Parliamentary questions
Dr Jean Turner
219 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out into the cost of undertaking further reviews of NHS services compared with the cost-effectiveness of implementing in full the recommendations of earlier reviews of the same service.
Answer · Andy Kerr: No such research has been carried out.</p>
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the recommendations made in reviews of NHS services since 1990 have been implemented, broken down by subject and giving the timescales for implementation.
Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally.</p>
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on reviews of NHS services since 1990.
Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally.</p>
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many reviews of NHS services, such as chronic pain and wheelchairs, have been carried out since 1990, showing the cost of each review.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Reviewing NHS services is a core functionof the NHS in Scotland and the Scottish Executive Health Department and assessing,reconfiguring and modernising services for the benefit of patients is a continuousprocess. A great number of reviews have been undertake…
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultants were granted merit awards in each year since 1990, broken down by (a) speciality and (b) NHS board.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Information on merit awards brokendown by specialty and NHS board from 1996 onwards can be found in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 42388). It has not been possible to providedetails of merit awards broken down in this manner prior to …
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultants were allowed to work in the NHS beyond retirement age in each year since 1990, broken down by (a) speciality and (b) NHS board.
Answer · Andy Kerr: It is not possible to say whether the consultants were allowedto work beyond retirement age. A table has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 42437), showing the number of consultantswho are at the retirement age of 65 or ove…
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) target replacement time and (b) replacement procedure is for any piece of faulty emergency equipment in ambulances and who is responsible for ensuring that the replacement is made.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-32549 on 27 March 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliamentswebsite, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.…
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether ambulances are automatically removed from service if any piece of their emergency equipment is found to be faulty before a shift.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-32549 on 27 March 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for checking that the emergency equipment carried by ambulances is fit for purpose.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-32549 on 27 March 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.…
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulances are off the road at any one time as a result of (a) mechanical fault in the vehicle or (b) lack of equipment in (i) urban and (ii) remote and rural areas, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Andy Kerr: There is no precise response to thisquestion as by the very nature of mechanical vehicles this is unpredictable. Crewsare trained to check the ambulance and equipment at the start of each shift sincethey are responsible for it.</p><p>A modern accident and eme…
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulances are available at any one time in (a) urban and (b) remote and rural areas, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Ambulance Service operates through sixdivisions and three emergency medical dispatch centres and uses satellite locationsystems to determine the nearest available resource to the request for an ambulance.The service does not deploy according to N…
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether second-response ambulances are always staffed with two ambulance personnel, one of whom is a paramedic.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The policy provides for an accident and emergency ambulanceto be double crewed and to have a paramedic on board. However, there may becircumstances when it is not possible to achieve this and the choice is to crewan ambulance with two technicians or to run a …
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in instances where first-response ambulances are called to an emergency and request second-response ambulances to attend to transfer patients to hospital, what the target response times are for the second ambulances in (a) urban and (b) remote and rural areas.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The response time targets for second or back-up resources inmainland Scotland are within 14, 19 or 21 minutes, depending on the populationdensity. The target times broken down by health board area are set out in thefollowing table:</p><table border=1 cellspa…
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many second-response ambulances attended patients to whom first-response ambulances had already attended as an emergency, in each of the last five years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The priority based dispatch system provides for thedispatcher in the emergency medical dispatch centre to deploy the mostappropriate resource to an emergency call. If that resource is a single crewedrapid response unit, then the dispatcher immediately deploys…
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were transferred to hospital as a matter of urgency after a first-response ambulance attended in each of the last five years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: As a result of the extensive rangeof skills which can now be carried out by ambulance crews, in the majority of casesthe emergency is over once a member of the Scottish Ambulance Service arrives atthe patient. Only on very rare occasions would an ambulance wi…
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were transferred to specialist centres in other hospitals for emergency treatment following emergencies arising during elective procedures in each of the last five years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The number of emergency inter-hospital transfers carried outby the Scottish Ambulance Service over the last two years (only yearsavailable) are set out in the following table:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td width=185 vali…
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for ambulance transfers from hospitals to specialist centres in other hospitals for elective treatment.
Answer · Andy Kerr: By its very nature, elective treatment is not an emergency.The Scottish Ambulance Service agrees the time for the transfer to take placewith the patients clinician.</p>
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulances reserved for dealing with 999 calls have been involved in the transfer of patients from hospitals to specialist centres in other hospitals for emergency treatment in each of the last five years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-32540 on 27 March 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
19 Mar 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulances are reserved for hospital-to-hospital transfers, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The only ambulances reserved for hospital to hospitaltransfers are Medic 1 in Edinburgh, Medic 2 in Glasgow and four neonatalambulances. Other hospital to hospital transfers are undertaken by anyavailable ambulances, whether accident and emergency or patient …
7 Mar 2007 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration is given to the redeployment of staff in the event of a prison closure, such as at HM Prison Low Moss, when redundancy is not available.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: <a name="se_IndexHeading"></a>Scottish Prison Service</p><p><b>DrJean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): </b>To ask the Scottish Executive <a name=QuestionText>whatconsideration is given to the redeployment of staff in the event of a prison closure,suc…
29 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve and expand the Scottish veal market to reduce the transportation of live veal calves from Scotland to Europe.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The promotion anddevelopment of the Scottish veal market is primarily for the industry. However,marketing grants may be available from the Scottish Executive to help Scotland’sprimary producers and processors develop outlets for their products.</p>
29 Nov 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase pedestrian safety and reduce road accidents and damage to property in villages with narrow pavements.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The Executive is addressing roadsafety through a combination of engineering, enforcement and education.</p><p>This includes close liaison withTransport Scotland, who are responsible for trunk roads, and local authoritieswho are responsible for road safety in …
15 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why users of Glasgow hospitals, who are not residents of Glasgow city, are not able to access the recently launched Evening Visitor Scheme and when this situation will be rectified.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The evening visitor schemewas launched last month by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) inpartnership with Glasgow City Council, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport andCommunity Transport Glasgow (CTG). Using CTG minibuses, it provides freeevening trans…
15 Nov 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to support elderly people who live in communities without a scheduled bus service and who find the ¿ring ¿n¿ ride¿ service too inflexible for their needs.
Answer · Tavish Scott: Through the Rural Community TransportInitiative we are supporting a full range of demand responsive transport projects– for example, voluntary car schemes, which involve volunteer drivers using theirown cars to take people to and from their homes for journeys…
4 Oct 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans the NHS has for any related future increase in demand for liver transplants if the excess alcohol consumption of a proportion of the population cannot be reduced and continues at the current rate.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We are aware of concerns aboutthe effect of increased levels of alcoholic liver disease on the need for livertransplantation.</p><p>Thenumber of liver transplants depends on the number of donor livers that become available. To coincide with the commencement o…
3 Oct 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures will be employed to safeguard rural or semi-rural bus routes which are only financially viable due to the revenue generated from the carriage of concessionary passengers and would be vulnerable to any reduction in such revenue resulting from any restrictions imposed to addre…
Answer · Tavish Scott: Transport Scotland, whomanage the Scotland-wide free bus travel scheme for older and disabled people, considerthat the risk of the scheme exceeding its budget due to higher than expected usageis minimal. The Executive has therefore no plans to impose any rest…
3 Oct 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is envisaged that individuals eligible for free national bus travel will be subject to future restrictions, such as free bus travel only being possible outwith peak travel times.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The Executive has no currentplans to amend the operation of the Scotland-wide free bus travel scheme for olderand disabled people in the way suggested.</p>
3 Oct 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is envisaged that capping powers under the national concessionary travel scheme will be invoked against bus operators in 2006-07 and, if so, to what extent.
Answer · Tavish Scott: At this stage there are no plansto invoke the capping powers.</p>
3 Oct 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how, and in what circumstances, the capping powers under the national concessionary travel scheme would be invoked against a bus operator.
Answer · Tavish Scott: In the event that total reimbursementpayments for 2006-07 were, in the opinion of Transport Scotland, likelyto clearly exceed the agreed budget then capping powers may be invoked. This wouldhowever be a pro-rata cap applicable to all 300 or so participating b…
3 Oct 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Companion Card system is subject to abuse and, if so, whether it is an appropriate option for the national concessionary travel scheme, in light of the identification by Audit Scotland of “higher than expected usage” of the national concessionary travel schem…
Answer · Tavish Scott: Audit Scotland didnot identify “higher than expected usage”. The current scheme merely continues tofacilitate the long established option in local authority schemes of acompanion traveller for more severely disabled passengers.</p>