Parliamentary questions
Jackson Carlaw
1,088 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 May 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what provision is made by each NHS board to enable young people above 16 years of age to self-test and self-manage their anticoagulation therapy.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS boards generally do not provide support for self testing or self management of oral anticoagulation therapy (OAT) as recent evidence (which can be found at: <a href="http://www.nhshealthquality.org/nhsqis/6010.html">http://www.nhshealthquality.org/nhsqis/…
18 May 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) under and (b) over 18 years of age both self-test their INR and self-manage their anticoagulation therapy, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is not available centrally.</p>
18 May 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) under and (b) over 18 years of age self-test their INR for anticoagulation therapy, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: The question cannot be answered, as patient data are not held centrally. </p>
18 May 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) under and (b) over 18 years of age are on anticoagulation therapy, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: The numbers of patients receiving these medicines are not centrally available. However, the number of prescriptions for anticoagulants are available and he following table shows the numbers of items prescribed in Scotland during the financial year ending 31 M…
22 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Scottish South Asians compared with the population as a whole, what steps it is taking to ensure earlier diagnosis and better access to treatment for these groups and what evidence there is that any such measures have been succes…
Answer · Shona Robison: We want to ensure that heath care outcomes for people living with diabetes from minority ethnic communities are comparable to general Scottish population outcomes. The Diabetes Minority Ethnic Group (DMEG), a sub-group of the Scottish Diabetes Group, was re-e…
6 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-25616 by John Swinney on 29 July 2009, what steps have been taken to address actual or perceived barriers identified in the research on consortia bidding.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33079 on 29 April 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="../32500-32999/www.scottish.parliament.u…
6 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-25616 by John Swinney on 29 July 2009, whether the research on actual and perceived barriers to consortia bidding in the business community is publicly available and, if not, whether the Scottish Executive will undertake to make it publicly available.
Answer · John Swinney: The report <i >Opportunities and Barriers to Consortia Bidding for Public Sector Contracts</i> was published on November 16 2009, and is available online at the following links: </p> <p ><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/11/16150241/0">h…
9 Feb 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-31018 by Frank Mulholland on 2 February 2010, whether guidance in any form has been issued or otherwise communicated to procurators fiscal to assist them in making a decision on whether or not to prosecute in such cases.
Answer · Frank Mulholland: There must be sufficient evidence in law before a prosecutor can decide whether or not it is in the public interest to prosecute. If there is sufficient evidence that a crime has been committed, the accused was the perpetrator and had the requisite mens rea (…
27 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the First Minister’s statement that “Nicola Sturgeon has extended the opening hours of GP surgeries in Scotland” (Official Report c. 23006), whether it will provide details of these extended opening hours and where they are in operation.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: GP practices in Scotland now offer a variety of extended hours to registered patients on their list. These include earlier appointment times, evening sessions, concurrent working patterns and occasional Saturday morning clinics.</p> <p >The following table d…
25 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what factors it would consider in evaluating whether to bring charges against someone suspected of assisting another person to commit suicide.
Answer · Frank Mulholland: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31018 on 2 February 2010. 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/Apps…
25 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases have been prosecuted with a charge of culpable homicide against someone alleged to have assisted another person to commit suicide and how many resulted in convictions, in each year for which data are available.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
25 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to prosecutors fiscal in relation to the evaluation or prosecution of cases in which it is suspected that someone has been assisted to commit suicide.
Answer · Frank Mulholland: Suicide has not, in modern times, been considered a criminal offence in Scotland and therefore, unlike in England and Wales, there is no criminal offence of assisted suicide. Any question of responsibility for causing the death of another could amount to homi…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the auditing of cancer standards is performed by those engaged in the clinical practice and not by an independent auditor.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Clinical audit is undertaken by designated audit staff within each managed clinical network. These staff have knowledge of local issues and good links with the relevant clinical leads. It has been demonstrated that the best way to improve clinical standards a…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reason is for the time delay since the last publication of an evaluation of performance against clinical standards for cancer.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: In 2008, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) published the revised and updated cancer standards which were first developed in 2001 and reported on findings in 2002. In line with other reviews of services against standards, NHS QIS allows a period of ti…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sufficient data on medicine prescribing and usage to make an accurate assessment of any variations in practice across Scotland.
Answer · Shona Robison: Prescribing information derived from prescriptions dispensed in the community by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors is available at <a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/prescribing">www.isdscotland.org/prescribing</a>. These data can be used for moni…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of variations in access to medicines across Scotland.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring equitable access to medicines across Scotland, based on clinical need. The Scottish Government expect NHS boards and clinicians to take full account of Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) and NHS Quality Improv…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the purpose is of the Hospital Medicines Utilisation Database and when the data will be available for the NHS and patients to understand the uptake of new medicines.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Hospital Medicines Utilisation Database will provide access to high level cost and volume data on medicines use in hospitals. This has been developed and piloted and will cover all NHS boards during 2010 with the exception of NHS Highland who are currentl…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the letter to the Public Petitions Committee from the Deputy Director of the Scottish Government’s Healthcare Policy and Strategy Directorate on 27 July 2009, when a national network of Exceptional Prescribing Leads and Chairs of Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees wi…
Answer · Shona Robison: Further to the Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees and Exceptional Prescribing Leads event facilitated by the Scottish Medicines Consortium on 12 May 2009, the Scottish Government has asked the Scottish Medicines Consortium to facilitate another event in th…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit is of the Difficult Decisions Short Life Working Group; who its members are, and what its workplan is.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Difficult Decisions Short Life Working Group was an NHS Board group and there has been no direct involvement of ministers or Scottish Government policy officials. The remit of the group was to develop a framework that NHS boards can use when making diffic…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the extent to which NHS boards have made information about local arrangements for the introduction and availability of medicines available to patients.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has been working with NHS boards to review local processes and is preparing guidance for NHS boards which sets out the policy framework with regard to the introduction and availability of new medicines in the NHS in Scotland. A key req…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executivewhen Health Rights Information Scotland will publish its generic patient information leaflet on local arrangements for the introduction and availability of medicines.
Answer · Shona Robison: As outlined in the answer to S3W-27698 on 5 October 2009, work is progressing on the information leaflet for patients as commissioned by the Scottish Government from Health Rights Information Scotland. The draft leaflet has been tested with patients and the p…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executivehow it will monitor implementation of the arrangements set out in its final policy framework for the introduction and availability of new medicines in the NHS.
Answer · Shona Robison: As outlined in the answer to S3W-28278 on 19 November 2009, the Scottish Government intends to review the implementation of the policy framework following a period of operation.</p> <p >In addition, active consideration is being given to monitoring arrangeme…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the letter to the Public Petitions Committee from the Deputy Director of the Scottish Government’s Healthcare Policy and Strategy Directorate on 27 July 2009, what other stakeholders it has consulted on the draft policy framework for the introduction and availability of…
Answer · Shona Robison: As well as NHS boards, the draft framework was circulated to 37 stakeholder and patient groups as follows:</p> <p align=left >Academy of Medical Royal Colleges</p> <p align=left >British Medical Association</p> <p align=left >Royal College of Nursing </…
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executivewhat feedback it has had from (a) individual NHS boards, (b) the Difficult Decisions Short Life Working Group and (c) other stakeholders on the draft policy framework for the introduction and availability of new medicines in the NHS.
Answer · Shona Robison: In responding to the draft framework, the majority of responses from NHS boards and stakeholders welcomed the work being done to improve consistency in availability of new medicines across NHSScotland and acknowledged the complexity of the issues involved. A …
12 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27698 by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 October 2009, when it will publish the final policy framework for the introduction and availability of new medicines in the NHS.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is in the final stages of the preparation of guidance which sets out the policy framework with regard to the introduction and availability of new medicines in the NHS in Scotland. The draft guidance was circulated to patient groups, st…
10 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-28836 by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 November 2009, what the average waiting time was at each accident and emergency department in NHS (a) Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (b) Ayrshire and Arran in each year since 1999.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The national waiting time target for accident and emergency (A&E) department is that 98% of patients wait no longer than four hours between arrival at A&E and admission, discharge or transfer. NHSScotland have consistently delivered this target since …
10 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-29063 by Nicola Sturgeon on 24 November 2009, whether it can guarantee that the final cost of the New South Glasgow Hospitals and Laboratory project will not exceed £841.7 million.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answers to questions S3W-29002 and S3W-29003, on 24 November 2009, to S3W-29188 on 2 December 2009 and S3W-29190 on 1 December 2009; all of which address aspects of how NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are controlling the costs of the p…
10 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish survival rates for each type of cancer for each year since 1999, also broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not collected centrally, however, data on cancer survival in Scotland are summarised in the document <i >Trends in Cancer Survival in Scotland, 1980-2004,</i> which is available at <a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/files/Survival_sum…
10 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many members of staff were employed by the NHS in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) staff and (b) NHS board.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on staff in post is published annually as part of the workforce census at 30 September each year. Data for 2007 to 2009 is available at: </p> <p ><a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5247.html">http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5247.html</a>.</p>…
10 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of each NHS board’s budget was expended on (a) wages, (b) salaries and (c) pensions in each year since 1999.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The proportion of each NHS board''s budget expended on salaries and pensions in each year since 1999 is set out in the following tables. </p> <p >Salaries</p> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=633 > <thead> <tr > <td width=205 nowrap…