 May 2002.
8 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether investigations in regard to the reclassification of waiting lists are being carried out at NHS trusts other than the West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The review of the management of waiting lists in NHSScotland, which is currently being undertaken by Audit Scotland, includes all NHS trusts. Audit Scotland expects to publish its report by the end of June 2002.
8 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the results of its investigation into the removal of over 200 patients from the waiting list for plastic surgery treatment at St John's Hospital, Livingston, by the West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust will be announced.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I understand that the Chief Executive of West Lothian NHS Trust asked the Information and Services Division (ISD) of the NHS Common Services Agency to review decisions taken by the trust on waiting list classifications, including those in the specialty of pla…
26 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will fulfil its pledge to guarantee a minimum of one year's employment in the NHS for all newly qualified midwives graduating by October this year.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: <I>Facing the Future</I>, the report of the 19 November 2001 convention on recruitment and retention in nursing and midwifery gave a commitment that every nurse and midwife in training will be guaranteed a year's employment on qualification from autumn 2002 i…
26 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacant midwifery posts there currently are, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The latest available information on the number of midwifery vacancies is shown in the following table:<P>Midwifery Vacancies by Health Board Whole Time Equivalent: at March 2001<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=567><TR><TD WIDTH="23%" VALIGN="TO…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many foot operations in the NHS in Scotland have been undertaken by (a) orthopaedic surgeons and (b) podiatric surgeons in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number of foot operations performed as in-patients or day cases in the speciality of orthopaedics since 1997-1998, by NHS board of residence, is provided in the following table. In that period, no surgical cases were recorded in the special…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost currently is of a foot operation when undertaken by (a) an orthopaedic surgeon and (b) a podiatric surgeon.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not collected centrally.
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost currently is of chiropody/podiatry treatment by (a) a GP, (b) a nurse, (c) a consultant, (d) a chiropodist/podiatrist.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The only information that is collected centrally on the cost of chiropody/podiatry services is the cost of an out-patient attendance at a clinic where the patient is seen by a chiropodist. The average cost of an attendance in 2000-01 was £19.
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) new courses of podiatry and chiropody treatment were started and (b) individual podiatry patients were treated in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The number of courses of chiropody and podiatry treatment provided to patients in each Health board area between 1996 and 2000 are shown in the following table. <P>Number of Treatments Provided by Chiropodists and Podiatrists in the NHS<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACI…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Health and Community Care will make a ministerial statement on any local and/or regional variations in the provision of chiropody and podiatry treatment by the NHS.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: No such statement is planned.
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has of any local and regional variations in the provision of chiropody and podiatry treatment by the NHS.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Information and Statistics Division (ISD) of the Common Services Agency, NHSScotland has published a Health Briefing (2001): <I>Community Chiropody Services</I> which presents information on community chiropody and podiatry services in Scotland between 19…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out into the need for chiropody and podiatry services.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has not conducted a survey of the research in this area. The outcomes of research of this nature will be reported in the professional literature. Chiropody and podiatry services are part of the range of services provided by Primary Care…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has of any increase in the quality of life resulting from effective foot health care provision to (a) children, (b) elderly people and (c) other adults in the last (i) five years and (ii) 10 years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has not conducted a survey of the research in this area. The outcomes of research of this nature will be reported in the professional literature. Chiropody and podiatry services are part of the range of services provided by Primary Care…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it monitors, or plans to monitor, the level of patients' satisfaction with the NHS's chiropody and podiatry services.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, as <I>Patient Focus, Public Involvement</I> which was published in December of last year states, feedback on the services the NHS provides should be solicited in a range of ways. A well-targeted s…
21 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to issue guidance regarding the minimum level of chiropody and podiatry services which should be available to patients from the NHS.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are no such plans. It is for the NHS locally to determine the range and level of service provision in accordance with the needs of the population, and national and local priorities.