Brian Adam

1 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the occupancy rates of neonatal beds have been in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information availableis shown in table 1.</p><p>Table1: Average Occupancy in Neonatal Units; by Health Board Area #: Years Ending 31March 2005 to 2007</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td width=176 valign=top> <p>&nbsp;</p…

1 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many neonatal beds there are in each NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: The provisional informationavailable is shown in table 1.</p><p>Table 1: AverageAvailable Staffed Cots in Neonatal Units; by Health Board Area #: Year Ending31 March 2007^P</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td width=176 valign=b…

1 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to recruit and train additional neonatal nurses, as recommended by the British Association for Perinatal Medicine.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Governmentin conjunction with NHS Education Scotland and higher education institutions hascommissioned work which will promote capacity building within neonatal servicesin Scotland including the Neonatal Nurses Education Programmeto ensure member…

17 Oct 2007 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with the new Aberdeen dental school.

Answer · Shona Robison: Good initial progresshas been made towards the establishment of a third dental school in Scotland in Aberdeen.</p>

3 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the funding allocation for each fully loaded private sector pre-school place has been in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Adam Ingram: Funding for pre-schooleducation is provided through the core local government finance settlement. It isallocated as part of the block grant and is not provided as a per place allocation.</p><p>The Scottish Governmentissues an advisory floor each year, which i…

2 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to emulate the scale of service user involvement and infrastructure in England in relation to the design and delivery of addiction and harm-reduction services as part of its Patient Focus and Public Involvement initiative.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Executivehas no such plans at this time. However, as part of the National Quality Standardsfor Substance Misuse Services, service users’ views should be sought in order tomonitor the type, delivery and development of services.</p>

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the future funding formula for allocation of blood borne virus funding to NHS boards will be amended to take account of the variable level of development needed in each board area to implement the prevention, treatment, testing, care and education initiatives for phase II of the H…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The allocations tohealth boards for blood borne virus funding are calculated using a formula thatuses the population aged 15-44 in each board area, along with the Board’s levelsof incidence and prevalence of both hepatitis C and HIV. Each health board alsorec…

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned a survey of injecting drug users to assess the prevalence of hepatitis C and, if so, what its interim findings are, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: A study is underway.It is a rolling survey, moving from one health board to another over a 24 monthperiod. To date, recruitment has been completed in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Lothian. Initial results will be madeavailable later this year.</p>

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned qualitative research among people with hepatitis C to identify their information and support needs.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Qualitative work wascommissioned by the Scottish Executive and undertaken by the Leith Agency. The findingsof the work have been used to inform recent initiatives - namely a DVD and the developmentof a website (<a href="http://www.hepcscotland.co.uk/">www.hep…

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to publish a training strategy for substance misuse services in Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Alcohol and DrugsWorkforce Development Strategy Steering Group, chaired by NHS Health Scotland, was set up last year by the Scottish Executive to developa co-ordinated national drugs and alcohol workforce development strategy and effectiveimplementation p…

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to publish the findings of its review of the nature and impact of HIV and hepatitis C public awareness-raising campaigns in other countries.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This review is currentlybeing undertaken and its findings will inform the development of public awarenessraising campaigns for the proposals for Phase II of the Action Plan. It is plannedto make the report available in the autumn.</p>

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether training about hepatitis C will be commissioned for all prisons in the Scottish Prison Service.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked MikeEwart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. Hisresponse is as follows:</p><p>The SPS is fullycommitted to the Hepatitis C Action Plan for Scotland (2006). This includesparticipating in the national training needs a…

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the interim findings are of the statistical modelling exercise being undertaken by Health Protection Scotland into the cost-effectiveness of different hepatitis C screening approaches.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: It is anticipatedthat a report on this and other related studies will be publicly available earlyin 2008. Preliminary findingsfrom the study will be disseminated at a Hepatitis C Action Plan conference at theRoyal College of Physicians (Edinburgh) on 12 Octob…

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned a study to assess the nature and level of the need for hepatitis C treatment-related funding in each NHS board area.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: A Needs Assessmentrelating to testing, treatment, care and support has been undertaken. The findingsare being analysed and will inform proposed actions for Phase II of the Action Plan.</p>

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what work has been undertaken to identify testing and laboratory services for hepatitis C and to assess where new resources are needed to expand or improve existing facilities, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As part of the NeedsAssessment for Hepatitis C Services in Scotland, a survey of all HCV Testing Laboratories in the country has been undertaken.The results of this survey are being analysed and will inform the proposals forPhase II actions which will include…

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients diagnosed with hepatitis C have received treatment in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on thenumber of patients with hepatitis C who received treatment by each health boardis not available. The National Clinical Database is being developed to provide accurateScotland-wide treatment data. The database is expected to be operational in…

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has achieved actions 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 on substance misuse services as described in section 2 of Hepatitis C Action Plan for Scotland - Phase 1: September 2006 - August 2008.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Action 3 has beenachieved. The National QualityStandards for Substance Misuse Services were published in September 2006.</p><p>Action 4 has beenachieved. The Scottish Government has developed a work plan to take forward itsconsideration of the recommendations…

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a breakdown of spending of funding received under the Hepatitis C Action Plan in 2006-07 by NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: A table showing thebreakdown of spending of funding received under the Hepatitis C Action Plan in 2006-07by NHS board is available in Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib.number 43406). Details for Tayside are not yet available and there is no breakdow…

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to publish the national outcome indicators for measuring progress in relation to hepatitis C prevention, testing, treatment, care and support, and training and education, as agreed with the Hepatitis C Action Plan Co-ordinating Group and local HCV Executive Leads.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Health ProtectionScotland now plan to submit national outcome indicators in the context of the <i>PhaseII Action Plan Report</i> to the Scottish Executive in February 2008. The originalplan, as indicated in the <i>Phase I Action Plan Report</i>, was to agree …

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an assurance that there will be no break in funding between the first and second phases of the Hepatitis C Action Plan.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Funding of Phase IIwill, in common with funding across portfolios, be subject to decisions to be takenand announced as part of the Spending Review process. I am not therefore in a positionto offer any assurances on funding at this stage.</p>

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-14084 by Cathy Jamieson on 14 February 2005, whether it will consider collecting data on motoring and speeding offences committed by foreign nationals.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: There are no plansat present to expand the data collections to gather information on the nationalityof perpetrators.</p>

11 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will meet the British Dental Association and what will be discussed.

Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Government Officialsmeet regularly with representatives of the British Dental Association (BDA) andare next due to meet on 17 October to discuss a range of dental issues.</p><p>As Minister for Public HealthI have written to and will also meet with BD…

6 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why there has been a delay of a year to the projected completion date of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route; when any causes of the delay occurred; what contribution each made to the delay, and when ministers were informed of each of the reasons for delay.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to thequestion S3W-1672 answered on 19 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestioins are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.se…

27 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the statement in the Howat Report that a reduction in the drop-out rate of student nurses to 15% and the improvement of postgraduate retention would achieve an annual saving of £26 million.

Answer · John Swinney: The <i>Budget Review</i>report will contribute to our strategic thinking around the <i>Spending Review</i>.It would be inappropriate to comment on the detail or pre-empt any commitment aheadof <i>Spending Review 2007</i>.</p>

27 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence there is that adverse financial circumstances are a significant factor in drop-out rates for student nurses.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are a numberof reasons why nursing and midwifery students leave their course. There is anecdotalevidence that finance is one reason but there are also a number of other reasonsincluding wrong career choice, health and academic failure. Detailed informat…

27 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the drop-out rates from nursing schools in Scotland compare with those in England in the most recent year for which comparable figures are available.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on drop-outrates is not collected centrally in England and so it isnot possible to make a direct comparison with the drop-out rates in Scotland.</p>

27 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what factors contribute to the drop-out rates among student nurses.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The reasons why studentnurses and midwives drop out of their pre-registration programme are multi-factorial.They include wrong career choice, personal reasons, health, academic failure, andfinancial difficulties.</p>

27 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the drop-out rates were for student nurses in each of the last eight years, broken down by nursing school.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The following tablesets out the attrition rates for students undertaking  pre-registration nursingand midwifery programmes in the academic years since 2000-01, the first year forwhich information was broken down by institution.</p><table border=1 cellspacing…

14 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive test question

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Executivehas never set any targets for the numbers of people entering higher education fromareas of multiple deprivation. However, I support initiatives to increase participationin higher education and I am committed to ensuring that everyone has…

13 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the comments by the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change on 7 June 2007 in his response to Patrick Harvie MSP (Official Report c. 458) referred specifically to the M74 and the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-795 on 19 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can befound at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.sea…