Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
15 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the most recent level of achievement in admitting patients with strokes to specialist units within 24 hours, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The relevant NHS QIS clinical standard is that 70% of all patients admitted to hospital with diagnosis of stroke are admitted to a stroke unit within 24 hours of presentation at hospital. The most recent figure for the whole of Scotland was 56% in 2007. Infor…
8 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to encourage sports clubs to record injuries.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Many Scottish governing bodies of sport have accreditation schemes in place requiring member clubs to be aware of and implement normal operating procedures and emergency operating procedures. Risk assessment and first-aid procedures are components of these op…
8 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what surveillance of pupil injuries is carried out by schools.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) state in their Education Information Sheet No 1 that some incidents that happen in schools, or during education activities out of school, must be reported to them under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Oc…
8 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether data recording systems in NHS24, out-of-hours services and GP practices are fit for purpose in auditing child injuries as part of the European Commission Child Safety Action Plan project.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The data recording systems in NHS24, out-of-hours services and GP practices are not currently able to provide the statistics to inform the European Commission Child Safety Action Plan project.</p> <p >The focus of the Child Safety Action Plan is the preventi…
8 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15294 by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 August 2008, whether the NHS boards that are not using the nationally procured EDIS system for accident and emergency information have systems that are compatible with it for recording injuries in children.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There is no requirement for A&E (accident and emergency) systems from NHS boards, who do not use the nationally procured EDIS, to be compatible with any version of EDIS which may be in use.</p> <p >It is for NHS boards to decide which of the injury data …
2 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase funding to local authorities for the employment of environmental health officers.
Answer · Shona Robison: As part of our concordat with COSLA, we are investing record levels of funding in local government and giving them more freedom and flexibility in how they allocate their funding. It is the responsibility of each local authority to decide the level of funding…
2 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline its proposals for a health education campaign to accompany the Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008.
Answer · Shona Robison: Following the passage of the Public Health etc (Scotland) 2008 the Scottish Government intends to conduct an awareness raising campaign to accompany the act''s provisions on sunbeds when they come into effect in 2009. The final form of the campaign has yet to…
2 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact assessment has been carried out on the effectiveness of finance allocated for increased education on and awareness of skin cancer and the use of sundbeds and whether there are plans to increase such funding.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government contributed 10% (£11,000 in 2008-09) to the costs of SunSmart which is commissioned by Health Departments across the UK and run by Cancer Research. SunSmart is a generic skin cancer prevention campaign which aims to raise awareness aro…
2 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when a comprehensive report on cleaning status in all health facilities will be available.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are currently no plans to alter the decision taken by the previous administration, which was to publish information on cleaning compliance at board level and A1 and A2 hospitals only. However, this is kept under review.</p>
2 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Ambulance Service will implement a cleaning audit process throughout the service.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Ambulance Service has national infection control policies in place, including a well defined cleaning and disinfection policy. Processes require that vehicles should have both a daily and a weekly clean and that the interior of the vehicle is wip…
2 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the report by Health Facilities Scotland’s independent assessor on each NHS board’s audit of its cleaning process will be made available to the Parliament.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The draft report was only recently received by Health Facilities Scotland (HFS). The final report will be placed on the HFS website in due course and I will write to the member as soon as I can to advise him of precisely when that will be. A copy will also be…
2 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what compliance with National Cleaning Services Specification is audited and reported for hospitals other than those coded as A1 (acute teaching) and A2 (acute non-teaching).
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: All premises owned or run by an NHS board, from operating theatres to office areas, are audited against the compliance tool and the national cleaning specification standards and there is a rectification process embedded in the monitoring system for managers t…
1 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the age ranges for automatic screening for breast cancer in line with those of England and Northern Ireland.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Breast screening is offered to women between 50 and 70 years of age in Scotland. Women over 70 can self-refer for screening. This is in line with the UK National Screening Committee recommendations.</p>
26 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what income was received from prescription charges in 2007-08, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: The income received from prescription charges in 2007-08, broken down by NHS board, is set out in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td nowrap valign=top > <p align=center >NHS Board</p> </td> <td nowrap…
24 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of public funding was for stair lifts in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Data collected by the Scottish Government on adaptations to the homes of disabled people does not distinguish between different types of adaptations. Information for the period requested on public expenditure on adaptations such that is available is contained…
24 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of public funding was for home adaptations for disabled people in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Local authorities'' expenditure on adaptations to their own stock and expenditure by local authority social work departments on minor adaptations and equipment is not separately recorded.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > …
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been made available to each NHS board in areas where there are one or more prisons, or legalised police cells, to fund specialist medical services provided by that board both as outreach and on the board’s premises in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09.
Answer · Shona Robison: No specific funding is provided to NHS boards for specialist medical services for prisoners. All NHS boards receive an annual allocation of funds. It is for each NHS board to decide how best to utilise these funds to meet the health care needs of its resident…
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what annual funding will be available to each NHS board in areas where there are one or more prisons, or legalised police cells, on the assumption that responsibility for non-specialist medical services will be transferred from the Scottish Prison Service.
Answer · Shona Robison: The funding arrangements for NHS boards regarding the proposed transfer of primary health care services from Scottish Prison Services (SPS) to the NHS is still to be determined.</p> <p >In recognition of the significant scope of the work involved in the tran…
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the contract with Medacs Healthcare for the provision of non-specialist medical services will end and when NHS boards will take over these services.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Provision of medical services in police custody is determined at a local level, and each police force in Scotland has arrangements in place for the health care of those in their custody. In January 2009, Tayside Police and NHS Tayside will begin a three year …
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued on the medical management in standard police cells and legalised cells of prisoners who (a) have an untreated drug dependency and (b) are enrolled in a drug treatment programme.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Medical management of prisoners in standard police cells and legalised cells of prisoners with an untreated drug dependency or who are enrolled in a drug treatment programme is determined at a local level. Each police force in Scotland has arrangements in pla…
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional costs are predicted on the basis of an increase in demand for prescriptions.
Answer · Shona Robison: The estimated cost of the phased abolition of prescription charges over the next three years is £17 million, £24 million and £32 million, respectively, which allows for an expected increase in demand for prescriptions consistent with our policy intentions. Ad…
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much income will be lost to each NHS board from abolition of prescription and appliance charges.
Answer · Shona Robison: The estimated cost of the phased abolition of prescription charges over the next three years is £17 million, £24 million and £32 million, respectively. An allocation of £17 million, based on income in 2007-08, has been made to boards for 2008-09 and is split …
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will reach a decision on the Minor Ailments Service in advance of the abolition of prescription charges.
Answer · Shona Robison: The abolition of prescription charges will not substantively effect the Minor Ailment Service (MAS). In April 2011 when the charge is reduced to zero we intend to redefine the eligibility criteria for MAS to ensure that the patient groups that currently quali…
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual expenditure for pandemic preparedness was in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08; what it will be for 2008-09, and under which budget heading this funding occurs.
Answer · Shona Robison: In 2006-07 identifiable expenditure on pandemic flu preparedness was £10,739,435 from the Public Health and Workplace Health budget, £8,000 from the Civil Defence and Emergency Planning budget and £2,750 from the General Register Office for Scotland''s (GROS)…
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current and future programmes are for Joint Futures; how many people are employed in this unit, and for what role they are employed.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Joint Future is the lead policy on joint working between local authorities and the NHS on community care. The current programme, and that for the immediate future, includes: the development and delivery of the Community Care Outcomes Framework; promoting the …
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Joint Futures agenda will play in achieving its objectives in Better Health Better Care: Action Plan.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Joint Future will contribute to ensuring better, local and faster access to health care through partnership working between local authorities and the NHS. This will be achieved through the Community Care Outcomes Framework and implementation of the National M…
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what detailed guidelines it has provided since May 2007 in order to achieve the objectives, stated in Better Health Better Care: Action Plan of planning and commissioning the majority of health care services as an integral part of the community planning programme.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Responsibility for the implementation of Community Planning sits with partnerships at community level.</p> <p >The Joint Improvement Team based in the Primary and Community Care Directorate of the Scottish Government supports joint working at a local level …
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many days Wishaw, Hairmyres and Monklands hospitals were closed to emergencies in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not centrally held.</p>
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what savings it expects to make in replacing paper prescriptions by Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions and where any such savings will be made.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-16220 on 22 September 2008 which explains, paper cannot be eliminated completely from the prescriptions process in Scotland at this stage. While the electronic transmission of prescriptions brings a range of be…
11 Sep 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how and when it will eliminate paper prescriptions following universal introduction of Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions.
Answer · Shona Robison: There are no current plans to eliminate paper prescriptions. The paper prescription services a number of purposes in addition to acting as an order for medicines, and it is the paper prescription that triggers the electronic transmission of the prescription i…