Parliamentary questions
Dr Richard Simpson
2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
2 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of primary angioplasties were carried out in hospitals within 90 minutes of arrival at hospital in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08.
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is not available centrally. However, a recent study of a hybrid programme of pre-hospital thrombolysis and primary PCI in NHS Lothian has demonstrated very positive results, with median ECG to primary PCI balloon times of 48 minutes.…
2 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of treatment by either primary angioplasty or thrombolytic treatment being most effective within three hours of the onset of symptoms, what percentage of eligible patients were treated by either of these methods within that period in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14821 on 18 July 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
2 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of hospitals or NHS boards provided thrombolytic treatment for myocardial infarction to eligible patients within 30 minutes of a phone call in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14821 on 18 July 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
2 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of eligible patients received thrombolytic treatment for myocardial infarction within 60 minutes of a phone call in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08.
Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally in the form requested.</p> <p >Progress is being made with implementation of the web-based software system, SCI-CHD-ACS, developed as part of a national initiative to capture information on patients admitted to hospita…
2 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients with a myocardial infarction received primary angioplasty in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08, also broken down by hospital.
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is provided in the following table.</p> <p >Number of Primary PCIs</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=384 > <thead> <tr > <td width=243 valign=top > <p >Hospital</p> </td> <td width=71 valign=top…
2 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which hospitals offered primary angioplasty to suitable patients with a myocardial infarction in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08.
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested regarding primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) is given in the following table.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=485 > <thead> <tr > <td width=243 nowrap valign=bottom > <p align=center …
2 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to monitor the effect of the current and future reductions in prescription charges on the number of prescriptions issued.
Answer · Shona Robison: We will receive regular reports to ensure that the effects of prescription charge price reductions are effectively monitored. The report will present analysis of a range of data including prescribing trends and volume of prescriptions dispensed. We will also …
2 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to augmenting the targets for delayed discharge to ensure that the number of beds blocked at any one time is kept to a minimum.
Answer · Shona Robison: The targets to reduce to zero the number of patients delayed outwith the six week discharge planning period and to have no-one delayed in short-stay specialties have now become standards that we expect local authority/NHS partnerships to deliver at all times.…
2 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of reaching the target of zero delayed discharges by April 2008, whether targets on delayed discharges will be included in all local authority single outcome agreements.
Answer · Shona Robison: Single outcome agreements will reflect the priorities of the local authority and under a common framework of national outcomes and indicators, local outcomes will take account of these priorities. Within the set of local indicators which local authorities can…
2 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in the event of a positive decision to transfer medical, nursing, and/or allied health professional services from the Scottish Prison Service to the NHS, what additional funding will be made available to individual NHS boards, including Forth Valley in whose area there are three prisons.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has accepted the recommendations of the Prison Healthcare Advisory Board in principle and intends to establish a national programme board for prisoners’ healthcare which will oversee and steer the preparatory work for the eventual tran…
27 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the new scales for dental charges in England and Wales introduced on 1 April 2008 whereby an individual pays a standard fee of £16.20, £44.60 or £198 for three levels of treatment, it will review the maximum charge of 80% of up to £348 (£278.40) in Scotland.
Answer · Shona Robison: New contractual arrangements for the provision of NHS dental services have been introduced in England and Wales. Following a consultation in 2003, a decision was taken by the previous administration to retain item of service fees in Scotland, ie a fee for eac…
27 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which hospitals have registered cases of clostridium difficile above predicted numbers in each month since January 2008.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: All data on cases of Clostridium difficile Associated Disease (CDAD) are published by NHS board. The latest quarterly report for the period January 2008 - March 2008 was published on 2 July 2008 and is available at:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.hps.scot.nhs.u…
27 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which wards have been closed as a result of clostridium difficile, broken down by (a) hospital and (b) month since January 2008.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14490 on 9 July 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
26 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average occupancy rate was of secure accommodation units in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The average occupancy rate of the secure accommodation estate was 89 per cent in the year 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 and 90 per cent in the year 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007.</p>
26 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were sent to England in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08 to be securely accommodated and receive appropriate services.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The information requested is not held centrally.</p> <p >The placing of children and young people to secure accommodation through the Children’s Hearing system is a matter for the local authority concerned. Only in exceptional circumstances would a young per…
26 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of its decisions to end the temporary and emergency incarceration of children in prisons, what additional funds it has made available to local authorities to meet the expected £9 million new costs to place these children in secure places other than prison.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Following the announcement by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice of his intention to abolish unruly certificates, the Scottish Government is currently consulting on the potential impact of this, and on alternative methods of dealing with this small, but challe…
26 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were in prisons in each quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2008.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >Provisional information on the number of children (aged over 14 and under 16) who were held in a Scottish Prison or Young Offenders Instit…
26 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional ambulances are to be made available to provide the new rapid transport service to Hairmyres Hospital or the Golden Jubilee National Hospital for patients with a myocardial infarction for whom primary angioplasty is to be the intervention.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This work is being taken forward by the West of Scotland Regional Planning Group and implementation planning is still being progressed by the partners involved, including the Scottish Ambulance Service.</p>
26 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultant vacancies there were in NHS Lanarkshire in each of the last 12 quarters.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on staff within NHSScotland is held by ISD who collect a variety of information on staff in post across all NHS staff groups, including vacancy information. This data is published online by ISD as at 30 September each year.</p> <p >While vacancy …
26 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the decision to retain a full accident and emergency unit at Monklands Hospital, how many intensive care unit beds will be available; how many high dependency unit beds will be available; what arrangements are in place for managing admission of paediatric patients through Acc…
Answer · Shona Robison: Monklands Hospital has five staffed ITU beds which can flex up to six over the winter months and eight surgical HDU beds and two renal HDU beds within the site.</p> <p >Paediatric patients that self-present to A&E are assessed on arrival by A&E staff…
26 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of reducing numbers of blood donors, what steps it has taken, or is taking, to ensure that NHS boards are encouraged to maximise autologous cell salvage use of blood and what audit arrangements are in place to ensure that the use of such cell salvage blood is maximised.
Answer · Shona Robison: The optimal use of donated blood involves a balanced approach between carrying out only necessary transfusions and implementing blood use avoidance strategies. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has invested in a wide range of optimal blo…
26 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guarantees have been obtained from the British Oxygen Company with respect to the restoration of supply of lightweight modern portable oxygen cylinders with integrated regulators.
Answer · Shona Robison: BOC supplies oxygen to NHS community pharmacies in Scotland. Manufacturing problems at the French company which supplies BOC have been the cause of a temporary shortage of portable cylinders across the UK. This shortage has affected supplies of the Drug Tarif…
26 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the withdrawal from Scotland of two of the three suppliers of portable oxygen and the difficulties experienced across Scotland in obtaining adequate supplies of lightweight, higher capacity oxygen cylinders with integrated regulators, what plans it has to review the S…
Answer · Shona Robison: I am currently considering the evidence gathered at this stage of the domiciliary oxygen therapy service (DOTS) review and am not yet in a position to announce decisions on the future shape of the Service. The review has been broad-ranging and has assessed a …
18 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funds have been provided to each area data sharing partnership (a) in 2006-07, (b) in 2007-08 and (c) will be provided in 2008-09.
Answer · John Swinney: The funding allocations to support area data sharing partnerships is set out in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=183 valign=top > <p align=center >Partnership</p> </td> <td width…
18 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to NHS boards to ensure equity and efficiency of primary care and community provision for primary care practices with patients resident in more than one board area and particularly, but not exclusively, with respect to (a) nursing care, (b) equipment and (c) tr…
Answer · Shona Robison: No specific guidance has been issued to NHS boards. In general, NHS boards will operate local arrangements to deal with cross-boundary cases on a pragmatic basis to ensure referrals for nursing and other care are appropriately managed.</p>
12 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of agency and bank staff in each NHS board area due to (a) sickness absence (b) holiday leave and (c) lack of capacity in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14132 on 24 June 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
12 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many agency and bank staff were employed to cover (a) sickness absence, (b) holiday leave and (c) lack of capacity in NHS boards in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally. However, the National Services Scotland, Information Services Division website holds information on costs and worked hours for agency and bank staff for 2006-07. Information for 2007-08 is due to be published s…
12 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff will be made redundant as a result of achieving efficiency savings in the NHS shared support services programme in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The efficiency objectives that we have in Scotland are sustainable and will allow us to implement changes to government in Scotland without compulsory redundancies.</p> <p >It is important not to confuse staffing changes with job cuts. Staffing changes will…
12 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff will be lost in achieving efficiency savings in the NHS shared support services programme in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The efficiency objectives that we have in Scotland are sustainable and will allow us to implement changes to government in Scotland without compulsory redundancies.</p> <p >It is important not to confuse staffing changes with job cuts. Staffing changes will…
12 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be allocated to support the Choose Life programme in 2009-10 and 2010-11.
Answer · Shona Robison: Following Spending Review 2007, £1.2 million is allocated to national Choose Life activity for each of 2009-10 and 2010-11.</p> <p >In line with the concordat between government and COSLA, funding for local<i > </i>suicide prevention activity will be drawn f…