Parliamentary questions

Shona Robison

1,014 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

20 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average hospital waiting time was for patients diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in the latest period for which figures are available.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The treatment of myasthenia gravisis undertaken mainly in primary care and hospital out-patient settings, and in asmall number of cases in-patient and day case treatment is performed. Informationon waiting times is available centrally for first out-patient ap…

20 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients waited for more than (a) six months, (b) 12 months and (c) 24 months for a hearing aid to be issued after an initial hearing test and diagnosis in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This information is not heldcentrally. However, ISD Scotland have been working with NHS boards to create a dataset on the total number of people waiting to be fitted with a hearing aid. Thisinformation will be available in June 2007.

20 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) consultant-led and (b) midwife-led maternity units there were in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001 and (iii) the latest year for which figures are available and what forecast it has made of the numbers and types of maternity units that will be required in (A) 2008 and (B) 2010.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: There are currently 18consultant-led maternity units and 22 community units across Scotland.Information about past and futureprovision and planning in this regard are matters for NHS boards in the first instance.

20 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many accident and emergency departments there were in (a) 1997, (b) 2001 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by type, and what forecasts it has made of the numbers and types of accident and emergency departments that will be required in (i) 2008 and (i…

Answer · Andy Kerr: The number of NHS locations recordedas providing an accident and emergency (A&E) service in each of the years requestedis shown as follows. The list includes services that are provided other than ona 24-hour, seven day basis, and services provided by a ra…

20 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the amount that the NHS will pay to private health care providers in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2012-13.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has funded £45 million over threeyears, as part of the commitments in Fair to All, Personal to Each (2004),to enable NHS boards to use the independentsector to provide treatment for NHS patients where this added capacity offers v…

20 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the 10 local authority (a) areas and (b) wards with the (i) highest and (ii) lowest life expectancies in (A) the latest year for which information is available and (B) 1996-97.

Answer · George Lyon: Life expectancy figures arenormally calculated for a three year period, to provide large enough numbers toensure accuracy. Figures are available up to 2003-2005.Information on lifeexpectancy at birth for ranked local authority areas for the latest peri…

15 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what the average waiting times, in weeks, have been and (b) how many patients have been waiting for a first appointment in the (i) child dental health, (ii) conservation, (iii) oral medication, (iv) oral surgery, (v) orthodontics, (vi) periodontology and (vii) prosthodontics departmen…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Information on waiting timesand waiting lists for a first out-patient appointment following referral from ageneral medical or dental practitioner, is collected at specialty level onlyand not at hospital department level.The current national maximumwait…

6 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dentists have served notice to terminate their NHS contracts in each of the last four months.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Dentists providing NHS generaldental services in Scotland do not have NHS contracts, unlike those in England andWales.

6 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards have imposed restrictions on NHS dental activities as a result of budgetary pressures and what restrictions have been imposed by each board.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We are not aware of any NHSboards imposing such restrictions. The costs of general dental services are metcentrally.

6 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on NHS reorganisation in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The information is notavailable in the format requested.

6 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on NHS administrative staff in each year since 1990.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Administrative staff make aninvaluable contribution to the operation of the health service, organising servicesin a way which provides equitable access to the highest possible levels of sustainablequality care and ensuring that the patient’s journey through t…

30 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage and number of nurses left the profession in each year since 1999.

Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not heldcentrally. However, the number and percentage of registered nurses and midwiveswho left NHSScotland since 1999 is outlined in the following tables.Registered Nursesand Midwives leaving NHS Scotland1<table bord…

30 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the nursing vacancy rate was for posts vacant for more than three months in each year since 1999.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The following table shows thefigures for nursing and midwifery staff vacancies (three months or more) by wholetime equivalent each year since 1999.At 31 March<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td nowrap valign=bottom> …

30 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the nursing vacancy rate was in each year since 1999.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The following table shows thefigures for nursing and midwifery vacancies as a percentage of establishment.At 31 March<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td nowrap valign=bottom> 1999 </td> <td nowrap valign=bottom> 200…

19 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged (a) 50 to 64, (b) 65 to 74 and (c) 75 and over were treated for depression in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The exact number of those treatedfor depression is not available centrally. The information provided is thelatest available estimates based on returns from a representative sample of generalpractices in Scotland.Estimated Patients, 50 Yearsand Over, Se…

19 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many emergency hospital readmissions there were of people aged (a) 50 to 64, (b) 65 to 74 and (c) 75 years and over in each quarter of each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Information on emergencyadmissions within 28 days of discharge is given in Emergency admission rateswithin 28 days of discharge from medical and surgical specialties, by age group,in Scottish Hospitals by quarter and NHS board of treatment, 2003-2005 a copyof…

19 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many operations were subject to medical deferral in each quarter of each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requested isnot available centrally.

19 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many operations were performed within (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, (e) five, (f) six, (g) seven, (h) eight, (i) nine, (j) 10, (k) 11 and (l) 12 weeks or more of referral from a GP or specialist practitioner in each quarter of each of the last five years, broken down by NHS b…

Answer · Andy Kerr: It is not possible, fromcurrent data sources, to identify the length of the whole wait from a GP orspecialist practitioner referral to the date of in-patient or day caseadmission.Informationon the length of time waited byScottish res…

11 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) coronary artery bypass operations and (b) percutaneous coronary interventions took place in the NHS in each year since 2000-01, also broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Information on the numbers ofdischarges from acute general hospitals involving an operation of coronary arterybypass graft or angioplasty (percutaneous coronary intervention) for years ended31 March 2001-2006 by NHS board of treatment is published on ISD Scot…

11 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of backlog maintenance in the NHS in each financial year since 1997-98.

Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not heldcentrally.

11 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the total number of NHS staff who have worked in the (a) acute and (b) community sector in each year since 1997 shown in terms of (i) headcount and (ii) full-time equivalent.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The way in which workforce datais collected means that it is not possible to differentiate between those who workin the acute and community sectors for all staff groups.This data is available for medical,dental and nursing staff. and is published on th…

11 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been removed from official NHS in-patient waiting lists in each year since 1990.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requested isnot available centrally.Information on inpatient/daycase waiting lists is collected via a monthly census and published quarterly byISD Scotland. Between census dates, thousands of patients are added to or removedfrom NHS boa…

12 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of its health budget is spent on medical technology.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Spending on medical technologyis a matter for individual health boards within their delegated limits of approvals.Investment in this area may require business cases to be approved by the board andsubsequently by the Health Department depending on the level of…

6 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs have been created in the (a) private and (b) public sector since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: There is no information held centrally on how many jobs have been created in the private and public sector.However, it is possible to look at net change in employment in both of thesesectors. The following table shows the level of public and private sectoremp…

16 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost will be of carrying out the study of the economic, social and environmental impact and cost of retaining or removing tolls from the Tay and Forth bridges.

Answer · Tavish Scott: A budget of up to £85,000 (excludingVAT) has been allocated for this work. The final costs will not be known until thestudy is complete.

16 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses it received to its consultation on retaining or removing tolls from the Tay and Forth road bridges.

Answer · Tavish Scott: A total of 89 submissions werereceived in response to the invitation to submit factual evidence in support ofretaining or removing the bridge tolls.

16 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what stage the study of the economic, social and environmental impact and cost of retaining or removing tolls from the Tay and Forth road bridges has reached.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The consultant appointed to conductthe study, Steer Davies Gleave, is progressing a number of aspects of the work.This includes developing the traffic modelling work done in Phases 1 and2 of the Tolled Bridges Review; conducting primary research, inclu…

15 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the new age discrimination legislation will have on the level of bursaries available for nursing students.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I am currently considering theimpact of this legislation on the Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary Scheme andwill reach a decision as soon as possible.

15 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that more action should be taken to raise public awareness of deep vein thrombosis.

Answer · Andy Kerr: There is already considerablepublic awareness of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) through the information leafletsproduced by NHS boards and organisations such as Lifeblood, the Thrombosis Charity.NHS Quality Improvement Scotland’s stock taking work includes…

15 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that there should be national guidance on the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive has accepted therecommendation from the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman that consideration shouldbe given to the need for Scotland-wide guidance on the management of DVT. The developmentof any clinical guidance is primarily a matter for NHS Qu…