Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that kinship and foster carers have short breaks from caring.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Our concordat with COSLA includes a commitment to deliver an additional 10,000 respite weeks per year by 2010-11. The kinship carers, who fall within the definition of an unpaid carer (i.e. who care on a regular and substantial basis for a child who is disabl…
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to improve the status of kinship carers.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government has taken a range of actions to improve the status and address the needs of kinship carers. This includes:</p> <p >Providing new central financial resources to local authorities to meet our joint commitment within the National Concor…
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria for payments for kinship carers have been agreed between it, COSLA, local partners and stakeholders.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The commitment within the concordat is to pay approved kinship carers of Looked After Children a weekly allowance at the equivalent rate as paid by the local authority to its foster carers.</p> <p >We continue to support the payment of allowances based on TF…
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote kinship care as the first option for children whose parents are unable to look after them and, in particular, what action it is taking to make family group conferencing or an equivalent approach available to all children and extended families where care …
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The joint Scottish Government - COSLA strategy <i >Getting it right for every child in kinship and foster care </b></i>emphasises the central role of the child and their family in decisions made about their care and the right of every child to have their fami…
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that the proposals in Getting it Right for Every Child, to avoid creating false incentives to make a child subject to competing measures and classifying them looked after and to ensure that children’s needs are identified and acted on, are implemented.
Answer · Adam Ingram: The implementation of <i >Getting it right for every child</i> is continuing through pathfinding activity and in partnership with agencies, including development of assessment of children''s risks and needs. Better, earlier identification of risks and needs l…
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the statutory definition is of kinship.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: There is currently no statutory definition of kinship.</p> <p >A kinship carer of a looked after child will be defined in the updated Looked After Children (Scotland) regulations. These will be brought before Parliament in due course.</p>
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following reports of failure to deep-clean ambulances, what steps have been taken to ensure that ambulances are deep-cleaned once a week.
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…
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS board control of infection committees have carried out a walk-through audit of each hospital for which they are responsible and whether the results of such audits will be made public.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Infection Control Committees report to the board through a Governance framework. All NHS board meetings are open to the public. The Governance section of our new National Action Plan sets out our plans for introducing a standard reporting template in January …
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many disciplinary actions were undertaken in each NHS board in respect of the misuse of information and data security in the most recent year for which figures are available.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Numbers of discipline cases are required as part of the mandatory statistics for the workforce reports from NHS boards. The Scottish Government does not collect statistics centrally outlining why the discipline process was invoked. NHS boards would have to be…
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has instructed NHS boards to conduct an inspection of all extant disused hospitals or medical premises in their areas to ensure that no medical records have been left in these premises and, if so, when this instruction was issued, when it will be carried out and whether it will…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government wrote to all NHS boards on the 15 July 2008. All boards with disused hospital premises were asked to carry out a physical inspection to ensure that no patient identifiable information is present. All boards have been asked to confirm w…
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all (a) disused hospitals and medical premises owned by the NHS and (b) sold, but not demolished, hospitals and medical premises.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The following table provides an overview of those hospital and medical facilities which are no longer required for operational purposes but which remain in the ownership of Scottish Ministers.</p> <p >Surplus properties currently remaining in NHSScotland own…
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional junior doctor posts will be established to maintain service levels when the European Working Time Directive, which will require a reduction in waiting time from 56 to 48 hours, is implemented and, if no additional posts are to be created, what alternative plans the Exe…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We do not anticipate that any additional junior doctor posts will be created as a direct consequence of the Working Time Regulations (WTR) requirement for average working hours to be reduced from 56 to 48 by 1 August 2009.</p> <p >Compliance with the reducti…
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement on prescription charges on 5 December 2007 (Official Report, c 4063), what further consideration has been given to the implications for the minor ailments service when prescription charges have been abolished and whether this service will be extended …
Answer · Shona Robison: We are not planning to extend the Minor Ailments Service to all patients when prescription charges are abolished, but do intend to ensure that the patient groups that currently qualify (e.g. children, the elderly and those currently exempt on low income groun…
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring arrangements are in place for changes to the levels of prescribing and costs following the decision to reduce and eventually end prescription charges.
Answer · Shona Robison: Arrangements have been put in place to monitor a range of factors including:</p> <p >Trends in prescriptions that are exempt and paid for,</p> <p >Volume of prescriptions dispensed,</p> <p >Prescription pre-payment certificate sales,</p> <p >Prescribi…
1 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children aged under 16 have been admitted to Scottish Prison Service prisons in each of the last eight quarters.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The number of children (aged over 14 and under 16) who were admitted to a Scottish Prison or Young Offenders Institution are shown in the …
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with the NHS national screening and surveillance information management and technology projects.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The national software to support cervical screening (the Scottish Cervical call recall system, SCCRS) was implemented 29 May 2007. The national software to support screening of diabetic retinopathy (diabetic retinopathy system, DRS) was implemented in all N…
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all information management and technology systems approved for use in primary care are compatible with (a) out-of-hours service data systems, including NHS24, (b) accident and emergency data systems, (c) Scottish Care Information’s SCI Store, SCI Gateway and SCI Diabetes and (d) e…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: All GP IM&T Clinical systems operating in NHS Scotland need to be compliant with the Scottish Enhanced Functionality (SEF) requirements. All GP IM&T Clinical systems are compatible with the Emergency Care Summary (ECS) and send extracts of information…
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of GPs use the Gpass primary care information technology system and what other systems are approved for use.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: 64% of GPs (68% of GP practices) currently use Gpass. Other systems that are approved for use are: InPS (Vision 3), EMIS (PCS) and Ascribe. Over 1,000 GPs (180 GP practices) have moved away from Gpass to a third party system over the last three years and a nu…
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards (a) have and (b) have not adopted the national information management and technology (IMT) system for accident and emergency and for those which have not, whether their systems are fully compatible with the national IMT system.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The EDIS system is a nationally procured system which is available to all boards. The boards currently using the accident and emergency (A&E) system (EDIS) are:</p> <p >Borders Dumfries and Galloway Forth Valley Grampian Greater Glasgow (North and Cl…
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what national information management and technology projects it has underway; what the target completion dates are, and what performance indicators (a) have and (b) have not been met for each project.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: National information management and technology projects now underway are as listed in the eHealth Strategy of June 2008 under Significant procurements or developments on page 23. These are listed below with the target completion dates that were stated in the …
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with Scottish Care Information’s SCI Index.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: SCI Index is a working title for a project to replace the Community Health Index (CHI) technical infrastructure and improve the patient identification service. The eHealth strategy 2008-11, launched in June 2008, identifies the replacement of the CHI technolo…
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the outturn was in revenue and capital expenditure against budget for information management and technology in the NHS in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07 and (c) 2007-08.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government did not centrally collate this information in 2005-06. In 2006-07, the Scottish Government conducted a national IM&T expenditure survey. Outturn expenditure across NHS Scotland was £166 million revenue and £61 million capital. Info…
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any HEAT targets or similar monitoring arrangements for implementation of the national eHealth information management and technology strategy.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The eHealth Programme currently has two HEAT Targets:</p> <p >E1 - Universal utilisation of the Community Health Index (CHI) number; and</p> <p >E7 - To increase the percentage of new GP outpatient referrals into consultant led secondary care services tha…
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the uptake of Scottish Care Information’s SCI Store remains optional; which NHS boards have taken up SCI Store and when they did so, and, for those that operate separate systems, how many of those systems are fully compatible and integrated with SCI Store.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The functionality of SCI store has an important role in the eHealth strategy. SCI Store is a key product in the national eHealth Strategy. All territorial NHS boards and the Golden Jubilee National Hospital have implemented SCI Store. Implementation started i…
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what savings were achieved by the eProcurement Scotland service best procurement implementation programme in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07 and (c) 2007-08.
Answer · John Swinney: The best procurement implementation (BPI) programme was initiated by NHS National Service Scotland to identify and deliver savings through better procurement and improved operational processes. eProcurement Scotland (ePS) was one of seven workstreams in that…
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Fife and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are signed up to the eProcurement Scotland service.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Fife are not currently signed up to the eProcurement Scotland. However, they do have a local solution for automating procurement transactions, which is extensively deployed.</p> <p >NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are users of eProcurement Scotland. Howeve…
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it accepts the target in the Wanless Report, Securing Our Future Health: Taking a Long-Term View, of 3 to 4% of NHS expenditure as necessary to meet fully future information management and technology requirements in the NHS.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has not set a specific target for IM&T expenditure but has committed to fund future growth in eHealth in the Strategic Spending Review. The national eHealth budget will progressively increase from under £40 million in 2005-06 to a …
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-14851 by Adam Ingram on 3 July 2008, whether, in relation to the commitment in its concordat with COSLA to pay approved kinship carers of looked after children a weekly allowance, it will ensure that progress on this commitment is reported annually b…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Progress against each of the commitments in the concordat will be reported annually by COSLA. The commitment only covers arrangements made for kinship carers of children who are Looked After as defined in the answer to question S3W-15325 on 19 August 2008.</p…
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive , further to the answer to question S3W-14851 by Adam Ingram on 3 July 2008, what steps it is taking to ensure that there is no discrimination against families in the payment of allowances where the recommendations in Getting it Right for Every Child in Kinship and Foster Care on establis…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15325 on 19 August 2008 which refers to the criteria for payment of an allowance to approved kinship carers of Looked After Children and for whom the local authority has a statutory duty to safeguard and promot…
31 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether users of domiciliary oxygen therapy services (DOTS) and Community Pharmacy Scotland were consulted as part of the review of DOTS and, if so, how.
Answer · Shona Robison: Patients and community pharmacies were invited to participate in a survey carried out by the previous administration in 2006 and designed to gather their views on the domiciliary oxygen therapy service (DOTS). The representative body, Community Pharmacy Scotl…