Jim Hume

24 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much the NHS has spent in each of the last four years on procuring drugs, broken down by pharmaceutical company.

Answer · Alex Neil: The following table provides NHS Scotland level expenditure on drugs for the latest four years available. Expenditure broken down by pharmaceutical company is not centrally available. NHS drugs expenditure for family health service, community and hospital se…

21 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much the NHS has spent in the last four years on delivering specialist autism care.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Whilst the Scottish Government provides funding to NHS boards, it is up to the boards to deliver services and allocate resources according to local pressures and priorities. We do not centrally hold information regarding how boards have used that funding to …

21 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people with autism aged (a) under and (b) over 18 have been sectioned under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 in the last four years and how many were assessed in a hospital outside of (i) their NHS board area and (ii) Scotland, broken down by (A) NHS bo…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The information requested is not held centrally.

21 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to (a) local authorities and (b) the NHS in the last four years to assist in providing services for people with autism.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Whilst the Scottish Government provides funding to local authorities and NHS boards, it is up to local authorities and NHS boards to deliver services and allocate resources according to local pressures and priorities. We therefore do not hold information on h…

21 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made since the introduction of the Scottish Strategy for Autism.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government launched the Scottish Strategy for Autism in November 2011 and announced an investment of £13.4 million over four years to improve autism services, and access to those services. This is a 10 year strategy and much has been achieved in…

20 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to implement deposit and return schemes under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 to achieve its aim of zero waste.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We are carefully considering a range of options to improve collection rates for packaging and reduce the amount of this material that ends up as litter. A deposit and return scheme for beverage containers is one of the options being considered and we have com…

16 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the New Medicines Fund will be funded by the pharmaceutical industry rebate payment made through the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme.

Answer · Alex Neil: The total £40 million commitment to the New Medicines Fund in 2014-15 is funded from Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme payments.

16 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether medicines approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium will be eligible for funding by the New Medicines Fund.

Answer · Alex Neil: Yes, the expansion of the previous funding commitment means that the New Medicines Fund provides additional support to NHS boards for the cost of medicines approved under the new process implemented by the Scottish Medicines Consortium in line with the Task a…

16 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the eligibility criteria is for medicines to be funded by the New Medicines Fund.

Answer · Alex Neil: The New Medicines Fund provides additional support to NHS boards for the cost of medicines approved under the new process implemented by the Scottish Medicines Consortium in line with the Task and Finish Group report provided to me and published by the Health…

16 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many specialist mental health officers have been recruited in each of the last five years; what support local authorities receive to assist with recruitment, and what the Scottish Government has done to increase recruitment.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Information on the number of mental health officers recruited is not held centrally. However, the Scottish Social Services Council may hold this data for 2012 and 2013 and they can be contacted at: [email protected]. Section 32 of the Mental Health (…

16 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many children sectioned under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 have been detained in non-specialist units in each of the last five years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The information requested is not held centrally.

16 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been sectioned under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age and (b) local authority area.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The information requested is not held centrally. The Mental Welfare Commission publishes (http://www.mwcscot.org.uk/) statistical monitoring reports – the most recent being Mental Health Act monitoring 2013-2014 - which contain information on interventions un…

16 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many specialist mental health officers there have been in each local authority area in each of the last five years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: For each of the three financial years to 31 March 2012 information on the number of mental health officers in each local authority area was published on the Scottish Government’s website as part of the Mental Health Officers Survey. 2011-12: http://www.scotl…

16 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the restoration of an outreach chemotherapy service by Stobhill Hospital.

Answer · Alex Neil: It is for health boards to plan and prioritise the delivery of healthcare services based on the needs of local people and as informed by national policies, frameworks and guidelines. Patient safety is of paramount concern. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has k…

16 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will use the experience of the delivery of more chemotherapy services to local communities by NHS Orkney as a template for services in other communities to reduce the travel time and burden for cancer patients.

Answer · Alex Neil: We fully expect health boards to share good practice and learn from each other in order to improve cancer services and outcomes in Scotland. However, it is for health boards to plan and prioritise the delivery of healthcare services based on the needs of loca…

16 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the delivery of chemotherapy services by hospitals with areas of significant deprivation in their catchment areas.

Answer · Alex Neil: It is for health boards to plan and prioritise the delivery of healthcare services based on the needs of local people, including the consideration of local socio-economic conditions, taking into account national policies, frameworks and guidelines, with patie…

16 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it considers an NHS board should use when deciding which hospitals will offer outreach chemotherapy services.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government expects health boards to plan and prioritise the delivery of healthcare services, including outreach chemotherapy services, based on the needs of local people and as informed by national policies, frameworks and guidelines, with patien…

16 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how far it considers reasonable for a cancer patient to travel to receive chemotherapy services.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government would expect local health boards to take all appropriate steps to ensure that people can receive the support and care they need, wherever they wish to receive it. With this in mind, it is important to note that it is for health boards…

11 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure fair application of affordable housing policy for specialised housing for older people, as set out in paragraph 129 of Scottish Planning Policy.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: It is for local authorities to determine whether developer contributions towards affordable housing are required, taking into account the level of affordable housing that can be delivered in the current economic climate as part of a viable housing development…

11 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent statistics suggesting that the number of sheltered and very sheltered homes has decreased by 2,000 since 1996 and the expected increase in the number of older people, whether it has or will set targets for local authorities to construct owner-occupied retirement h…

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government has a longstanding policy of shifting the balance of care by supporting people to remain at home independently for as long as possible, rather than in care homes or hospitals. We recognise that only a small proportion of older people …

11 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role the private sector has in helping to provide owner-occupied retirement housing.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: Many organisations are involved in the delivery of housing and support services to older people. These include local authorities which have strategic responsibility for identifying local housing need and demand, housing associations, as well as private and vo…

11 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting local authorities in planning for owner-occupied housing for (a) older and (b) disabled people, as set out in paragraph 132 of Scottish Planning Policy.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government provides a framework of housing and planning policies, including Scottish Planning Policy and guidance on local housing strategies, to support local authorities, who have strategic responsibility for housing within their areas, to dete…

8 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it plans with Abellio regarding opening railway stations at (a) Reston and (b) East Linton.

Answer · Keith Brown: The new ScotRail franchise contains revised timetables which can accommodate future calls at Reston and East Linton. However, the responsibility to demonstrate the need for the new stations remains the responsibility of the promoters. The joint Scottish Stati…

22 Sep 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what road transport projects it plans for South Scotland.

14 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-22225 by Alex Neil on 12 August 2014, how much has been spent in each of the last four years in helping patients who reside in the Highlands and Islands; how many patients have been supported, and on how many occasions.

Answer · Alex Neil: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

14 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-22225 by Alex Neil on 12 August 2014, how much each NHS board has spent in each of the last four years in helping patients through the means-tested scheme; how many patients have been supported, and on how many occasions.

Answer · Alex Neil: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

14 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-22225 by Alex Neil on 12 August 2014, how much each NHS board has spent in each of the last four years in using the discretion available to help patients who are not eligible for assistance under either scheme; how many patients have been supported,…

Answer · Alex Neil: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

13 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it issues to NHS boards and staff to prevent inpatients from developing pressure ulcers or sores.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Integrated Programme for a National Coordinated Approach to Tissue Viability in Scotland provided a coherent and co-ordinated approach to tissue viability throughout Scotland to reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers. The programme of work included: Rev…

13 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many inpatients were recorded as having sustained pressure ulcers or sores in each NHS board in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

Answer · Alex Neil: The information requested is not held centrally.

13 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many deaths there were in each NHS board area in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14 in which pressure ulcers or sores were (i) the underlying cause of death or (ii) mentioned on the death certificate.

Answer · Alex Neil: The statistics of deaths that National Records of Scotland produces are for calendar years, not financial years. On that basis, the information requested is given in the following tables for calendar years 2012 and 2013. For the purpose of producing statisti…