Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding it will make available to GP practices to meet any new administrative requirements of (a) an annual assessment of patient access, (b) the annual report and (c) the three-yearly peer review.
Answer · Alex Neil: The access review and quality improvement work is part of the Quality Outcomes Framework. As agreed with the Scottish General Practitioners Committee, the funding is freed up from GP practices no longer undertaking the existing programme of reviewing referral…
5 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether, in amending the frequency of review of the Quality and Outcomes Framework, it will guarantee not to introduce new measures until appropriate software is available.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government recognises the issues with IT for GP practices, and are proposing a period of greater stability and allowing time for the 2013-14 changes to embed and deliver the expected patient and service benefits. In addition we are working with o…
5 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which practices will (a) gain and (b) lose funding as a result of the removal of 264 Quality and Outcomes Framework points.
Answer · Alex Neil: The General Medical Services Contract 2014-15, will bring a 30% reduction in the size of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), with a range of services and funding transferred to the core contract. What this means for GP practices is greater stability of…
5 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in negotiating changes to the General Medical Services contract, what steps it has taken to strengthen patient involvement.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government has an on-going commitment to Primary Medical Services and we have successfully reached a negotiated settlement with the Scottish General Practitioners Committee (SGPC) for the General Medical Services Contract in Scotland for 2014-15 …
5 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the proposed three-yearly peer review of GP practices will include a patient representative.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government is pleased to have reached an agreement with the Scottish General Practitioner’s Committee (SGPC) for delivery of General Medical Services in Scotland in 2014-15, within a framework of an even more Scottish contract which builds on wha…
5 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the proposed three-yearly peer review of GP practices will be undertaken by Health Improvement Scotland in conjunction with the Royal College of General Practitioners and whether they will be (a) in addition to or (b) amalgamated with the accreditation for training of practices.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government is pleased to have reached an agreement with the Scottish General Practitioner’s Committee (SGPC) for delivery of General Medical Services in Scotland in 2014-15, within a framework of an even more Scottish contract which builds on wha…
19 Dec 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional funds it will provide to each local authority in order to meet the two week hospital delayed discharge target.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-19021 on 14 January 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentar…
19 Dec 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional funds it has provided to each local authority in order to meet the four week hospital delayed discharge target.
Answer · Alex Neil: £29 million, previously allocated to NHS boards for delayed discharge, was transferred to the overall local government settlement in 2008-09. We expect NHS boards and local authorities to work within their combined resources to deliver the expected delayed di…
19 Dec 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reduction in the delayed discharge target time to four weeks, how it is monitoring hospital readmission rates.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government reviews hospital readmission rates every three months, on both a national and a hospital basis. The measures reviewed are rates of surgical readmissions within seven days, rates of surgical readmissions with 28 days, rates of medical r…
19 Dec 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been (a) cautioned and (b) convicted for purchasing tobacco on behalf of someone who is underage.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Formal police cautions do not apply in Scotland. In the financial year 2011-12 one person received a police formal warning, six received a fiscal fine and one person was convicted in court where the main offence was under section 6(1) of the Tobacco and Prim…
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many registered tobacco outlets have had their right to sell tobacco removed as a result of selling to people who are underage.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: To date no registered tobacco outlets have had their right to sell tobacco removed as a result of selling to people who are underage.
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many registered tobacco outlets have been (a) warned and (b) convicted for selling tobacco to people who are underage.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information is given in the following tables. People given non court disposals selling tobacco to underage persons1, 2009-10 to 2012-13 Offence 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Children & Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937 Section 18(1) …
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been convicted for selling tobacco from an unregistered outlet.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Under the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010, The Sale of Tobacco (Register of Tobacco Retailers) Regulations 2010 came into force on 1 April 2011. There were no convictions in 2011-12 and one conviction in 2012-13 under Section 20 of t…
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards use the Multi Disciplinary Information System.
Answer · Alex Neil: The NHS boards currently using the multi disciplinary information system are: NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Fife, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Highland, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Tayside.
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it takes to support trainee GPs in (a) deprived, (b) remote and (c) rural areas.
Answer · Alex Neil: The training of, and support provided to, General Practitioner (GP) trainees is co-ordinated and shared between NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and individual employers, in the following ways. a. Deprived areas There are training practices in the East, Sou…
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support the development of so-called networked GP practices.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government’s “Route Map” to the 2020 Vision for Health and Social Care in Scotland sets out a new and accelerated focus on a number of priority areas for action around Primary Care, a key aspect of this is our “Primary Care Modernisation Programm…
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which of the local health care cooperatives that were in place in 2005 are still operating.
Answer · Alex Neil: Community Health Partnerships were established across Scotland between 2004 and 2006 and replaced local health care cooperatives.
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many GP practices (a) have and (b) have not established a patient participation group.
Answer · Alex Neil: As indicated in my answer to S4W-10514 on 7 November 2012, this is an important area for development and for the past 18 months the Scottish Health Council has been promoting and supporting the value of involving people and patients in primary care and in par…
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase GPs' public health role.
Answer · Alex Neil: GP practices already have a significant role in health protection, prevention of ill health or deterioration in the condition, health promotion and health improvement issues, delivered through the The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contract…
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase trainee GPs' awareness of their public health role.
Answer · Alex Neil: It is the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) which develops and maintains the general practitioner (GP) curriculum, and this has the public health role of the GP as a key element. All three elements of public health, health improvement, promoting …
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there has been a recent rise in the number of sessional GPs and, if so, what its position is on this.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Primary Care Workforce Survey 2013, a survey of Scottish general practices and GP Out of Hours Services was published on 24 September 2013 and provides a “snapshot” of locums. The report is available on the Information Services Division (ISD) of National …
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its workforce plans are for (a) GPs and (b) health visitors in the next five years.
Answer · Alex Neil: Although GPs are independent contractors, they are still given consideration when planning the NHS Scotland workforce. At present the structure and training of all doctors in the UK, including GPs, is under review. The Scottish Government is actively involved…
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what protected learning time is made available to GPs who work only, or for the most part, in out-of-hours services.
Answer · Alex Neil: Protected Learning Time is generally co-ordinated by community health partnerships to meet locally identified training and development needs within general practice, and is facilitated by NHS boards. The information requested is not
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that all patients have access to online GP services, and what it considers these services should include.
Answer · Alex Neil: Work in this area is being progressed under the eHealth Strategy, one of the aims of which is to support people to communicate with the NHS in Scotland and manage their own health and wellbeing. Both GP IT systems used in Scotland now offer online appointment…
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recommendation in The Future of General Practice in Scotland: a Vision that it should establish a consultative service to support facilitated quality improvement visits.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government is committed to the use of continuous quality improvement in the delivery of healthcare in general practice. Scotland is the first country in the world to implement a national patient safety programme across the whole healthcare system…
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the principles on which it considers GP contracts should be based.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government is committed to working with the profession, and stakeholders, to create a contract that focuses on delivering improved patient outcomes, is person centred, providing value for money and seeks to reduce unnecessary workload and bureauc…
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken regarding inspection reports by the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate or reports by Healthcare Improvement Scotland on the care of older people in acute hospitals in which (a) requirements have been repeated or (b) escalation to local managers/senior clinical s…
Answer · Alex Neil: Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI) (a) A range of actions are taken by the Scottish Government in response to HEI inspection reports. Ministers and senior officials review all HEI reports and NHS Board local action plans. Where a report highlights ar…
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the hospitals where inspection reports by the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate or reports by Healthcare Improvement Scotland on the care of older people in acute hospitals have included requirements that have been (a) repeated and (b) repeated on more…
Answer · Alex Neil: Hospitals where Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI) Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) inspection reports have included requirements that have been (a) repeated and (b) repeated on more than two inspections in inspections carried out since the HEI wa…
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that a 40% reduction in midwifery student intake and the closure of three out of seven university midwifery undergraduate schools is sustainable.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government works closely with stakeholders, including NHS boards, Higher Education Institutions, Scottish Funding Council and Partnership bodies, to ensure an appropriate supply of registered midwives to meet future workforce requirements and to …
28 Nov 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that there are sufficient post-registration midwives to meet demand.
Answer · Alex Neil: With NHS Scotland and stakeholders we have been developing a suite of workload measurement and workforce planning tools in recent years to support evidence based decisions about the midwifery establishment in clinical areas. The Royal College of Midwives (RCM…