Mr David Davidson

19 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many podiatrists are practicing in the NHS, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on staff in postin NHS Scotland is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website underWorkforce Statistics, at <b><a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/workforce">www.isdscotland.org/workforce</a></b>.Information on podiatrists is published in…

19 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what podiatry services, treatments and devices are available in the NHS and what the patient charges are for them.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The planning and provisionof NHS podiatry services are matters for NHS boards. Information concerning therange of podiatry services, treatments and devices in an NHS board’s area is availablefrom the NHS board directly. As part of NHS service provision there …

5 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce its incentive package to attract allied health professionals to the NHS, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland; whether the package will include contributions towards student loan repayments of such professionals, and what the cost of the package will…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: <i>A Partnership for aBetter </i><i>Scotland</i> set out a range of initiatives to improve thedelivery of public services, including the NHS. A number of the initiativeshave the aim of developing and supporting staff in NHSScotland and include theintroduction…

27 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are affected by asbestos-related illness and what the annual cost is to the NHS of treating such illnesses, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are number of illnesses which are specific to asbestos such as mesothelioma, pleural plaque with presence of asbestos and pneumoconiosis due to asbestosis. Asbestos exposure will contribute to a number of other conditions including lung cancer but may n…

27 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will draw up a national healthcare strategy to tackle asthma in light of recent research highlighting that it is a widespread and complex condition.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: A spectrum of measures is intrain within Scotland which reflects the importance the Executive attachesto addressing asthma. These include: </p><p>The new GP contract includesasthma as a condition, which will attract extra remuneration for doctors, ifthey meet…

12 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what national strategic plans it has in respect of the care of patients with chronic comorbidity.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Care of patients withcomorbidities forms an important part of chronic disease management.</p><p>We have national strategiesfor coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes, implementation ofwhich takes account of the inter-relationship between these co…

12 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to ensure that there is no disruption to the pricing of prescriptions when new desktop scanners are introduced in order to avoid any delays in payment as experienced by pharmacists when the scanner system was introduced in 2000.

Answer · Tom McCabe: To ensure that the payment scheduleis not compromised, existing scanners will not be moved from their location inTrinity Park House, but will remain fully operational and maintained untiltheir replacements have been installed and tested at the new Scanner Cen…

12 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total volume was of drugs dispensed in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is given in the following tables.</p><p> </p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>NHS Board</p> </td> <td colspan=5> <p align=center>Number of dispensed items – Year ending 31 March</p> </t…

12 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to permit pharmacists to claim a fee for not dispensing prescriptions after exercising professional judgement, as is the case in the Republic of Ireland.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Remuneration arrangements forcommunity pharmacists, including the question of “non-dispensing” fees, arebeing considered as part of the on-going discussions with the ScottishPharmaceutical General Council on the new community pharmacy contract. To dateno deci…

12 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many tonnes of unwanted medicines were returned to community pharmacies in each year since 1995, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Since 1997 the disposal ofpatients’ unwanted medicines has been carried out by community pharmacies underthe terms of local contracts negotiated by NHS boards and trusts and thecommunity pharmacy contractors in their area. The information requested is notheld…

12 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce diagnostic and treatment centres similar to those being introduced in England.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Partnership for Care madeclear that the way NHS services are provided must continually adapt to reducewaiting times and improve the quality of patient care. It is for NHS boards todetermine how these improvements are best brought about. But, NHS boardsalready…

9 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which general sale list or pharmacy-only items will be excluded from the minor ailments service for community pharmacists and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Items excluded from theminor ailments service are those which cannot be prescribed on the NHS and arelisted in Schedule 10 to the NHS (General Medical Services) (Scotland)Regulations 1995 No. 416 (S.29).</p>

9 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the eligibility rules for access to the minor ailments service for community pharmacists.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Currently the service isbeing piloted in NHS Ayrshire and Arran and NHS Tayside, where the eligibility rules areavailable.</p>

9 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the minor ailments service for community pharmacists will be introduced across Scotland.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The extension of the minorailment service throughout Scotland will be informed by both experience gained in thepilots (currently underway in NHS Ayrshire and Arran and NHS Tayside) and theon-going discussions with the Scottish Pharmaceutical General Council o…

9 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on whether, under the recently agreed quota arrangements, Scottish fishermen should be allowed to utilise the unused days at sea of other Scottish vessels that for any reason cannot use their allocation.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Arrangements are in placeunder EU rules to provide, within certain limits, for the transfer of unuseddays between vessels.</p>

6 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the findings of the report by the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman of an investigation into a complaint against Grampian University Hospital NHS Trust, published on 3 February 2004, whether it will directly support orthodontal services in Grampian and, if not, whether it wil…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Arbuthnott formuladetermines the increase in boards’ financial allocations on the basis of anoverall assessment of relative needs, taking into account the influences ofdemography, deprivation and remoteness. The planning and provision of servicesare matte…

6 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average number is of NHS patients on dental practice lists, expressed also as a percentage of the average total number of patients on such lists.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The average number of NHSpatients on general dental practice lists in Scotland at 31 December 2003was 2,730.</p><p>It is not possible toexpress this number as a percentage of the average total number of patients onsuch lists, as information on non-NHS patient…

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which of its health-related helplines will be transferred to NHS 24; what resources will be transferred, and whether any staff posts will be reduced as a result.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The operation of the HealthyLiving and Breathing Space helplines has transferred to NHS 24. We expect to allocatesome £700,000 to NHS 24 to cover the operation of these lines in 2004-05. Thiswill allow the Breathing Space<i> </i>service to be rolled-out natio…

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans for area tourist boards to become city region based.

Answer · Frank McAveety: The ministerial group on tourismhas been examining the state of Scottish tourism, and the public expendituredevoted to it. We are considering the area tourist board review in the contextof these wider issues. It is important that any reshaping of the area tou…

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5644 by Mr Tom McCabe on 4 February 2004, how many (a) dentistry graduates and (b) applicants to dental schools there were in each year from 1990 to 2000.

Answer · Tom McCabe: In response to how many (a) dentistry graduates, this information is not available prior to 1995 and is as follows:</p><p>Dentistry Graduates</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> <p>Year</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>Number</p> </t…

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what patient consultation it has completed with regard to its proposal to abolish local health care councils and what consultation has been conducted with regard to the independence of the new Scottish Health Council.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: <i>Proposals for a New Public Involvement Structure for NHS Scotland</i> issued for national consultation in March 2003. The proposals weredeveloped following an extensive pre-consultation exercise with the keystakeholders; local health councils, the Scottish…

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish, prior to the Stage 1 debate on the National Health Service Reform (Scotland) Bill, its evidence to support its view that the bill is cost neutral in respect of the abolition of NHS trusts.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The evidence supporting theview that the bill is cost neutral in respect of the abolition of NHS trustswas set out in a letter to the Finance Committee dated 21 October 2003 andin a letter to the Health and Community Care Committee dated 24 February 2004.</p>

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for a review of dental materials approved for use under the NHS dental services contract for primary care.

Answer · Tom McCabe: We have no current plans fora review of dental materials approved for use under NHS general dental services,however, we are currently conducting an extensive consultation on the future ofNHS dental services in Scotland.</p>

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the target dates are for the implementation of free dental and eye checks and what the results of its negotiations were with relevant professional bodies with regard to the provision of such services.

Answer · Tom McCabe: We have undertaken tosystematically introduce free dental and eye checks for all before 2007. Discussionswith the relevant professions on the method of introduction are on-going.</p>

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide dedicated residential facilities for people with eating disorders in each NHS board area and whether it will encourage the provision of independent sector facilities for people with eating disorders to add capacity to the NHS where boards are unable to provide such a …

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards are responsiblefor assessing local service needs and for providing services to meet them,within the framework of national priorities and resources. I therefore look to boards,working together where appropriate, to determine the pattern of eating di…

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the results of its consultation with each NHS board on the effects and costs of the reduction of hours of junior doctors.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Reducing the hours worked byjunior doctors to ensure safe patient care is a key priority for NHS employersand presents significant challenges. The effects are far reaching and thenecessary changes form part of a wider programme of service modernisation and re…

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the cost of delivery of healthcare by patient episode has risen in line with the increased allocation of resources in real terms.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS Board allocations haveincreased in real terms by 15.8% since 1999-2000. This compares with the realterms increase in measurable unit costs, mainly in the acute sector, of 23%over the same period.</p><p>The unit cost figure shouldbe treated with caution as…

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it estimates out-of-hours primary medical services will cost after 1 April 2004, broken down by NHS board area, and whether it will allocate resources to ensure that service levels in other areas of healthcare are not compromised after this date.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Under the new GMS contractGPs have the option to transfer responsibility for delivering out-of-hoursprimary medical services to their NHS boards. NHS boards have until 31 December 2004 toplan for reprovision of out-of-hours service, by which time they should …

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will propose that the roles and responsibilities of local authorities be debated in the Scottish Parliament.

Answer · Andy Kerr: We currently have no plansto propose that the roles and responsibilities of local authorities be debatedin the Scottish Parliament.</p>

5 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its plans with regard to the diversification of the Banff and Buchan economy following its fishing decommissioning scheme.

Answer · Jim Wallace: A partnership of ScottishEnterprise Grampian, Aberdeenshire Council and Communities Scotland has alreadyput in place the “Building Buchan New Beginnings” action plan. This local actionplan aims to focus their collective resources on building sustainablecommun…