Jackson Carlaw

17 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking with NHS boards to provide education and support to people with diabetes and those at risk.

Answer · Maureen Watt: A key aim of our Diabetes Improvement Plan is to support people with diabetes to self-manage their condition through the provision of timely information and advice. We continue to build on this work to ensure that a range of high quality person-centred struct…

17 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it provides to NHS boards about diabetes.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government’s Diabetes Improvement Plan focuses on implementing a wide range of activities to provide advice and guidance to boards to support them in delivering diabetes care. The activities include the CPR for feet campaign, the diabetic-ketoaci…

17 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports Diabetes Scotland’s “Taking Control" campaign.

Answer · Maureen Watt: A key aim of our Diabetes Improvement Plan is to support people with diabetes to self-manage their condition through the provision of timely information and advice. We continue to build on this work to ensure that a range of high quality person-centred struct…

12 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the recommended maximum waiting period is between a GP referral for breast screening and an appointment at a clinic; what the average waiting time is (a) nationally and (b) in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGCC); whether it considers that there are enough consultants in NHSGGC to…

Answer · Maureen Watt: General Practices (GPs) in Scotland do not directly refer into the national breast screening service. GPs may refer a symptomatic patient to a breast clinic through a routine or urgent suspected cancer pathway. Data on waiting times from referral to a breas…

12 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what investment it will make in self-testing kits for cervical cancer, which a reported 53% of women who had delayed a cervical screening said they would prefer to use.

Answer · Maureen Watt: On screening issues like this, the Scottish Government is guided by the independent, expert advice provided by the UK National Screening Committee. The committee regularly reviews national screening programmes against international evidence and technology to …

12 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what awareness campaigns are in place that target specific demographics to help address the knowledge gap that is believed to have led to almost two thirds of women aged 50 to 64 being unaware that the human papilloma virus (HPV) causes cervical cancer.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government know that cervical screening can detect cervical changes before they become cancerous and reduces the incidence of cervical cancer. Every woman in Scotland between 20 and 60 years of age is invited to be screened every three years. As …

12 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to tackle the contributing factors leading to fewer women over the age of 50 attending cervical screening.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government fully supports the objective of increasing uptake in the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme and work is already taking place to help address areas of low uptake. For example, NHS boards have responsibility for publicising screenin…

12 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS boards about reversing the declining rate of cervical screening across all age groups and, in particular, among women (a) aged 55 to 59 and (b) under 30.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government meet cervical screening coordinators from all NHS boards on a quarterly basis to discuss a range of issues relating to the national screening programme, including increasing uptake of screening in a number of groups where uptake is low.

10 Nov 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport's position is on the performance of the A&E department at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow.

22 Sep 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on Alzheimer’s Research UK's prediction that one in three people born in 2015 will develop the disease, and what impact this will have on future dementia treatment and care policy.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Alzheimer Research UK’s latest prediction on the scale of the challenge we face across the world on dementia presumes increasing prevalence of dementia over time primarily because more people are living longer. Other research, such as by the Medical Research…

16 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-27186 by Shona Robison on 25 August 2015, in light of the reported decline in performance in the three weeks up to 6 September 2015, whether the support team (a) has completed its work and (b) is still at the hospital.

Answer · Shona Robison: Like all sites across Scotland the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) can expect performance to fluctuate from week to week, especially as we head towards winter. However, I remain confident that the staff continue to work hard to ensure the level of …

16 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of consultants who now practice abroad after being trained in Scotland in each of the last five years, broken down by speciality.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the numbers of consultants who practice abroad after being trained in Scotland.

16 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) consultant and (b) senior consultant vacancies there are, broken down by (i) speciality and (ii) NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: We currently have the highest medical staffing levels ever, with record numbers of consultants. Under this government, consultant numbers across Scotland have increased by 1,387.8 whole time equivalent (WTE), or 38.2%, from 3,636.5 WTE in September 2006 to 5,…

16 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many consultant posts are being advertised, broken down by (a) speciality and (b) NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally. It is for each NHS board to determine advertising and recruitment of staff at a local level. Boards are required to have the correct staff in place to meet the needs of the service and ensure high quality patient care.…

15 Sep 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to receive the interim conclusions of the independent review into polypropylene mesh implants and what progress the expert group has made in developing pathways of care for women experiencing complications.

7 Sep 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the recommended routes are for people travelling on public transport from East Renfrewshire to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and how long, on average, it is anticipated that these routes should take.

19 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the comment in the report, NHS Smoking Cessation Services (Scotland) that "the rise in the use of electronic cigarettes is a plausible explanation” for the decrease in quit attempts using NHS smoking cessation services.

Answer · Maureen Watt: Evidence suggests that increased use of e-cigarettes has contributed to a reduction in the popularity of other methods of quitting smoking. Nevertheless, NHS stop smoking services continue to support significant numbers of smokers to give up this deadly habit…

19 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the report commissioned by Public Health England, E-cigarettes: an evidence update, and, if so, what (a) its position is on the findings and (b) implications the report will have on the advice provided by NHS Scotland's smoking cessation services.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Public Health England report is a welcome addition to the evidence base around e-cigarettes as the Scottish Government continues to develop its overall policy around e-cigarettes. Current evidence suggests e-cigarettes are far less harmful than tobacco an…

19 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether alternative processes to screen for bowel cancer have been considered or deemed practical.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport announced earlier in 2015 that a new type of test would be introduced to the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme over the next two years. The Quantitative Faecal Immunochemical Test will replace the current…

19 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the process for gathering material for screening for bowel cancer in 50-year-olds and over was (a) established and (b) last reviewed.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Bowel Screening Programme commenced a phased roll out in June 2007 and by December 2009 all NHS boards in Scotland were participating in the programme. The UK National Screening Committee regularly reviews national screening programmes against in…

14 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that NHS boards with a prison in their area include data on mental health provision in that prison in their annual report as responsibility for the physical and mental health of prisoners was transferred from the Scottish Prison Service to NHS boards by the Crimina…

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The health care of prisoners transferred to the NHS as of November 2011. As part of this transition all prisoner health care records and mental health service management information also transferred from Scottish Prison Services to NHSScotland. Health boards …

14 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the mental health of prisoners, particularly those whose mental health conditions were a contributory factor in their offending.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The health care of prisoners transferred to the NHS as of November 2011. As part of this transition, all prisoner health care records and mental health service management information also transferred from Scottish Prison Service to NHSScotland. In terms of me…

14 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS boards regarding mental health policy in prisons.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government established the National Prisoner Healthcare Network to take forward work on mental health policy in prisons. The Network has representation from NHS boards. The Scottish Government will consider the recommendations from the Network’s …

14 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what sentencing targets there are for offenders with a history of mental illness.

Answer · Michael Matheson: In any given case, sentencing decisions are a matter for the court based on the facts and circumstances of each case in line with the overall legal framework. There are no sentencing targets for judges including in relation to how different categories of offe…

6 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that local authorities meet all of their obligations in relation to any restructuring of community councils and what processes it uses to monitor this.

Answer · Marco Biagi: Scotland’s local authorities have statutory oversight of community councils under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. Local authorities are accountable to their community for how they fulfil their functions including their statutory responsibility for c…

6 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it was made aware of East Renfrewshire Council's decision on 24 June 2015 to disband its existing community councils and what its position is on whether the local authority has complied with the provisions in the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994 regarding consulting with the…

Answer · Marco Biagi: The Scottish Government was made aware of East Renfrewshire Council’s revised community council scheme of establishment on 29 June 2015. Local authorities have statutory oversight of community councils under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. This incl…

17 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government who is the legally required compliance officer to ensure that all public healthcare bodies act within the scope of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and what their (a) qualifications and (b) experience are.

Answer · Shona Robison: Workplace health and safety regulation is reserved to the UK Government under the Scotland Act 1998. Employers have statutory duties to comply with the legislation and supporting regulations. The Scottish Government does not have a role in ascertaining compli…

17 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers it a priority that all public health and social care providers are compliant with the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and, if so, how it ensures that compliance is maintained.

Answer · Shona Robison: Workplace health and safety is reserved to the UK Government under the Scotland Act 1998. All employers have a statutory duty to comply with the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Compliance is regulated by the Health and Safety Execut…

17 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many deaths that would be considered reasonably preventable for the purposes of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 there have been in public healthcare organisations in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Answer · Shona Robison: The NHS in Scotland fully implements the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. All NHS boards are expected to report all incidents in accordance with the guidance issued by the Health and Safety Executive. This guidance is available at http://www.hse.gov.u…

17 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to create an independent regulatory body to ensure compliance with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 for all public bodies.

Answer · Shona Robison: The regulation of workplace health and safety in Scotland is reserved to the UK Government under the Scotland Act 1998. The regulation and inspection of health and safety in workplaces is undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive and Scottish local author…