Parliamentary questions
Shona Robison
1,014 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been spent on education and advertising for intravenous drug users on the ways in which injecting equipment can become contaminated in the process of drug preparation.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Advice and information onthe risks from injecting come from several sources, eg needle exchange workers,medical practitioners and written materials. It is not, therefore, possible toquantify aggregate expenditure on these activities.</p><p>Through our Know th…
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many services there are for intravenous drug users that provide access 24 hours a day, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Hugh Henry: It is for local drugsservices to set their opening hours to meet client needs and operationalpriorities, and we do not collect information centrally.</p><p>Accident and Emergency Unitsare staffed on a 24 hour a day basis for emergency cases, including overdos…
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits there are of expanding the role of the National Clinical Assessment Authority to include Scotland, given NHS employers in Scotland's responsibility for the management of suspected or actual poor performance.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There may be potentialbenefits in expanding the role of the National Clinical Assessment Authority(NCAA) to provide its services in Scotland. However, the Scottish Executive is currently undertaking aconsultation on the document <i>Safer for</i> <i>Patients, …
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the National Clinical Assessment Authority regarding the consultation paper “Safer for Patients, Supportive for Professionals”.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is involved in ongoing discussion with the National Clinical AssessmentAuthority in support of work on the consultation paper “Safer for Patients,Supportive for Professionals”.</p>
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost would be to it of improving the management of suspected or actual poor performance by NHS health professionals and teams through (a) extending the remit of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to include such management, (b) extending the remit of the National Clinical Assessmen…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The costs are not availableand will be considered in due course on completion of the consultation document“Safer for Patients, Supportive for Professionals”. The consultation is due toend on the 28 May 2004.</p>
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many cases of poor performance by community pharmacists who work in Scotland have been identified by Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain investigations and the action taken in each case.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many NHS nurses who work in Scotland have been reported to the Nursing and Midwifery Council for poor performance in each year since 1999 and the outcome of each reported case.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive does not hold this information.</p><p>The Nursing and Midwifery council have provided the following information on Scottish cases referred to them for misconduct or lack of competence.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <th…
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidences of poor performance by nurses have been brought to the attention of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) in each year since 1999 and in how many of these cases the CNO was approached for advice.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Chief Nursing Officer(CNO) may be informed by the NHS Board Director of Nursing of poor performanceby individual nurses but this would be on a purely informal basis. In someinstances, the CNO may be asked for advice on a particular situation. The CNOdoes …
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many doctors who work in Scotland have been reported to the General Medical Council for poor performance in each year since 1999 and the outcome of each reported case.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not centrally held.</p>
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions External Clinical Assessment Teams have been called in in each year since 1999.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information iscollected by the individual health boards and is not currently centrallycollected.</p>
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidences there were of poor performance, as referred to in the consultation document Safer for Patients, Supportive for Professionals, in the NHS in each year for which figures are available and, of these, how many incidences were deliberate or pre-meditated.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not currentlycentrally collected.</p>
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) patients and (b) patients with an availability status code were on the waiting list for NHS treatment, broken down by (i) speciality and (ii) length of time on waiting list in (1) June, (2) September and (3) December 2003.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested hasbeen placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 32323)</p>
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many in-patient and day cases were treated in hospital in each quarter since June 1999 and how many had been waiting as patients (a) on the deferred waiting list and (b) with a guarantee exception code/availability code, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number of in-patient and day case discharges, and the number admitted from the deferred waiting list during each quarter since June 1999 is provided in the table.</p><p>The deferred waiting list was abolished on 1 April 2003.</p><p>Informat…
25 Feb 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the removal of unhealthy food and drink from vending machines in schools.
Answer · Euan Robson: We expectall schools to end the active promotion or advertising of fizzy, sugary softdrinks and snacks high in fat and salt. Where vending machines are present theyshould promote healthier options/brands such as water and fruit juices ratherthan high sugar so…
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many social service workers will have to be redeployed by local authorities because they are unable, or unwilling, to achieve the requisite qualifications of the social services register for the staff in phase 1, as referred to in the annual report of the Chief Social Work Inspector P…
Answer · Euan Robson: Staff who comeon to the register in phase one will have until the end of the first period ofregistration (a further three years) to achieve the necessary qualifications. Thenumbers of staff who will not achieve the required qualifications willtherefore be det…
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many social workers were sponsored to undertake the Diploma in Social Work by their local authority in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Euan Robson: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated to Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcohol in each year since its formation.
Answer · Euan Robson: £612,000 a year, £1.8 millionover three years, has been allocated to Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcoholsince its inception in April 2001.</p><p>We are committed tomaintaining at least this level of funding for a further three years until 31 March 2007.</p>
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many drug misusers have received a drug treatment and care service in the community in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information is not held centrally on the total number of drug misusers who have received a drugtreatment service since 1999. However, the Information and Statistics Divisionof the Common Services Agency (ISD Scotland) do publish figures on the numbersof new c…
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will meet its target of having a 10% increase in the number of drug misusers receiving a drug treatment and care service in the community this year.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The target of achieving a10% increase in the number of new clients attending drug treatment services ismonitored through returns to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database and figures arepublished annually by financial years.</p><p>Data for 2003-04 will not beavail…
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to direct local authorities to improve services for people with sensory impairments, in light of the concerns expressed by the annual report of the Chief Social Work Inspector, Progress with Complexity: The 2003 National Overview Report.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Sensory Impairment Action Plan, launched in January, gives the Executive, local authorities andother stakeholders clear goals for improved services for people with a sensoryimpairment. A key recommendation is that a short life working group be set upto pr…
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time was for (a) equipment and (b) adaptations for people with physical disabilities, as referred to in the annual report of the Chief Social Work Inspector, Progress with Complexity: The 2003 National Overview Report, in each year since 1999, broken down by local…
Answer · Euan Robson: This informationwas not collected. Local authorities were asked about systems in place tomonitor and improve waiting times as reported in <i>Equipment and Adaptation Services in Scotland: ASurvey of Waiting Times for Social Work Provision, </i>published in<i>…
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) were eligible for and (b) received direct payments in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The following table provides information on the number of clients receiving direct payments, by local authority, for the years ending 31 March 2001, 2002 and 2003.</p><p>This information was not collected prior to the year 2000-01.</p><p>Information on eligi…
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which long-stay hospitals may not have all residents resettled by 2005 due to uncertainty over the financial framework by local authorities, as referred to in the annual report of the Chief Social Work Inspector, Progress with Complexity: The 2003 National Overview Report.
Answer · Tom McCabe: <i>The same as you?</i> recommended in May 2000 that all long stay hospitalsfor people with learning disabilities should close by 2005. Six have closedsince May 2000, with seven remaining for closure by 2005. On 12 January <i>Thesame as you?</i> national impl…
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many carers' assessments there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Tom McCabe: This information is not held centrally at present but I would refer the member to the answer given toquestion S2W-6151 on 17 March 2004 which sets out what the Executive is doing tocollect this information.</p><p>All answers to written parliamentaryquestions …
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have established rapid response teams as recommended by the Joint Future Group's report, as referred to in the annual report of the Chief Social Work Inspector, Progress with Complexity: The 2003 National Overview Report.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Every local authority has eithera rapid response team covering part or all of their locality, or a comparable service.Thirty local authorities have a rapid response team, while the remaining two providea similar service without the label of a rapid response t…
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding (a) has been and (b) will be invested in the implementation of (i) the recommendations of The Same as You? A review of services for people with learning disabilities and (ii) the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The LearningDisability Change Funds provided to local authorities specifically for theimplementation of <i>The Same As You?</i> were £8 million in 2001-02, £12 millionin 2002-03, and £16 million in 2003-04 continuing at that level thereafter. Weare also provi…
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have received a community care service from their local authority in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Tom McCabe: There is no universallyaccepted definition of a “community care service”; however, statisticalinformation on day care, home care, care homes and other services provided bylocal authorities can be found in the publication “Scottish Community CareStatistics 200…
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that standards of data quality are consistent throughout the NHS and are maintained at the highest level possible, in light of the findings of NHSScotland Data Quality Assurance Report on Acute Inpatient / Day Case Data 2000 - 2002.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The report to which yourefer was prepared by the Information and Statistics Division (ISD) Scotland aspart of its well-established procedures for reviewing the quality of nationaldata collected by NHSScotland. The reports produced by ISD on these reviewsinclu…
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental procedures were performed in each year since 1999 and what percentage of procedures occurred after toothache symptoms had already been noted, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The specific information requested is not held centrally.</p>
24 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much methadone was prescribed in each year since 1999 and what percentage was sugar-free.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Methadone hydrochloride can be used as a cough suppressant in terminal disease, an opioid analgesic and as a drug used in substance dependence. It is available in the following formulations: linctus; tablets; powder; injections; and oral solutions.</p><p>Only…