Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that it is appropriate for a patient who has diarrhoea to be discharged to (a) home or (b) a household where there is a vulnerable person.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: It would not be appropriate for me to comment on individual cases. Decisions on the fitness of patients to be discharged are made by clinicians on the basis of their own clinical judgement and on a case-by-case basis.</p>
22 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18514 by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 December 2008, how many of the prescribed items for antibiotics were for hospitals only, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) hospital in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of prescribed items for antibiotics prescribed by secondary care units and dispensed by community pharmacists is given in the table <i >Antibacterial Items by secondary care unit 2005-06 to 2007-08</i> a copy of which has been placed…
22 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the NHS boards in which the National Sexual Health (NaSH) system is in operation and when it expects the remaining boards to begin operating the system.
Answer · Shona Robison: The NHS boards currently using the National Sexual Health (NaSH) system are:</p> <p >Ayrshire and Arran</p> <p >Borders</p> <p >Dumfries and Galloway</p> <p >Greater Glasgow and Clyde</p> <p >Lanarkshire</p> <p >Lothian.</p> <p >Tayside and Gram…
22 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of awarding the contract for the National Sexual Health (NaSH) system to AxSys Technology Ltd and the cost of any ongoing related data services provided.
Answer · Shona Robison: The costs of awarding the contract for the National Sexual Health System (NaSH) to AxSys Technology Ltd are set out in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td width=221 valign=top > <p >Development and Imple…
22 Jan 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish responses to the recent consultation on agricultural pay and conditions.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: <i>This PQ 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/sor0122-01.htm">http://www.scottish.par…
20 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the emergence of the 078 ribotype of Clostridium difficile, how many isolates have been detected since the Scottish Salmonella Shigella and Clostridium difficile Reference Laboratory was established, broken down by NHS (a) facility and (b) board.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Reference Laboratory advise that a total of 583 isolates (all strains) were received and typed between 20 November 2007 and September 2008. It is not possible to provide a breakdown by facility but a breakdown by NHS board is provided in the foll…
15 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Scotland has estimated the cost of staff travelling to prisons to treat patients.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: No estimate has been made. Travel costs for health service visits to prisons are not identified separately by NHS boards.</p>
15 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) nurses and allied health professionals and (b) doctors travelled to prisons to see or treat patients in 2007-08.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally. A wide range of NHS health professionals, including forensic psychiatrists, physicians, specialist nurses and therapists visit prisons on a regular basis to treat patients.</p>
15 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has estimated the cost of sending a prisoner to a hospital appointment and whether this varies depending on the category of prisoner.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >Escorts are not paid for individually and therefore do not vary depending on the category of prisoner. Charges for the movement of p…
15 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners travelled from prison to attend appointments at (a) out-patient and (b) accident and emergency departments in 2007-08.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >(a) The number of prisoners who have travelled from prison to attend appointments at out-patient departments from May 2007 to April 2008 i…
13 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which programmes in the Choose Life or Breathing Space initiatives are designed to address the problems of self-harm in children.
Answer · Shona Robison: Neither Choose Life nor Breathing Space have a specific focus on self-harm or on children.</p> <p >The Scottish Government will set out in our forthcoming action plan <i >Towards a Mentally Flourishing Scotland</i> our proposals for tackling self-harm in Sco…
13 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of findings from the University of Stirling published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in January 2009, indicating that 13.8% of children self-harmed and a further 14.4% thought seriously about self-harm, what steps it has taken or will take to improve emotional literacy in …
Answer · Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government is supporting the development of emotional literacy in schools through legislation, curriculum development and specific projects.</p> <p >The Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007 (the Act) imposes duties on the…
13 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18262 by Kenny MacAskill on 8 December 2008, whether medical information obtained (a) on admission, (b) from any health screening undertaken, (c) from any health education or improvement programme and (d) from any attendance at a medical or nursing c…
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >Any significant medical information recorded in the prisoner''s Health Care Record which was obtained either on admission, from any …
13 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of (a) recent publications suggesting ribotype 027 may not be more toxic that other ribotypes, (b) the likelihood of ribotype 078 emerging and (c) a need to have a national and regional picture of ribotypes and antibiotic resistance, when it intends to amend the guidance of Nove…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Health Protection Scotland (HPS) issued revised guidance to diagnostic laboratories in November 2008 which requires labs to provide a proportionate number of isolates of all Clostridium difficile cases received in addition to those submitted for routine typin…
13 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S3O-5063 and S3W-18359 by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 and 8 December 2008 respectively, whether it will set out the timeline by which information on healthcare associated infection (HAI) will be made available to the public in a form broken down by individual …
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards are required to make their Healthcare Associated Infection Report available to the public for all bi-monthly NHS board meetings taking place from January 2009. These will be published on individual NHS board websites and will provide the public wit…
8 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to the implications of a move towards single embryo transfer.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the fertility regulatory body, has asked clinics to reduce general multiple pregnancy rates from an average of 24% to 10% over the next three years. We would expect that clinicians providing infertility treatm…
8 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cycles of IVF and ICSI per person can be provided by each NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: The government published Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in 2000 to inform NHS boards planning and provision of infertility services. These guidelines, which remain extant, recommend that those who are eligible for NHS funded IVF treatment shoul…
8 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether infertility treatment will be included in the 18-week waiting time initiative.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Access to infertility services has not historically been included in waiting time targets because there were concerns about breaching patient confidentiality. We have collected data from NHS boards which shows that waiting times for this service vary signific…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual administration costs are of issuing short-term employment contracts for under one year to specialist registrars, including the cost of occupational health and Disclosure Scotland checks, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The issuing of contracts and employment checks for new staff form part of the routine work of NHS board human resource departments. Medical staff are generally dealt with by medical staffing departments within human resources and the issuing of contracts, occ…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual administration costs are of issuing short-term employment contracts for under one year to foundation doctors, including the cost of occupational health and Disclosure Scotland checks, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The issuing of contracts and employment checks for new staff form part of the routine work of NHS board human resource departments. Medical staff are generally dealt with by medical staffing departments within human resources and the issuing of contracts, occ…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of foundation doctors employed on short-term contracts of a period of less than one year worked for two or more NHS boards within the two year set training programme.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested has been provided by NHS Education for Scotland (NES): </p> <p >Foundation Doctors - Breakdown by NHS Board</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td width=183 valign=top > <p align=center >NHS Board</p> …
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many junior doctors are employed on contracts for a period of one year or longer, broken down by NHS board and grade.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Junior doctors hold a training agreement with NES for their seven or eight year training programme, but because they work in different Boards during training, they are employed on a series of short-term employment contracts by each of the boards they work for…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many junior doctors are employed on short-term contracts for a period of less than one year, broken down by NHS board and grade.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Junior doctors hold a training agreement with NES (NHS Education for Scotland) for their seven or eight year training programme, but because they work in different boards during training, they are employed on a series of short-term employment contracts by eac…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that NHS boards comply fully with the European working time directive from 1 August 2009 and what steps it will take on or after that date to test compliance.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Compliance with the Working Time Regulations (WTR) is the responsibility of NHS boards as employers. The Scottish Government aims to help the NHS to achieve compliance and continues to issue guidance, disseminate information on good practice and hold WTR semi…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that any foundation year one doctors who have worked across more than one NHS board are reimbursed for travel expenses irrespective of length of contract.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government Health Directorates recently facilitated discussions between the British Medical Association (BMA) and NHS Scotland employers in relation to travel and relocation expenses for doctors in training.</p> <p >These talks resulted in an in…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the recent agreement on the retention of free accommodation for foundation year one doctors in Wales, what steps it is taking to ensure that NHS boards are similarly instructed to continue this provision.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As a result of an approach by the British Medical Association, the issue of free accommodation for FY1 doctors in Scotland was looked at. It was noted that there are recruitment and retention issues for this group of staff in Wales and that this provision had…
18 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18594 by Shona Robison on 11 December 2008, how soon the State Hospital will reduce its numbers to a level that can be accommodated in the new redeveloped facility.
Answer · Shona Robison: Allowing for forecast progress with the building and commissioning of the new facilities the new level of patient provision should be achieved by July 2009.</p> <p >Practical contingencies have been included in the current and forward planning to ensure cont…
17 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the proposal to move the oversight of clinical indicators for the Quality and Outcomes Framework to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government is broadly supportive of proposals to introduce an independent and transparent process for reviewing and establishing new Quality and Outcomes Framework indicators. Much of the detail of the new process remains to be worked through, in…
17 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has engaged with the UK Government’s Department of Health consultation on possible revisions to the Quality and Outcomes Framework.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government Health Directorates are fully engaged in UK Health Department discussions of proposed changes to the process for reviewing and developing potential new Quality and Outcomes Framework indicators.</p>
17 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what adjustments it is proposing to make to the cervical screening programme, with particular reference to (a) method of screening, (b) age range, (c) proposed exclusions and (d) human papilloma virus (HPV) screening.
Answer · Shona Robison: There are no current plans to change the cervical screening programme. However, the National Advisory Group on Breast and Cervical Screening will continue to review emerging evidence from research on an on-going basis.</p>