Dr Richard Simpson

17 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that both GP referral letters and letters to GPs from consultants or other specialist staff are copied to patients as part of improving patient health literacy.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are currently no plans to copy GP referral letters and letters to GPs from consultants or other specialist staff. Patients can exercise their rights under the Data Protection Act 1998 and request copies of correspondence about them.</p>

11 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will set new targets for recruitment to cancer research trials.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: <i >Better Cancer Care, An Action Plan</i> published in October 2008 stated that the Scottish Cancer Research Network had bid for extra funding from the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) for the next three financial years. This extra funding has been agreed with C…

11 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to conclude a feasibility study of extending breast cancer sentinel node biopsy to the whole of Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: <i >Better Cancer Care: An Action Plan</i> stated that the Scottish Government together with the Regional Cancer Advisory Groups and NHS boards will explore the feasibility of sentinel node biopsy being made available across NHSScotland. The timetable for thi…

11 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which areas of Scotland (a) make and (b) do not make sentinel node biopsy available to breast cancer patients.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This specific information is not held centrally.</p> <p >However, Sentinel node biopsy for breast patients is already available routinely in some NHS board areas and training programmes are underway to make the service accessible across the other board area…

11 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to add ethnicity information to death certificates.

Answer · Jim Mather: There are no such plans.</p>

11 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Chief Scientist Office funded study into ethnic variation in health, health service utilisation and health outcomes in Scotland will be completed.

Answer · Shona Robison: This study is expected to be completed by 31 January 2010.</p>

11 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the study of breast cancer screening that compared double reading of mammograms with a single reading and a computer assisted programme, as set out in page 38 of Better Cancer Care, An Action Plan, when a decision will be reached on which approach should be used in the Scottis…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish National Advisory Group on Breast and Cervical screening (NAG) have agreed to invite the study group to meet in 2009 to present their findings. As all film images would have to be digitised, it would be impractical to introduce this new CAD techn…

11 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to develop the skills of service users with learning disabilities to assist them to participate more effectively in consultation processes.

Answer · John Swinney: It is for individual contracting authorities to determine how they engage with service users during their procurement procedures and to ensure that service users are able to participate effectively in consultation processes.</p> <p >In implementing <i >The s…

11 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support is being given to local authorities and voluntary organisations to establish good practice in consulting service users with learning disabilities before any decision is taken to tender or retender or during the tender specification process itself.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Procurement Directorate guidance of August 2008 makes clear that, before tendering a service, contracting authorities should develop a strategy which addresses the concerns of those who use or will use the service. Consultation with service users…

11 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to involve people with learning disabilities, other vulnerable adults and, where appropriate, their carers or advocates in the establishment of good practice in consulting service users in the procurement process.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Procurement Directorate will consult key stakeholders, including service users and, where appropriate, their carers or advocates, to ensure that their views are taken into account and inform the additional guidance. The Learning Disability Allian…

11 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to issue new procurement guidance on (a) the options available to local authorities and (b) best practice in consulting service users.

Answer · John Swinney: Public procurement legislation places an obligation on local authorities to ensure that contracts for the provision of social care services are subject to a degree of advertising which is sufficient to enable open competition and to meet the requirements of t…

11 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with local authorities on establishing common practice in consulting service users with learning disabilities prior to tendering their existing services.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Procurement Directorate have held discussions with the Association of Directors of Social Work, COSLA and Scotland Excel, the centre of procurement expertise for local authorities, on the conduct of tendering exercises for social care services. T…

11 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to establish good practice in consulting service users with learning disabilities prior to tendering of their existing services taking place.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government continues to address best practice in consulting with service users.</p> <p >The Scottish Procurement Directorate issued guidance in August 2008 which stated that, prior to tendering, Contracting authorities should have a strategy for…

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that access to CT and MRI scans by direct referral from GPs is increased from 29% of hospitals for CT and 7% for MRI scans to levels matching those in England for 2005-06 of 49% for CT and 34% for MRI.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Better Health, Better Care: Action Plan sets out how the Scottish Government intends to achieve a patient centred NHS for the people of Scotland, which is safe, effective, efficient and equitable. It also includes a challenging target that no patient shou…

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current target of nine weeks for diagnostic tests will be subsumed within the new referral-to-treatment target of 18 weeks by 2011.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Yes. The 18 weeks referral-to-treatment standard will cover a patient''s journey from referral to treatment, including any necessary diagnostic tests.</p>

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that any case where Clostridium difficile is a direct or contributory factor is linked to the hospital, ward and bed in which the patient was present, for the purposes of future infection control.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards must ensure that local surveillance mechanisms are in place to identify any potential areas for improvement in infection control practice, and this includes surveillance to link cases of Clostridium difficile to specific hospitals, wards and beds. …

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that the Protocol for the Scottish Surveillance Programme for Clostridium difficile Associated Disease, established by Health Protection Scotland prior to the opening of the national laboratory service at Stobhill hospital on 20 November 2007, has been fo…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards are responsible for ensuring they comply with national guidance as set out in the Health Protection Scotland (HPS) protocols for surveillance. NHS board practice in this area is also the subject of review by the HAI National Taskforce, chaired by t…

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many isolates of Clostridium difficile ribotype 027 and 078 have been found in each of the last four quarters, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: All available information on ribotypes is published in the clostridium difficile quarterly reports available through the Health Protection Scotland website at <u><a href="http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/">www.hps.scot.nhs.uk</a>.</u></p> <p >At present informatio…

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the publication of the Health Protection Scotland report, NHS Scotland National HAI Prevalence Survey, in July 2007, what steps have been taken to carry out targeted incidence surveillance for Clostridium difficile, as set out under Objective 6 in page 157 of the report.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Targeted incidence surveillance by NHS Scotland boards of C. difficile in those over 65 years was made mandatory from September 2006, and this approach will be extended to include patients aged 15 years and over from April 2009.</p>

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it, or the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives, is undertaking to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to prepare for a pandemic.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has already undertaken considerable work with businesses to ensure that they are prepared for a flu pandemic. Engagement is continuing on both a Scottish and UK basis with businesses in sectors such as transport and energy.</p> <p ><…

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will next carry out simulation exercises for the management of a pandemic (a) as part of a UK-wide exercise, (b) as a Scottish national exercise and (c) at individual NHS board level.

Answer · Shona Robison: Exercise Cauld Craw will take place in late April and May of 2009. This exercise, based on a pandemic influenza scenario, will practice generic capabilities, (such as crisis decision making and the maintenance of essential services) that apply to any major em…

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of renewed concerns in England regarding an increase in cases of measles and failure to meet MMR vaccination uptake targets, whether it will (a) carry out a further campaign to increase uptake and (b) promote and undertake further catch-up work for people previously not immunise…

Answer · Shona Robison: MMR uptake rates in Scotland have been higher than in many parts of England throughout the last decade. The quarterly childhood immunisation statistics published on 30 September indicate that uptake of the MMR vaccine by 24 months in Scotland was 91.7%, where…

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are in the State Hospital and how many the new hospital will be able to accommodate.

Answer · Shona Robison: On 8 December 2008 there were 163 patients cared for at the State Hospital. The planned capacity for the redeveloped facility will be to accommodate up to 140 patients.</p> <p >Only those for whom a transfer is assessed as appropriate and safe will move to o…

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects that the new State Hospital will be commissioned.

Answer · Shona Robison: The redeveloped State Hospital will be commissioned in early 2011 when the new accommodation will come into full use.</p>

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what protocols are in place to ensure that every prisoner is assessed for learning difficulties on admission to custody.

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 >All convicted prisoners receive an initial Core Screen interview as part of the Integrated Case Management (ICM) process within 72 h…

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that information on offenders’ learning difficulties is provided (a) to the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) on admission to and (b) by the SPS to community services on discharge from custody.

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 >Social Enquiry Reports and Trial Judge Reports may make reference to learning difficulty/disability issues. The SPS receive both rep…

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish Prison Service nurses and social workers have specialist qualifications, or have completed learning modules, in learning difficulties.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >There are currently 16 registered learning disability nurses employed by the Scottish Prison Service.</p> <p >All prison based social wor…

5 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which prisons (a) have and (b) do not have (i) mental health inreach services provided by their NHS board and (ii) speech and language therapy services.

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 >Each establishment has provision of a visiting psychiatry service from the NHS. The SPS meets the cost of these services. Additional…

3 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescriptions for antibiotics were issued in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07 and (c) 2007-08.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The following table shows the number of prescribed items for antibiotics for the financial years ending 31 March 2006 to 2008. The data given refer to items dispensed in the community by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors but do not include medicin…

3 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-17745 by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 November 2008, why bank staff assimilation is being left until the end of the Agenda for Change process.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: It should be made clear that the majority of bank staff, over 35,000, have already been assimilated. Of those staff left to process, boards are generally prioritising substantive staff because, once these staff are assimilated, bank workers will be able to be…