Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the concerns raised by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland in its visit and monitoring report, No through road: People with learning disabilities in hospital, that the (a) "goals of many of the assessment and treatment units [the commission] visi…
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government is committed to significantly reducing the number of people in Scotland who are waiting to move from hospital to more appropriate settings. This includes patients with a learning disability and those who have complex care needs. We …
26 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there is no third-sector representation on the ministerial working group on chronic pain.
Answer · Maureen Watt: As part of its remit, the ministerial steering group (MSG) on chronic pain provides advice, direction and governance support to the National Chronic Pain Improvement Group (NCPIG) based on a report produced specifically for the MSG following each meeting of t…
26 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation has been carried out of the outcomes for the first group of patients at the in-patient pain unit at Gartnavel Hospital; when the findings will be published, and whether it will carry out an evaluation of outpatient experiences.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government expects NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to continually audit the performance of the Scottish National Chronic Pain Management Programme (SNCPMP) and provide NHS National Services Scotland’s National Services Division (NSD) with bi-annual…
26 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the pathway is for patients who are (a) admitted and (b) not admitted to a residential unit for aftercare.
Answer · Shona Robison: Wherever possible we want older people to be discharged back home, with appropriate care and support, if needed. Partnerships are now taking a discharge to assess approach. This involves an initial risk assessment in hospital, followed up by a more comprehens…
26 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made on the impact of third sector bodies having to issue redundancy notices as they have not received confirmation of whether their annual government support will be renewed.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government supports the third sector to play a full role in meeting the Scottish Government’s purpose and also to make an important contribution to public service reform. A variety of funding approaches are taken, and wherever possible, the Scott…
26 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason applications for 16B funding under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 have not opened for 2016-17 and organisations have not been given notice if the system has changed.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: In 2016-17, commitments already made for organisations in year two or three of existing project funding are being honoured and grantees are aware of that. Over the next few months, the Scottish Government will be reviewing the annual funding scheme to conside…
26 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains its position that treating chronic pain is a priority and, if so, whether all NHS boards must have local or integrated joint board delivery plans.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Chronic pain remains a ministerial priority, and the Scottish Government expects all NHS boards and Integration Joint Boards to deliver chronic pain management services that are appropriate to the needs of their local population, taking into account national …
26 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-30141by Shona Robison on 26 February 2016, how much will (a) private and (b) third sector providers have to find to make up the remaining 25% to meet payments for paying at least the living wage to social care staff, including any additional increa…
Answer · Shona Robison: It is expected that local authorities will work closely with care providers to assess the investment required to ensure payment of the living wage. We are allocating a significant resource towards this shared policy objective and - as per the agreement made w…
26 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-30092 and S4W-30141 by Shona Robison on 26 February 2016, what the revenue allocation is for each board after deducting their share of the (a) £250 million integration fund and (b) £16 million required to make up the shortfall in alcohol and drug …
Answer · Shona Robison: Details of NHS boards’ revenue resource and capital allocations for 2016-17, and details of allocations to integration authorities, are provided in the answers to questions S4W-30092 and S4W-30141.
24 Feb 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what average number and percentage of hospital beds was unavailable to new patients in 2015, and how this compared with the average number of bed-occupied days because of delayed discharges.
22 Feb 2016 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that GP funding has been reduced by £1.6 billion over the last 10 years.
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government over what maximum period a junior doctor's rota must be compliant with the European working time directive of 48 hours maximum working per week.
Answer · Shona Robison: The reference period for averaging junior doctor working hours under the Working Time Regulations, which is a reserved matter, is 26 weeks, or the length of the placement if the placement is shorter than 26 weeks. All junior doctor rotas in Scotland comply f…
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will require all NHS board human resources departments to ascertain whether junior doctors are stressed by their rota requirements.
Answer · Shona Robison: Processes already exist to support junior doctors and assess their stress levels. They have regular reviews with their educational and clinical supervisors. At these reviews, issues related to working hours or rota requirements can be discussed, and changes a…
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it has monitored the implementation of the requirement that no junior doctor should work more than seven nights in a row, as announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing in the news release of 19 June 2014, Helping junior doctors.
Answer · Shona Robison: All junior doctors rotas are approved and signed off by the Scottish Government before they can be implemented. This sign-off ensures that all working patterns meet the contractual, legal and Scottish Government requirements. NHS boards must monitor junior do…
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what is the maximum number of hours in any (a) given week, (b) consecutive five day period and (c) period of 14 days that junior doctors will be required to work.
Answer · Shona Robison: There are over 1,000 junior doctor rotas in place in NHS Scotland each with its own unique working pattern. Like all NHS staff, all junior doctor hours comply fully with the limits of the Working Time Regulations. This allows for averaging of hours over a re…
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to negotiate a new junior doctors contract.
Answer · Shona Robison: Unlike England we have confirmed that we will not impose this deal on our junior doctors and we will continue to service the current New Deal contract. We will continue to work with the profession and the British Medical Association to improve and shape servi…
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the proposed new drug and alcohol information system (DAISy) will provide data on retention in treatment.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The drug and alcohol information system (DAISy) will provide data on retention in treatment for services delivering tier 3 and tier 4 drug and alcohol treatment and support interventions. DAISy is a new development which will collect the data required for re…
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people with drug misuse problems remain in treatment or in contact with a support agency (a) 12 and (b) 26 weeks after starting treatment.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) collates data on individuals undertaking specialist drug treatment in Scotland from their initial assessment (SMR25a) and follow-up assessments 12 and 52 weeks after commencing treatment (SMR25b). SDMD does not current…
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated annual cost is of treating a problem drug user who is not in specialist treatment.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government published the research paper Assessing the Scale and Impact of Illicit Drug Markets in Scotland in 2009. This paper provided estimates of the size and value of the illicit drugs market as well as estimates of the economic and social co…
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to keep people with a drug problem in treatment.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Our national drugs strategy, The Road to Recovery, focuses on the needs of the individual, provides a range of interventions and is based firmly on the concept of recovery. The development of a recovery oriented system of care, as part of this strategy, also …
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to make treatment more accessible to people with a drug problem.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Our national drugs strategy, The Road to Recovery, aims to ensure that those who need treatment get it as soon as possible. The Local Delivery Plan Standard, formerly HEAT Standard, for drug and alcohol treatment waiting times expects that 90% of people recei…
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated proportion is of the 59,600 people with a drug problem who are in treatment at any one time.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: On 4 March 2016, Information Service Division Scotland published revised data that indicate there may be an estimated 61,500 individuals resident in Scotland in 2012-13 who were problem drug users. Of these, 21,314 individuals (35%) were reported as being in …
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what protective factors suggest that people with a drug problem have a reduced likelihood of dying from a drug overdose.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Drug overdose deaths can be reduced through two main methods, firstly through interventions aimed at preventing overdoses taking place, and secondly through reducing fatal outcomes when overdoses do occur. Overdoses can be prevented by providing drug users w…
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the trends in fatal drug overdose deaths have been over the last five years.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The most recent National Records of Scotland report (August 2015) states that in the last five years (2010-14) there has been a gradual upward trend in drug-related deaths (compared with much more rapid growth in earlier years) although, as previously acknowl…
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the funding allocation to alcohol and drug partnerships was in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16 and what the allocation will be for 2016-17.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: In 2014-15 and 2015-16, the overall Scottish Government allocation for the treatment of alcohol and drug misuse to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs), distributed through health boards, was £69.2 million per year. The responsibility for the drugs element o…
28 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the chronic pain unit at Gartnaval Hospital will open.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The first patient cohort of the Scottish National Chronic Pain Management Programme commenced on 2 November 2015, operating from its interim location at Allander House on the Gartnavel campus.
27 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason waiting lists for patients attending NHS chronic pain clinics, which were due to be published in November 2015, have not yet been published and when they will be published.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government have been working with NHS National Services Scotland’s Information Services Division (ISD) to ensure that these new data are sufficiently complete and robust. While this work is still on-going, ISD plan to release waiting times figu…
27 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards have engaged additional staff for chronic pain clinics since 2012, broken down by (a) number of staff, (b) profession and (c) whole-time equivalent.
Answer · Maureen Watt: This information is not held centrally.
19 Jan 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what requirements must be met for home-schooled pupils to be eligible to sit SQA exams.
18 Jan 2016 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will increase protection for people subject to emergency detention under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.