Dr Richard Simpson

29 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that, once optometrists have completed the independent prescribing training module, NHS boards have appropriate protocols in place to allow them to practise.

Answer · Shona Robison: Optometrists will not be undertaking prescribing as part of their general ophthalmic service arrangements. Prescribing could be undertaken under a shared care/co-management scheme but the decision on whether to put in place such a scheme rests with each NHS b…

29 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-26832 by Shona Robison on 7 September 2009, what additional steps it is taking to promote free eye health checks by optometrists beyond the provision of leaflets.

Answer · Shona Robison: The number of NHS eye examinations undertaken in Scotland has risen consistently by around 100,000 a year since their introduction in 2006. In the first quarter of 2009-10, around 450,000 NHS eye examinations were undertaken which if uptake remains consistent…

29 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-26832 by Shona Robison on 7 September 2009, what additional steps it has taken or will take to promote the take-up of free eye health checks in deprived communities as part of its Equally Well strategy and implementation.

Answer · Shona Robison: We will remind community health partnerships about the need to issue the leaflet <i >Your Guide to Free NHS Eye Examinations in Scotland</i> to vulnerable groups within their communities in order to raise awareness.</p>

14 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many generic, as opposed to forensic, beds there are for children and adolescents with mental health problems following the opening of the new 24-bed unit in Glasgow; what its target is for bed numbers for (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011; what the longer-term target is for such beds, …

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28218 on 5 November 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps…

14 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds there are for children and adolescents with both learning difficulties and mental health problems; how many additional beds are planned, and when it plans to make them operational.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27756 on 1 October 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2…

14 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many adolescent patients with mental health problems requiring specialist inpatient forensic beds were referred to facilities outwith Scotland in each of the last four years.

Answer · Shona Robison: Current figures for 2009-10 show four referrals and two admissions. Figures for the last four years are detailed in the following table.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=64 valign=top > <p >Year</p> </td…

14 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds for forensic psychiatry adolescent patients there are; how many additional beds are planned, and when it plans to have them operational.

Answer · Shona Robison: There are no beds in Scotland specifically dedicated for forensic psychiatric adolescent patients and none are planned at present given the small numbers of such patients. For the last 12 years NHS National Services Scotland, National Services Division has in…

14 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds for children and adolescents with mental health problems will be available with the opening in Glasgow of the new mental health inpatient unit for adolescents; how many further beds are planned; where such further beds will be located, what additional staff are planned to me…

Answer · Shona Robison: For children, there are currently nine beds provided on a national basis at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Yorkhill).</p> <p >For young people, the recently opened inpatient unit in the West of Scotland with <br> 24 beds brings the total number of bed…

14 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the opening in Glasgow of the new mental health inpatient unit for adolescents, what increase there will be in staffing, particularly for consultant and junior doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, social workers and teachers.

Answer · Shona Robison: The new unit provides a range of dedicated services for young people aged 12 to 18 years, from across the West of Scotland, who have serious mental health problems. Staffing issues are therefore a matter for the West of Scotland NHS Boards (Ayrshire and Arran…

14 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had discussions with the BMA about the decision to change the split of duties in new NHS consultant posts from 7.5 direct clinical care and 2.5 supporting professional activities to nine direct clinical care and one supporting professional activity.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Section 4.2.2 of the current Consultant Grade Terms and Conditions of Service states that, unless otherwise agreed, a full-time consultant will devote 7.5 programmed activities per week to direct clinical care, and 2.5 programmed activities to supporting prof…

14 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many junior doctor posts or full-time equivalents were available on 5 August 2009, broken down by NHS board, and how many of these were not filled.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on junior doctors as at 5 August 2009 is not centrally available. However, for the number of junior posts or full-time equivalents as at 30 September 2008, I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28102 on 3 November 2009. All the answers …

8 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many junior doctors or full-time equivalents were employed by the NHS on 1 August 2009.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on junior doctors as at 1 August 2009 is not centrally available. NHS Scotland staff in post information is collected annually through a census as at 30 September. The relevant figures for 2008 are shown in the following table:</p> <table border…

8 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many junior doctors or full-time equivalents have been required to fill European working time directive rotas in each NHS board since 1 August 2009.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally. NHS boards as individual employers have an obligation under the Working Time Regulations 1998 to ensure that all junior doctors are compliant with the 48 hour average working week that came into force on 1 August 2009. …

8 Oct 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason it has not publicised the fact that it has an extra £880 million in purchasing power available in its 2010-11 budget due to lower rates of inflation.

Answer · John Swinney: <i >This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:</i></p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor1008-01.htm">http://www.scott…

7 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many foreign nationals are in custody in Scottish prisons, also broken down by gender and country of origin.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=155 valign=top > <p align=left >&nbsp;</p> </td> <td …

7 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will issue its determination on the planning application for the new slip road at Glenbervie that will service the new acute hospital at Larbert.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Scottish ministers issued their decision to authorise this project on 3 November 2009.</p>

1 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether investigations have been carried out into how rail passenger services between Alloa and Kincardine could be developed.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Executive has not carried out investigations into how rail passenger services between Alloa and Kincardine could be developed.</p> <p >I understand that SESTRAN is undertaking a study into the possibility of services between Alloa and Edinburgh…

24 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many interviews on the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi the Cabinet Secretary for Justice gave between the announcement of release and 3 September 2009.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Seventeen.</p>

23 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many residents along the route of the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway line have made requests for a follow-up noise and vibration assessment since the line was operational and how many of those requests have been met.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: One person has made a request for a follow-up residential pre-construction condition survey.</p>

23 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many residents along the route of the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway line had a noise and vibration impact assessment carried out at their property before the line was operational. 

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: One hundred and eighty-nine residential pre-construction condition surveys were undertaken prior to the commencement of construction.</p>

23 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for dermatology services regarding (a) consultant posts, (b) non-consultant posts and (c) centres in the next five years.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally. It is the responsibility of NHS boards to plan such services in order to meet the needs of their local population.</p> <p >The Scottish Government is committed to improving access to health services, includin…

23 Sep 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to address problems associated with those parts of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 that came into effect on 1 September 2009.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill : <i >This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:</i></p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor1001-01.htm">http://www.scot…

17 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps the Scottish Emergencies Co-ordinating Committee and the eight strategic co-ordinating groups have taken to ensure that NHS retired doctors, nurses and technicians, with previous intensive care experience have been (a) listed, (b) contacted and (c) offered a training update.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Deployment and redeployment of staff, including retired healthcare professionals, is a matter for NHS boards themselves. Central guidance for NHS boards on the workforce implications of pandemic flu was revised and reissued by the Scottish Government in Augus…

17 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional specialist nursing staff will be required to support the announced increase in intensive care beds.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards response to pandemic influenza surge planning reflects a staged and incremental re-prioritisation of existing services as demand increases or diminishes. A key action for boards has been planning for the re-alignment of workforce resources includin…

17 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional ventilators are being acquired to support the announced increase in intensive care beds.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As I announced on 10 September, the government will purchase an extra 40 adult and 15 paediatric ventilators to support boards in delivery of the 100% increase in critical care capacity. The total costs, which will be borne by the government, will be in the r…

17 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machines will be available by 1 October 2009.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: In Scotland, there is currently one adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and two in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. </p> <p >As respiratory ECMO for adults is a rare and highly specialised procedure, it is available…

3 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-25181 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 July 2009, when the new standard targets for admission to a stroke unit are to be achieved and, if it is one year from the date of the answer, whether there are interim targets to be met by each NHS board’s managed clin…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We expect NHS boards to make progress as quickly as possible towards achieving the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) stroke standards. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-26944, on 14 September 2009, which indicates that we will continue…

3 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-25180 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 July 2009, whether NHS boards will be required to collect some or all of the data referred to in the answer or other data sets locally if they are to be held to account for standards in relation to diagnosis management …

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Yes. The <i >Better Heart Disease and Stroke Care Action Plan</i> sets out our intention to continue to highlight, on an annual basis, NHS boards'' performance towards achieving the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) standards for stroke. NHS boards a…

3 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many interviews on the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing gave between the announcement of the release and 3 September 2009.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I undertook 13 interviews on television and radio during this period in my capacity as Deputy First Minister.</p>

3 Sep 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what screening currently takes place for newborn babies in Scotland.

Answer · Shona Robison: All parents are invited to consent that their newborn babies undergo the Newborn Bloodspot Screening, the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and a newborn physical examination.</p>