Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
15 Dec 2015 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure resilience in the control system for police calls.
Answer · Michael Matheson: There are robust contingency measures in place to ensure the resilience of the control rooms system. The strength of these was clear in December 2015 when technical issues arose at Bilston Glen and Dundee, and Police Scotland were able to maintain effective h…
14 Dec 2015 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister whether it remains the Scottish Government's position that the NHS24 ICT future programme is an exemplar of good practice.
26 Nov 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that all student (a) nurses, (b) midwives and (c) allied health professionals who are undertaking clinical placements are offered the influenza vaccination.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Student nurses, midwives and allied health professionals who may be exposed to the flu during placements within NHS boards should receive the flu vaccination in line with all other NHS healthcare workers. A joint letter is issued each year from the Chief Med…
10 Nov 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the pilot GP clusters that it recently announced include practices that are the subject to locally-negotiated agreements (17C practices).
Answer · Shona Robison: A Stronger Scotland: The Government’s Programme for Scotland 2015-16 referred to 10 primary and community care test sites which will be used to inform primary care service reform. The following practices within these test sites are 17C practices: Grampian – …
10 Nov 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to convene a national meeting of managers of GP practices that are run by NHS boards (2C practices) to discuss sharing best practice.
Answer · Shona Robison: In the majority of instances a 2C practice is run by the NHS board, as opposed to being run by GPs and/or other partners, as is the case for practices with 17C or 17J contract types. Health boards are responsible for the provision of primary medical services…
10 Nov 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the pilot GP clusters that it recently announced will be (a) supported and (b) funded.
Answer · Shona Robison: A Stronger Scotland: The Government’s Programme for Scotland 2015-16 referred to 10 primary and community care test sites which will be used to inform primary care service reform. Those sites specifically mentioned within the Programme for Government are exam…
10 Nov 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish details of the (a) application process and (b) selection criteria for the pilot GP clusters that it recently announced.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer in S4W-28380 answered on 19 November 2015. 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…
10 Nov 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what targets it has set to increase the number of (a) district nurses, (b) general practice (i) nurses, (ii) healthcare assistants and (iii) support staff, (c) physician assistants and (d) advanced community nurse practitioners.
Answer · Shona Robison: High quality, safe and sustainable patient care remains our absolute priority and NHS boards use a variety of resources to determine what number and blend of staff each specialty and location requires to ensure this. NHS boards collect and use intelligence a…
10 Nov 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) community and (b) primary care advanced nurse practitioners there are, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: Advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs) work in a variety of nursing roles and across a number of delivery settings such as community and primary care. Whilst published data on ANPs is not available, we expect NHS board workforce planners to know how many ANPs th…
10 Nov 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing skill and qualification requirements for advanced community nurse practitioners similar to those set out in the NHS England District Practice and General Practice Nursing Service report, Education and Career Framework.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government fully supports and appreciates district nurses and general practice nurses in their vital work in caring for the health and wellbeing of Scotland’s people in their communities, including those with complex and long-term conditions. Th…
10 Nov 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many alcohol treatment requirement orders have been issued in each year since 2003.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Prior to the introduction of community payback orders (CPOs) on 1 February 2011, alcohol treatment/education conditions were imposed as part of probation orders. The number of these conditions imposed for the year 2003-04 can be found in Criminal Justice So…
10 Nov 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it takes to ensure that local authority licensing boards (a) adopt the same approach nationally, (b) share best practice and training support and (c) monitor the challenges each faces.
Answer · Michael Matheson: It is for licensing boards to determine their own procedures in compliance with the legislation. Boards have wide discretion to determine appropriate licensing arrangements according to local needs and circumstances, and their own legal advice. As they are i…
10 Nov 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether each (a) sheriffdom and (b) alcohol and drugs partnership has an arrest referral system for alcohol offences.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not held centrally. The Scottish Government provides funding for arrest referrals to the eight Community Justice Authorities (CJAs) under section 27 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 as amended. CJAs are however free to allocate funds…
10 Nov 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many antisocial behaviour orders issued in each of the last five years have included an exclusion order from (a) on- and (b) off-sales premises.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: An antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) cannot result in an exclusion order. Exclusion orders are provided for by Section 94 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, which applies where a person is convicted of a violent offence committed on, or in the immediate vi…
23 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted each year under section 1(1) of the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act (2005), broken down by actions against workers as defined in section 1(3) of the Act.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Section 1(1) of the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 refers to the “assaulting or impeding of certain providers of emergency services”. The number of people prosecuted and convicted in Scottish Courts for offences under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) A…
21 Oct 2015 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made toward achieving its target that no person will live in fuel poverty by November 2016.
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) standard and (b) code 9 complex case delayed discharge patients would have been eligible for NHS continuing care funding or were being assessed for such funding at the time of the cessation of funding in the community and what the outcome was for these patients.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS continuing healthcare has never been subject to a specific funding stream, and no funding has ceased as a consequence of our publication of new guidance. Delayed discharge patients are awaiting discharge from the NHS. If a patient was eligible for NHS con…
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) discussions it has had and (b) agreement was reached with local authorities regarding additional funding required to meet the cost of (i) full community care and (ii) free personal care for those patients who would have been eligible for NHS continuing care funding before June 2…
Answer · Shona Robison: COSLA supported the new guidance on Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care. Eligibility will remain a clinical decision with associated funding being the responsibility of new Integration Joint Boards. Taking funding decisions across health and social care, to …
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking or can take to reduce the cost of indemnity insurance for GPs who might wish to undertake limited sessional or locum work.
Answer · Shona Robison: Indemnity insurance is one of a range of issues that will be considered in the context of negotiating the new GP contract of 2017. These negotiations are on-going and their content must remain confidential between the negotiating parties, however we will cont…
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the General Medical Council about easing the revalidation process for senior GPs as part of a strategy to increase retention instead of retirement.
Answer · Shona Robison: As part of the negotiations for the new Scottish GP contract we will be engaging with the General Medical Council. These contract negotiations must remain confidential between the negotiating parties, however recruitment and retention are key issues for discu…
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase the number of doctors returning to general practice and what support it offers to returnees.
Answer · Shona Robison: Over the next three years the Scottish Government will invest £50 million, as part of the Primary Care Fund, to address immediate workload and recruitments issues in primary care and put in place long-term, sustainable change to support GPs and improve access…
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase the number of doctors entering the GP retainer scheme.
Answer · Shona Robison: The GP retainer scheme is an initiative which is run by health boards and National Education Scotland, as such it is not a government run programme, however the improved GP retainer scheme will have greater educational input and direction than was possible un…
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the real-terms weekly fees for state-funded care in care homes (a) was in 2007 and (b) is in 2015.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The following table shows the weekly National Care Home Contract rates for 2007-08 and 2015-16. The final column shows the 2007-08 values expressed in 2015-16 prices, based on the use of the UK GDP deflator series published by UK Treasury. 2015-16 2007-0…
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions (a) it or (b) the Care Inspectorate has had with HC-ONE regarding its financial viability and how many care homes it (i) owns and (ii) operates in Scotland that were previously operated by Southern Cross Healthcare.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Care Inspectorate is in regular contact, and meets, with senior managers of HC-One. Within these meetings, and out with, a range of issues are discussed including information which may call into question the financial viability of a care home or service. …
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions (a) it or (b) the Care Inspectorate has had with Four Seasons Health Care regarding its financial viability and how many care homes the company (i) owns and (ii) operates in Scotland.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Care Inspectorate is in regular contact, and meets, with senior managers of Four Seasons Health Care. A range of issues are discussed including information relevant to financial viability. This information helps determine the level of risk, potential impa…
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on whether any of the care homes that BUPA has put up for sale are in Scotland.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government has no knowledge of any Bupa owned care homes in Scotland currently up for sale.
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will update its guidance on the use of antipsychotic medication for patients with dementia or learning disability issued in 2006 to reflect current research.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Guidelines on the prescribing of antipsychotic medications will be informed by best clinical practice and by national Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines: SIGN 86 for the management of dementia and SIGN 98 for Autism Spectrum Disorde…
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on the care home sector in Scotland of the increased costs arising from the £7.20 national minimum wage and introduction of pension payments for employers with fewer employees.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-28039 on 3 November 2015. 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/Apps2/Busine…
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with COSLA regarding the cost of meeting the £7.20 per hour national minimum wage requirement from April 2016.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government maintains regular contact with COSLA but, apart from discussions of the impact on the care sector, has not discussed the cost of meeting the national living wage from April 2016 with them. The Scottish Government is aware that Scottish…
14 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the UK Government seeking an increase in attendance allowance to meet the £7.20 per hour national minimum wage requirement from April 2016.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is currently in active negotiation with the UK Government about the level of funding that will be transferred to the Scottish Parliament as a result of the Scotland Bill 2015. Attendance allowance is one of the benefits that will be de…