Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-06383 by Nicola Sturgeon on 24 April 2012, when it will conclude consideration of establishing an NHS whistleblowers' confidential helpline or ensure access for NHS staff in Scotland to the helpline in England.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As I stated in my answer to your question S4W-06383 I have asked the Scottish Workforce and Staff Governance (SWAG) committee to reconsider the issue of a whistleblowing helpline. The SWAG Committee next meet on 13 July 2012 and this issue will be on the agen…
29 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13716 by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 June 2008, what reports it has received from ISD Scotland on the patient experience (a) generally and (b) for vulnerable patients.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Patient experience was included as part of ISD’s New Ways Data Quality Assessment Project undertaken in 2008. It did not specifically cover vulnerable patients although they may have been part of the sample of patients approached. A copy of the summary report…
29 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring of patient exclusions from waiting times it will put in place regarding exceptional retrospective changes.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Officials are closely monitoring any retrospective changes made to waiting time statistics by NHS boards.
29 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what inquiries it has made to those NHS boards where there is a variation in retrospective changes to New Ways waiting times coding of social availability as shown in the appendix to the PricewaterhouseCoopers report, Review of aspects of Waiting Times Management at NHS Lothian.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As part of the Health Directorate’s normal discussion with NHS boards around their delivery and reporting of waiting times, the issue of any significant retrospective changes to data has been raised. In relation to retrospective changes made in the latest pu…
29 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what quality assurance has been undertaken on the part of the New Ways waiting times system that deals with the removal of patients from lists.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: ISD routinely engages with NHS boards on the issue of data submission to the National Waiting Times Data Warehouse (New Ways) and data quality including data items relating to the number of patients removed from a waiting list. All NHS boards are required to…
29 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it can take to have the Mental Welfare Commission added to the list of organisations and individuals to which an employee can whistleblow and receive protection under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland has extensive powers of investigation and inquiry under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. If they think that someone with a mental illness or learning disability is not receiving proper care…
28 May 2012 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister whether the 48-hour waiting time target for access to a GP or relevant healthcare professional is being met across Scotland.
14 May 2012 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the finding in the report by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland that care home patients are being prescribed powerful drugs for long periods of time without proper checks.
25 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what processes are in place to ensure that community planning partnerships take account of primary and community healthcare and other social needs when taking strategic decisions.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Health boards have a statutory duty to participate in community planning and therefore are able to be involved in strategic decision-making within each partnership.
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Care Inspectorate examines how often GPs review antipsychotic medication prescribed to care home residents and whether this is recorded in the care home case notes.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Care Inspectorate does not routinely examine how often GPs review antipsychotic medication prescribed to care home residents and its recording. Both might be examined by the Care Inspectorate’s pharmacy advisers if there are specific concerns in a care ho…
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the current dietary targets will be combined with environmental sustainability goals for consumers in the Health and Environmental Sustainability Framework.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: National dietary and sustainability targets and goals are integral to Scotland’s National Food and Drink Policy and underpin the draft framework – Towards Healthier and More Environmentally Sustainable Food and Drink in Scotland. During development of the nex…
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence base is to be referenced in the Health and Environmental Sustainability Framework to meet the stated objective of using "the latest research evidence to link our environmental goals to our food and nutritional goals".
Answer · Richard Lochhead: A range of evidence sources were used to develop the draft health and environment sustainability framework – Towards Healthier and More Environmentally Sustainable Food and Drink in Scotland. The sources of evidence used are referenced in the background docum…
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Health and Environmental Sustainability Framework will be published and whether it be a (a) consultation or (b) final document.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: An initial draft health and environment sustainability framework - Towards Healthier and More Environmentally Sustainable Food and Drink in Scotland - was published in December 2011. The framework was developed to explore ways to join up decision making on he…
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered seeking access to the NHS whistleblowing helpline available in England and Wales as an alternative to establishing one in Scotland.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As advised in my response to your additional question S4W-06383 on 24 April 2012, the Scottish Workforce and Staff Governance Committee have considered the issue of a helpline and concluded that it was not required at that stage. However, I will ask them to r…
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how, when approving new housing development, community planning partnerships are required to ensure that there is or will be sufficient capacity in the primary health and social services to cope with the workload associated with the new population.
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that all patients in Scotland who have had metal on metal hip replacements that are the subject of advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are contacted.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards have been asked to confirm that they have implemented the advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority.
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered establishing a register of all medical implants.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Establishment of a register of all medical implants will be considered when the recommendations of the reviews led by Lord Howe and Sir Bruce Keogh are published.
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has issued to GPs on (a) when antipsychotic medication should be prescribed to residents of care homes and (b) which medication to prescribe.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The prescribing of antipsychotic medications in care homes and other settings will be informed by best clinical practice and by national SIGN guideline 86 on the management of patients with dementia, which includes evidence-based recommendations on interventi…
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been done in Scotland into the reasons for GPs prescribing antipsychotic medication in care homes.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As part of Scotland’s National Dementia Strategy, we commissioned an academic report into time trends in the prescribing of antipsychotic and other psychotropic medication to older people with dementia between 2001-11. This report includes an analysis of the …
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of patients with a diagnosis of dementia has been prescribed antipsychotic medication in (a) care homes and (b) the general population in each of the last five years.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information not held centrally. We are currently considering the findings and recommendations of an academic report we commissioned into time trends in the prescribing of antipsychotic and other psychotropic medications to older people with dementia bet…
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of patients in care homes is prescribed antipsychotic medication and whether all such patients were initially given treatments other than medication.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally. The dementia standards state that NHS boards must ensure that systems are in place to ensure that capacity to consent to treatment (including the prescribing of psychoactive medication) is considered and that appropria…
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in considering whether to continue the programme to detect cardiac anomalies in young athletes, it will ensure that provisional redundancy notices do not have to be issued to staff.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has made funding available which will allow the programme to continue until the end of this year. A report from the CAYA programme will then allow us, working with the University of Glasgow and the Scottish Football Association to con…
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospital departments have derogation from the European working time directive for junior doctors, broken down by (a) hospital and (b) post.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: No hospital departments or Doctors in Training have any derogations from the Working Time Regulations.
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that repeat prescriptions are separated into those that are needed (a) on a continuous basis and (b) from time to time.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: It is for the prescriber to determine the which products are marked as repeat items and the frequency of supply. This includes whether the supply is continuous or as and when required.
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the movement of patients between wards is reflected in the (a) levels of delayed discharges and (b) length of time that patients deemed fit for discharge are unable to leave hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The national delayed discharge census does not collect information on any movement of patients prior to discharge, it collects the setting and principal reason for delay on the day of the census.
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued guidance recommending that a single ward or unit be used for transfers of patients with cognitive impairment.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: While we have not issued specific guidance on the type of ward or unit to be used for transfers of patients with cognitive impairment, the organisation of care for all people with cognitive impairment will be informed by best clinical practice; and for dement…
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) monitoring and (b) reporting was required of acute hospitals in respect of guidance issued on the movement of patients to different wards in hospitals.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-06713 on 26 April 2012. 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/parliamentarybus…
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last issued guidance about the movement of patients with dementia or cognitive impairment in general hospitals for reasons other than their clinical condition.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-06713 on 26 April 2012. 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/parliamentarybu…
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the validity of the research by Dr Alexandros Zangelidis of the University of Aberdeen on the success of the free eye test policy introduced in 2006.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Final Report is not due to be published until early August 2012, subject to successful peer review. We will consider the findings, once the final report is published, to help us ensure that eye care policies continue to meet the needs of the people of Sco…
17 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) telephone operators and (b) telecoms managers NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde employs.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The exact information is not centrally held. However published information showing whole time equivalent and headcount for administrative services Staff is available on the National Services Scotland, Information Services Division website at the following lin…