Dr Richard Simpson

25 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that girls born after 1 September 1990 who are eligible for the catch-up human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination programme and have not responded to invitations from NHS boards are given another opportunity to respond.

Answer · Shona Robison: The offer of vaccination for all girls in the catch up cohort for HPV vaccination will remain until August 2011. NHS boards locally will continue to seek to vaccinate girls within the catch-up campaign until this point. Additionally, the national marketing an…

25 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a cut-off date after which girls born after 1 September 1990 who have commenced a course of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination must complete the course.

Answer · Shona Robison: There is no formal cut-off date after which girls born after 1 September 1990 who have commenced a course of HPV vaccination must complete the course. However, the purpose of administering the HPV vaccine to girls at a young age is to provide them with protec…

25 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a cut-off date after which girls born after 1 September 1990 who are involved in the catch-up human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination programme will no longer be eligible for the vaccination on the NHS.

Answer · Shona Robison: The offer of vaccination for all girls in the catch up cohort for HPV vaccination will remain until August 2011. This is in line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, who recommended vaccination be offered to girls aged 13-17 a…

25 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who administers the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination to girls born after 1 September 1990 who have left school.

Answer · Shona Robison: Delivery of the HPV vaccination is matter for NHS boards locally. Some NHS boards have reached agreements with GPs to enable delivery of the vaccination through GP practices. In other areas, NHS boards are vaccinating girls with their own staff. Mixed models …

25 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all girls born after 1 September 1990 and who have left school have been sent a letter about the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination.

Answer · Shona Robison: No such letter has been sent to all girls nationally. Responsibility for delivery of HPV vaccination locally, including identification and contact with the cohort of older girls who had left school, is a matter for health boards. It is likely that in most cas…

25 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much single status pay will cost each NHS board and Special Health Board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The 1997 Single Status Agreement is an agreement which applies to local government employees and not NHS Scotland employees. It is an agreement which brought together the pay and conditions of service of manual workers and administrative, professional and tec…

25 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made an assessment of the costs to NHSScotland of single status pay.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The 1997 Single Status Agreement is an agreement which applies to local government employees and not NHS Scotland employees. It is an agreement which brought together the pay and conditions of service of manual workers and administrative, professional and tec…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the clinical indicators of best practice in commissioning stroke services.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The updated stroke standards published in June by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland are based on the most recent evidence on clinical effectiveness, as set out in Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 108 on the management of patients wi…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients it predicts would regain independence rather than die or become long-term dependent if (a) 10% and (b) 15% of stroke patients received thrombolysis.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not available. There is clear evidence, however, that timely thrombolysis in appropriate cases improves outcomes for patients.</p>

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths would be prevented if timely access to stroke units were increased to 75% of stroke patients and when this figure will be reviewed.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not available.</p> <p >The updated clinical standards published by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland at the end of June include the following essential criteria:</p> <p>60% of all patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of stroke a…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage is of patients with a transient ischemic attack (a) offered an MRI scan, (b) given appropriate carotid artery screening and (c) given aspirin.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information requested is not available. NHS boards will however need to be able to demonstrate whether they meet the relevant updated NHS Quality Improvement Scotland clinical standard, which is that TIA patients have their risk factors assessed and docu…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many stroke networks have been established in Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are 14 stroke managed clinical networks in Scotland, one in each NHS board.</p>

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of patients experiencing strokes is (a) blue light transferred to hospital with a pre-alert to the receiving unit, (b) offered a CT scan, (c) offered a CT scan within three or four hours, (d) admitted directly to a specialist hyper-acute stroke unit within 24 hours, (e) gi…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested in part (a) of the question is not available. A key performance indicator (KPI) for ensuring rapid transfer and assessment of patients presenting with acute stroke is however being developed. The Scottish Stroke Care Audit (SSCA) wil…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what post-release support is offered to prisoners following a successful appeal against a miscarriage of justice.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Local authorities have a statutory duty under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to provide voluntary throughcare which consists of advice, guidance and assistance to people who request such a service within 12 months of their release from custody, including…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Review of Mobile Communication Devices as Potential Reservoirs of Nosocomial Pathogens in The Journal of Hospital Infection, what steps it has taken to include the regular testing and decontamination of mobile phones, other mobile devices, static phones and computer keybo…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We welcome this research report, which is a helpful study and adds to the body of knowledge that we continually gather around Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI). Good hand hygiene and a safer and cleaner patient environment are key in reducing the spread o…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding is being made available to NHS24 and primary care to employ additional staff to meet the demands associated with the influenza A (H1N1) virus.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: £0.4 million has been allocated to NHS24 to date. We are working closely with NHS24 and NHSScotland generally to ensure that appropriate services are provided.</p>

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on a new strategy for community hospitals.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Following the publication of the 2006 strategy <i >Developing Community Hospitals: a strategy for </i><i >Scotland</i><i >,</i> the Scottish Government has no plans to develop a new strategy for community hospitals. It is a matter for NHS boards, working wi…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to increase the uptake of long-acting contraceptive measures.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I am pleased to confirm that, on 14 July 2009, we launched a social marketing campaign to encourage women, including young women, to use long-lasting methods of contraception.</p> <p >This campaign, which will focus on giving you more choice, will raise awa…

23 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce the number of (a) terminations of pregnancy, (b) repeat terminations of pregnancy and (c) terminations of pregnancy beyond 10 weeks.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We are increasing access to services throughout Scotland, in line with the NHS QIS Sexual Health Services Standards. For young people in particular, we have made a commitment to ensure that a young people''s sexual health drop-in service is available either w…

19 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with local authorities (a) as part of the concordat or (b) separately to ensure the mapping of illegal lending in each local authority area.

Answer · Alex Neil: Illegal money lending (lending without a credit licence) is a breach of the consumer credit legislation which is reserved to the UK Government. The UK Government funds specialist units to tackle illegal money lending. The Scottish team has no formal partnersh…

19 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to provide guidance on whistle-blowing in the NHS and other public services.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: In the NHS, the Staff Governance Standard commits NHSScotland employers to ensuring that all staff are treated fairly and consistently and that the minimum standards as described in the Partnership Information Network (PIN) policy guidelines are met or exceed…

19 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under the age of 16 it considers are at risk of measles because of either non-vaccination or inadequate response to vaccination.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: For children aged less than five, the total number susceptible to measles is estimated at 34,557, or 12% of that total population. This figure is a mixture of children who are not yet eligible for vaccination, those who have not been vaccinated, and those who…

19 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it regards as the level of effective immunisation derived from having a single or full course of injections of the MMR vaccine.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: At a population level, current estimates are that 90% of those immunised would be protected from measles after one dose of MMR, and 99% after two doses of MMR. For mumps the equivalent figures are 87.8% after one dose and 94.6% after two doses, and for rubell…

19 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under the age of 16 have not had the full MMR vaccination.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As part of the childhood immunisation programme, two doses of MMR vaccine are routinely offered to children by five years of age. In Scotland, 45,505 children (7.0%) between the ages of five and 16 had not received any immunisation with MMR as at 31 March 200…

19 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of junior doctors in each NHS board area has reached compliance with the European working time directive.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: At the end of May 2009, the percentage of junior doctors, by NHS board, who were already compliant with the Working Time Regulations 1 August 2009 target of an average of 48 hours a week is detailed in the following table.</p> <p >NHS boards are providing Sc…

18 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that junior doctors with full-time NHS contracts are not employed as locums to fill gaps in rotas.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: It is the responsibility of NHS boards, as employers, to ensure that any staff engaged in locum, bank or overtime work do not work outside the legal limits of the working time regulations. Individuals also have a responsibility for ensuring that they do not v…

18 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to ensure that junior doctors are not contracted for additional hours beyond the 48 hours allowed under the European working time directive, either as part of a core contract or under a separate contract.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish Government has the role of supporting NHS boards to achieve compliance with the working time regulations (WTR). This has included issuing guidance applying to junior doctors, which reminds employers of the requirements of the working time regulations…

18 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians of Glasgow with regard to implications for training of surgeons arising from the European working time directive.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Last month, in response to a letter from to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties in Scotland, Dr Kevin Woods, Director-General Health, wrote inviting them to a meeting to address a number of issues surrounding the impending working time regulat…

18 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with particular focus on those which have agreed to support vaccinations for teenagers who have left school, how many GP practices have agreed to undertake human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccinations.

Answer · Shona Robison: No national contractual agreement was reached with the Scottish General Practitioners Committee (SGPC) in relation to the involvement of GP practices in the HPV vaccination programme. Therefore this information is not held centrally.</p>

18 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of GP practices in each NHS board has signed up to provide extended hours.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The percentage of GP practices signed up to provide extended hours in each NHS board area is illustrated in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td valign=top > <p align=center >NHS Board</p> …