Parliamentary questions

Dr Richard Simpson

2,702 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

30 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the number of trained health professionals to provide cognitive behaviour therapy and similar treatments.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11972 on 25 April 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/…

30 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that health professionals who have already undertaken training or achieved qualifications in delivering cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) or similar treatments since 1999 are given the opportunity to undertake work involving CBT.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11606 on 18 April 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…

30 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time-equivalent staff with training or qualifications in cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) or similar treatments are (a) employed in and (b) delivering cognitive behaviour therapy or similar treatments in each NHS board, also showing the number of weekly sessions such staff …

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally. Information available centrally is only for cognitive behavioural therapists employed/managed in psychology services in each NHS Board in NHSScotland. This information is published on the S…

30 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1688 by John Swinney on 25 July 2007, how many post offices it considers to be sustainable and what specific support it will give to post offices threatened with closure under the Network Change Programme.

Answer · Jim Mather: It is wholly a matter for Post Office Ltd to decide which post offices it considers to be sustainable. Post offices are reserved under Schedule 5 (Section C11) of the Scotland Act 1998. The Scottish Government cannot fund post offices directly. The Scottish G…

28 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the draft single outcome agreement from Clackmannanshire Council specifies how many P1 to P3 classes in Clackmannanshire will be reduced to 18 in each of the next three years and, if so, what the details are in the agreement.

Answer · Adam Ingram: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-12384 on 9 May 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…

28 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the draft single outcome agreement from Stirling Council specifies how many P1 to P3 classes in Stirling will be reduced to 18 in each of the next three years and, if so, what the details are in the agreement.

28 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the draft single outcome agreement from Perth and Kinross Council specifies how many P1 to P3 classes in Perth and Kinross will be reduced to 18 in each of the next three years and, if so, what the details are in the agreement.

Answer · Adam Ingram: All 32 local authorities in Scotland have submitted draft single outcome agreements (SOAs) that set out how they will contribute to the agreed national outcomes in relation to education provision. Those drafts are currently the subject of discussion. We aim t…

4 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that those who have been trained in cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy or similar talking therapies are freed up from other duties to undertake such work.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The planning and deployment of staff to meet service need is a matter for NHS boards to determine locally. All NHS boards are undertaking work to assess their current capacity to deliver evidence based psychological therapies. Work is also underway nationally…

4 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) individuals and (b) full-time equivalents are undertaking (i) cognitive behaviour, (ii) interpersonal therapy or (iii) dialectical behavioural therapy training.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally.

4 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals have been trained in (a) cognitive behaviour therapy, (b) interpersonal therapy and (c) dialectical behavioural therapy in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally.

4 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to match in Scotland the equivalent of the UK Government’s £173 million investment to specifically train and fund 3,500 therapists to undertake cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy or similar talking therapies.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Scotland has taken a joined-up approach to looking at the service development needs in relation to different populations and conditions. We have done this by building on the doing well by people with depression programme which ran from 2003 to 2006 with £4.5 …

4 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, given that mental health remains a national priority, when it will publish its interim targets en route to an 18-week guaranteed overall waiting time by 2011.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11601 on 23 April 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…

4 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, given that mental health remains a national priority, what waiting times it will guarantee from (a) referral to initial assessment and (b) assessment to treatment for all mental health patients.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that patients have rapid access to the full range of services they need from the NHS. Specific targets are in place for first out-patient appointments following referral by a general medical or dental practitio…

3 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the requirement for all NHS boards to achieve 2% efficiency savings, how it will measure the achievement of these savings.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Each project in the Scottish efficiency programme has an assigned portfolio manager who works with the relevant portfolio to monitor progress across the financial year. Each portfolio will be assessed against delivery of its overall efficiency target firstly …

3 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what lessons the Health department is learning from cost and performance data released by the NHS in England.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government and the NHS in Scotland ensure that they are aware of performance trends and issues in the NHS in England as well as in Wales, Northern Ireland and other European countries. Relevant comparisons are made where possible, to help set per…

3 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps the Health department is taking to encourage more effective use of benchmarking and good practice across the NHS.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Executive Health Directorates are taking a number of steps to encourage more effective use of benchmarking and good practice across the NHS. To support NHS boards to learn from each other more quickly, national collaborative improvement programme…

3 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-10124 by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2008, whether, in light of the refurbishment of Skye House, there are any proposals or plans to similarly replace centrally controlled lock down with keys in Bruce and Younger houseblocks.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows: Skye and Peebles Houses accommodate convicted prisoners who have made suitable progression and have the appropriate supervision level to a…

3 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the Welsh Assembly Government’s national service development strategy for epilepsy, it has any plans to develop a national strategy for epilepsy and learning disability.

Answer · Shona Robison: While there are no specific plans to develop a national strategy for epilepsy and learning disability, a number of other actions have been taken. SIGN Guideline 70 on the Diagnosis and Management of Epilepsy in Adults and SIGN Guideline 81 on the ma…

3 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether every patient has an opportunity to correct any errors in the recorded data before they are removed from a hospital waiting list.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: All personal information held by hospitals, including data about patients on waiting lists, is subject to the Data Protection Act. Under the act, anyone who has information about them stored has the right to see that information and to request that any inaccu…

3 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a patient’s GP is consulted by the hospital manager or doctor prior to a review being undertaking at 13 weeks, the point at which the patient may be removed from the waiting list.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The question is relevant to patients who are on a waiting list for hospital treatment and who become unavailable for treatment for medical reasons. Decisions about how best to manage the patient''s medical condition are clinical matters for the healthcare pro…

3 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a patient, in the case of being deemed by a doctor or hospital manager to be unsuitable for treatment on medical grounds, has the right to be present at the review or is consulted before being removed from the waiting list.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Published guidance on the management of waiting lists makes it clear that where for medical reasons a patient becomes unavailable while they are waiting for treatment, and is likely to be unavailable for more than seven days, then the patient''s waiting times…

3 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a patient who declines the offer of treatment from an alternative clinician will continue to have an 18-week total waiting time guarantee.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: General Medical Practitioners and General Dental Practitioners generally refer patients to a service rather than to a named clinician. The decision on which list to place a patient is a clinical one taken by the hospital. A patient added to a waiting…

3 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a patient who declines the offer of treatment from an alternative NHS board will continue to have an 18-week total waiting time guarantee.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Published guidance on the management of waiting lists makes it clear that when treatment cannot be provided locally, the patient should be made aware of this as early as possible, ideally when the decision to treat is made. This should ensure that the patient…