Dr Richard Simpson

9 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how long the remedial work on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine Railway line took; over what time period it occurred, and whether the estimated date of completion was met.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: After the design of the remedial works had been approved, track lowering and raising occurred between June and November, the majority of the work being completed during October. It had been estimated that these works would be completed in September but the wo…

9 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were of recent remedial work carried out on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway line and who met those costs.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The construction cost of the recent remedial work carried out on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway line is a matter for the contractor. There was no cost to the public purse.</p>

9 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Forth Valley healthcare associated infection (HAI) report and reports indicating the continued procurement and use of swan neck taps, whether it will instruct all NHS boards (a) not to procure swan neck taps and (b) to replace all taps not approved with appropriate sensor…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Current guidance available to NHS boards from Health Facilities Scotland on the provision of sanitary assemblies and infection control advises against the procurement of swan-neck taps.</p> <p >This guidance further advises that in existing facilities, when …

9 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-29377 by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 December 2009, whether amended templates will be uniform and what tests of public ability to understand revised templates will be undertaken.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The revised Healthcare Associated Infection Reporting Template (HAIRT) will be the same uniform design for all NHS boards. The short life working group established to review the structure and presentation of the HAIRT will invite members of the public partner…

9 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-29405 by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 December 2009, whether it will provide an answer that specifically addresses the issue raised in the question.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: My previous answer, S3W-29405, confirmed that the review of the national HAI Task Force will ensure the professional interests involved in supporting delivery of the infection control agenda will be fully represented in overseeing both policy development and …

9 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-29384 by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 December 2009, what steps it is taking to ensure that patients, visitors and staff associated with a patient with suspected Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) recognise that alcohol gel is ineffective in tackling CDI …

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Health Protection Scotland (HPS) provide staff, patients and visitors with a range of information about the importance of using soap and water rather than alcohol gels when in contact with patients who may have contracted a Clostridium difficile infection (CD…

3 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had discussions with COSLA to encourage local authorities to work more closely with Partnerships for Renewables in order to reduce carbon emissions.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has had no such discussions with COSLA. Partnership for Renewables is a commercial venture led by Carbon Trust Enterprises Ltd and as such, any decision to work with them would be a matter for either COSLA or individual local authoriti…

3 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued or plans to issue guidance for the NHS to work more closely with Partnerships for Renewables in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The matter of energy procurement is one which is devolved to NHS boards to determine under the auspices of the Scottish Government Health Directorates Environmental Management Policy for NHSScotland [NHS HDL(2006)21].</p> <p >NHSScotland bodies are already i…

3 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assets owned by the NHS are (a) decommissioned, (b) planned for decommissioning and (c) land for which no NHS use is planned, broken down by (i) NHS board and (ii) current value.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: A breakdown of assets owned by the NHS decommissioned, planned for decommissioning and land for which no NHS use is planned is not held centrally. The information requested is currently being sourced from NHS boards. A full tabled reply will be placed in SPIC…

3 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last instructed NHS boards to complete an analysis of (a) decommissioned assets, (b) assets planned to be decommissioned and (c) land likely to be sold.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: An exercise is currently being conducted by Health Facilities Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government to collect data from NHSScotland bodies on a number of aspects on the NHSScotland estate. This exercise will be the basis of a baseline report to be pr…

3 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15370 by Kenny MacAskill on 15 August 2008, how many prison visiting areas have been equipped with body orifice security scanner chairs since 15 August 2008 and which prisons use or plan to use such chairs.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Acting Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >No prison visiting areas have been equipped with Body Orifice Security Scanner chairs since 15 August 2008 and nor do we hav…

3 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the research, Fall prevention with supplemental and active forms of vitamin D: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ 2009; 339:b3692), whether it has formed a view on the prophylactic use of supplemented vitamin D in ma…

Answer · Shona Robison: We are guided by advice from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) on vitamin supplements. The guidance currently states that people over 65 should take a supplement of 10 micrograms of vitamin D per day. SACN have recently concluded that furt…

2 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases passed through the criminal justice system in each of the last 10 years in which epilepsy was put forward as a potential mitigating circumstance.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>

1 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list items lost or stolen from NHS hospitals or services in the last two years, broken down by (a) date lost or stolen, (b) date reported and (c) value of the loss.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government does not collect information on individual losses or thefts from NHS hospitals and the dates they are reported but this information should be held on individual Board Loss Registers. We do however obtain a summary report on such losses…

1 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the implementation of the European working time directive in relation to junior doctors, what steps it is taking to ensure that new rotas do not result in unreasonable antisocial shifts.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Under the New Deal contract, all rotas in NHS Scotland have to be approved by the New Deal Manager/WTR Adviser before implementation. This approval ensures that all working patterns meet the required legal and contractual guidelines, including hours of work a…

1 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the implementation of the European working time directive in relation to junior doctors, which allows assessment of compliance over a 26-week reference period, whether it considers the monitoring of actual hours of work based on a two-week reference period every six months to…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As employers, NHS boards are required to maintain such records as are adequate to demonstrate that each employee is compliant with the regulations. In addition to guidance covering record keeping issued in 2003 (NHS HDL (2003) 3), more recently we have issued…

1 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-28614 by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 November 2009, how many junior doctors in each grade of each rota are affected by the derogations listed.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The derogations apply to the following numbers and grades of doctors in training:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=624 > <thead> <tr > <td width=137 valign=top > <p align=center >NHS Scotland board</p> </td> <td widt…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will instruct the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate to rate its findings on the same six-point scale as used by the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate operates independently of the Scottish Government and the NHS boards which it inspects. The inspection methodology which was piloted in two NHS boards, is available from <a href="http://www.nhshealthquality.org/nhsqis/6…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will require the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate to follow the structure used in the NHS QIS Clostridium difficile outbreak review reports, which set out both local and national learning points.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate is currently reporting on the performance of each acute hospital in Scotland against the Standards for Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) published by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland in March 2008. The reports are h…

26 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when a joint forum for infection control teams and their key collaborators will be set up in order to facilitate learning from successes or failures, as recommended in the NHS QIS report, Lessons learned from NHS QIS visits to NHS Orkney, NHS Highland and NHS Grampian following Clostridiu…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Following the recommendations set out in the NHS QIS reports, the national HAI Task Force established a short life group to review the membership and terms of reference for both the task force and the national HAI Stakeholder Group.</p> <p >This group has m…

25 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the learning point in the NHS QIS report, NHS Grampian, Report of findings - June 2009, Infection Prevention and Control: Improving through Learning, to consider ways of ensuring coherence of response to media enquiries between NHS Scotland and the Scottish Governm…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: In the event of an incident or outbreak, all NHS boards are required to complete an incident and outbreak reporting template. This is used to inform key contacts at both the Scottish Government and Health Protection Scotland. I have asked the HAI Task Force a…

25 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee’s Fifty-second Report of Session 2008-09: Reducing Healthcare Associated Infection in Hospitals in England, whether it will publish its strategy and action plan on healthcare associated infections (HAI) such as pneumonia, skin in…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Our strategy to tackle healthcare associated infections (HAI) in Scotland is set out in our three year <i >HAI Task Force Delivery Plan for 2008-2011</i>, which was published on 7 March 2008. The delivery plan can be found at <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.…

25 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on reports of increasing difficulty in recruiting and retaining hospital pharmacists and whether it will undertake a review of the workforce to ensure that antimicrobial advice is readily available as part of the fight against Clostridium difficile.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: All NHS boards have implemented the requirements of CEL 30(2008): Prudent Antimicrobial Prescribing: The Scottish Action Plan for Managing Antibiotic Resistance and Reducing Antibiotic Related Clostridium difficile Associated Disease. This, along with many ot…

25 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the three NHS QIS Clostridium difficile outbreak review reports in 2009, whether it will review the implementation of antibiotic policy at hospital and community level as part of the Healthcare Associated Infection Taskforce work plan.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: All NHS boards have processes in place to ensure the implementation of the requirements of CEL 30(2008): Prudent Antimicrobial Prescribing: The Scottish Action Plan For Managing Antibiotic Resistance and Reducing Antibiotic Related Clostridium difficile Assoc…

25 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the use of alcohol gel is not an effective substitute for hand washing with appropriate soap or disinfectant in preventing Clostridium difficile infection and, if so, whether it will implement a public awareness campaign on the issue.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: It is important that all staff, patients and visitors not only wash their hands with soap and warm water but combine this practice with the use of alcohol-based hand gels. This approach ensures that staff, patients and visitors are taking every precaution pos…

25 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last reviewed the use of antibiotics on farm animals.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has not reviewed the use of antibiotics on farm animals.</p> <p >The marketing, use and administration of veterinary medicines is a reserved matter.</p> <p >The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), an agency of Defra, advises the …

25 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-22160 by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 March 2009, whether it will consider running a public awareness campaign to inform the public of the need to avoid unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group, established under the Scottish Management of Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan, has set up a public campaign sub-group to review existing publicity materials and guidance. Following this work, consideration wil…

25 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the findings of the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate announced inspection report on Stirling Royal Infirmary of 29 September 2009, whether it will take steps to meet the target (a) of one clinical sink for every four beds, (b) that taps should be temperature-controlled and…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Forth Valley has carried out a risk assessment, assisted by the board''s infection control team, in the old wards at Stirling Royal Infirmary and as a result has increased the number of wash-hand basins in each ward to a level felt to be practicable in th…

25 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will amend the Health Facilities Scotland Health Associated Infection System for Controlling Risk In the Built Environment (HAI-SCRIBE) program to make it more user friendly in minor refurbishments rather than only in new-build and major refurbishments, as noted in the NHS QIS …

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Health Facilities Scotland established a working group to undertake a review if the Health Associated Infection System for Controlling Risk in the Built Environment (HAI-SCRIBE).</p> <p >This review led to the development of an Estates Monitoring Tool to mon…

25 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider providing a national confidential hotline to allow concerns about hygiene in hospitals to be raised anonymously and made available to infection control teams.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate, on their website, provides named contacts, telephone numbers and a generic e-mail address for members of the public to raise their concerns about hygiene and infection control measures within NHS hospitals. Anonymity w…