Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, apart from that recorded by the Scottish Women-Held Maternity Record and health visitor assessment forms, what information is collated for use at (a) local and (b) national levels with regard to people with problems with alcohol, drugs or tobacco.
Answer · Michael Matheson: A number of additional health data collections record substance use information during and post maternity. Scottish Morbidity Record 02 (SMR02) is a prenatal and antenatal episode based patient record relating to all inpatients and day cases discharged from o…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the data collected by the Scottish Women-Held Maternity Record complements that recorded by the initial assessment forms used by NHS boards.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Data collated within Scottish Women-Held Maternity Record (SWHMR) complements assessments undertaken at the handover between the midwife and the public health nurse delivering a woman’s maternity care; however this is not duplication in work, merely a prompt …
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Women-Held Maternity Record will be made fully electronic and accessible to (a) GPs, (b) health visitors and (c) parents and for what reason this is not already the case.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Woman Held Maternity Record (SWHMR), was updated in 2011, and is part of a range of actions underway to support NHS boards’ implementation of the Refreshed Framework for Maternity Care (2011), to ensure that care in Scotland is person centred, sa…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether health visitors have full access to the Scottish Women-Held Maternity Record after a pregnancy and what its reason is for its position on this matter.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Health Visitors have full access to the Scottish Women-Held Maternity Record (SWHMR) as it is used as a starting point for their initial assessments. The SWHMR guidance for Professional Version 6 sets out how the information gathered in the SWHMR should be us…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the Family Nurse Partnership Programme will be evaluated in the (a) short and (b) medium term and how often it will report on this.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Evaluation of the programme is key to assessing its success. The programme will be continually monitored, using agreed quality control measures, to ensure measurable outputs are met. To date there have been two interim reports published on the evaluation of …
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what copyright fees the Family Nurse Partnership Programme expects to pay in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government will pay a licensing fee to University of Colorado, Denver, based on the number of clients starting the programme in each financial year. The fee is £9.80 for each client, based on the current exchange rate, and for 2012-13 will be: £…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the data systems of drug treatment services, maternity services and children's reporters are able to share information adequately in order to determine the number of pregnant drug misusers in each local authority area and how many of the children that they…
Answer · Michael Matheson: Sharing appropriate information is an essential component of child protection and care activity. Local data sharing agreements and procedures will vary but local areas and agencies should ensure that there are robust information-sharing protocols in place and…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many referrals by health services to children's reporters in each of the last five years were due to problems associated with parental drug misuse.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: This is a matter for the Principal Reporter. I can confirm that, in 2011-12, 360 children were referred to the reporter from health sources. This is from a total of 31,593 children referred in total during the year. The Scottish Children's Reporter Administr…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children of people referred by social work departments to children's reporters in each of the last five years were previously referred by drug services to social work.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Children can be referred to the Reporter up to the age of 16 (or 18 if they are already on supervision). This is a matter for the Principal Reporter, however I can confirm that Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA) does not centrally record wheth…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether all (a) females, (b) pregnant and (c) mothers who are substance misusers are referred to (i) social work departments and (ii) neonatal paediatricians and what its position is on whether the data systems of their primary care providers, maternity services, drug treatment services …
Answer · Michael Matheson: National guidance to all Alcohol and Drug Partnerships and Drug and Alcohol services within the HEAT A11: Updated Drug and Alcohol Treatment Types publication states the following: Comprehensive assessment is targeted at drug/alcohol misusers with more compl…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis of the Scottish Women-Held Maternity Record is carried out with regard to recording of drug and or alcohol misuse.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The SWHMR is a paper record, however some of the information from individual SWHMR forms may be used to populate the SMR02 dataset, including information about drugs and alcohol.
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the information recorded on the (a) children's data and (b) pregnancy section of SMR25 forms for drugs misusers is linked to the data on (i) child protection registers and (ii) the Scottish Women-Held Maternity Record.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) is a key national information source on the use of drugs in Scotland. The purpose of the SDMD is to help us understand the needs of people with drug problems presenting for specialist treatment. It will help inform re…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S3W-39723 by Fergus Ewing on 4 March 2011, what progress has been made in increasing the number of electronic submission of SMR25 forms from (a) statutory drug services, (b) the Scottish Prison Service and (c) primary care providers and whether primary …
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I have asked NHS Information Services Division to provide an update on electronic SMR25 submissions and they have provided this response. They have reported that over the past year, progress has been made in increasing the electronic submission of SMR25 forms…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported link between cooling towers and legionella outbreaks, what progress has been made in eliminating them and what barriers there are to carrying this out.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The responsibility for management of cooling towers lies with each individual company therefore the Scottish Government has no jurisdiction in these matters. Work-related health and safety is a reserved matter for the Westminster Parliament. The Health and S…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will vaccinate every child aged 2 to 17 against influenza and, if so, how many additional staff will be required and what funding it will give each NHS board to carry this out.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Scottish Ministers have welcomed the recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to extend the influenza vaccination programme to children from two years to less than 17. We will be looking at the recommendation closely to …
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what Barnett consequentials will arise as a consequence of the UK Government's proposal to vaccinate every child aged 2 to 17 against influenza.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The costs of vaccinating children aged 2 to 17 against influenza are being funded from within the UK Department of Health’s 2010 Spending Review settlement, with no additional allocation from HM Treasury. There are therefore no Barnett consequentials availabl…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) full-time and (b) full-time equivalent school nurses there have been in each year since 2007, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Published information on (a) full-time and (b) full-time equivalent school nurses there have been in each year since 2007, broken down by NHS board can be found at: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2012-08-28/Nursing_and_Midwi…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-08394 by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 July 2012, which hospitals' designs have been subject to (a) inspection and (b) audit to ensure that they are suitable for dementia patients; which received a satisfactory rating and who carried these out.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Standards of Care for Dementia in Scotland (2011) inform the current programme of inspections by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) into the care of all older people, and those with dementia at all ages, in acute general hospital. This programme of in…
7 Aug 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-08394 by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 July 2012, which areas in hospitals it regards as critical to ensure that the design meets the required standards for patients with dementia and whether there is a rating system against which these are measured.
Answer · Michael Matheson: It is important that all care for people with dementia in hospital is delivered in an appropriate environment. The standards on the design of care environments for people with dementia set out in The Standards of Care for Dementia in Scotland (2011) apply to …
28 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what standards it will adopt for (a) advice from Health Facilities Scotland and (b) inspection by the Health Environment Inspectorate and the Care Inspectorate for assessment of environments for dementia patients in (i) acute hospitals, (ii) accident and emergency departments and (iii) ca…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Standards of Care for Dementia in Scotland (2011) contain standards on the assessment, provision and design of care environments for people with dementia. It includes a standard on the regular audit of acute general hospital settings and the requirement t…
28 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure the adoption of the dementia designs in the guide published by the University of Stirling Dementia Services Development Centre for patients with dementia in general hospitals and emergency departments.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Standards of Care for Dementia in Scotland (2011) state that NHS boards will ensure that there is regular audit of the physical environment in these settings for people with dementia and action any deficits; and the standards signpost services to the Desi…
27 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of the value of the quit4u smoking cessation programme in a (a) pharmacy and (b) non-pharmacy setting and what plans there are for the programme.
Answer · Michael Matheson: A three year independent evaluation of quit4u, commissioned and managed by Health Scotland was published on 8 May 2012 and can be accessed at http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/5827.aspx. The evaluation found that quit4u was both an effective and cost-…
19 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a referral was made to the children’s reporter in the Declan Hainey case and, if not, whether this was raised in subsequent reports on this matter and what its position is on this.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration has confirmed that they did not receive any referral for Declan Hainey. This was not raised as an issue in the subsequent Significant Case Review (SCR). The SCR reviewed the circumstances of this case and made a…
18 Jun 2012 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what impact industrial action by doctors could have on operations, diagnostic tests and outpatient appointments.
13 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much plain film reporting is carried out by radiographers in each NHS board.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This is a matter for NHS boards. This information is not currently held centrally. However, following the publication of the National Delivery Plan for Allied Health Professions, NHS boards will be required to report nationally on a standardised measure of mu…
13 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Lothian incident management team dealing with the Legionella outbreak has declined an offer to use Hydrosense testing kits and, if so, (a) for what reason and (b) whether this decision will be reviewed in its evaluation of the outbreak.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The NHS Lothian Incident Management Team considered the need for Hydrosense test kits in testing for legionella bacteria, in relation to the current outbreak in south west Edinburgh. Given the pressing need to quickly identify the source of the outbreak acros…
13 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action can be taken to prevent disruption to bus journeys by abusive passengers.
Answer · Keith Brown: In addition to various practical measures on buses themselves, the police, local authorities, and other local agencies are responsible for tackling anti-social behaviour at local level.
13 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with communities concerned about antisocial behaviour.
Answer · Keith Brown: In March 2009 the Scottish Government and COSLA jointly published their Framework for tackling antisocial behaviour, Promoting Positive Outcomes. It followed a thorough review of national antisocial behaviour policy, recognising that prevention; early and eff…
13 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assurances can be given to bus passengers that their journeys will not be disrupted by abusive passengers.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government will continue to work in partnership with local authorities, transport operators and others on a range of deterrents and enforcement. Passengers will see this commitment reflected in practical measures such as CCTV, the use of radio to…
13 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place to protect bus drivers from verbal and physical attack by passengers.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government attaches the greatest importance to the safety of all passengers and staff using and delivering bus services and will continue to work in partnership with local authorities, transport operators and others on a range of deterrent and en…