Parliamentary questions
Jim Hume
1,310 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the timetable is for implementing the introduction of opt-out blood borne virus testing in prisons.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government will work with NHS boards and the Scottish Prison Service to set appropriate timetables according to each board’s specific circumstances. Currently, no timetable has been set.
21 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with each NHS board regarding the average waiting times for people to commence treatment for hepatitis C.
Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Government officials meet regularly with individual boards to discuss waiting times for treatment. The discussions will include waits in the specialty of gastroenterology – this is the specialty where most patients with hepatitis C would be treated. …
21 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time is for people to commence treatment for hepatitis C, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: The specific information requested is not held centrally. Waiting time data is collected by specialism only and not by condition, although most patients with hepatitis C requiring hospital care will be seen within the specialty of gastroenterology and are lik…
16 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many speech and language therapists each NHS board has employed in each year since 2007.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The information is published on Information Services Division’s website at: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2015-09-01/Non-Medical_Trend_J2015.xls.
16 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the finding in the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability report, Learning Disability Statistics Scotland, 2014, that 52.8% of adults with learning disabilities for whom the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation information is known live in the 40% most depr…
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government works in partnership with the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disabilities in the collection of statistics about adults with learning disabilities who are known to local authorities in Scotland. The Scottish Government is committed t…
16 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013, which found that Scotland has the highest mortality rate among all the UK regions compared in the study and 84 deaths more than the UK average.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Overall, health in Scotland is improving, but health inequalities between our more affluent and more deprived communities still exist. We continue to address these long-standing problems by taking significant action to cut alcohol consumption, reduce smoking …
16 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to people with learning disabilities in the 20% most deprived areas.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government is committed to improving the lives of people with learning disabilities, their families and carers through the implementation of The keys to life in Scotland. The focus of the keys to life strategy is to reduce the significant health …
15 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it (a) has had and (b) plans to have with ScotRail regarding increasing capacity on the Borders rail link and what plans it has to work in conjunction with the operator to increase capacity.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Transport Scotland has had regular meetings with ScotRail since the construction of the Borders Railway began in 2013, through the delivery of the project and since services were reintroduced on Sunday 6 September 2015. ScotRail is well aware of the issues wi…
14 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what reviews of allergy service developments it has undertaken since 2009-10.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: It is a matter for NHS boards to plan and deliver the services required to meet the assessed needs of their residential populations, taking into account international and other evidence and operating within the policies and frameworks set out by the Scottish …
14 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to improve allergy services in response to the Working Group of the Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee report, Review of Allergy Services in Scotland, published in June 2009.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-27505 on 23 September 2015. In addition, CYANS, the Children’s and Young People’s Allergy Network Scotland, is a National Managed Clinical Network that focuses on improving health service provision for childre…
14 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has published for NHS professionals in relation to allergy services since 2007.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government provides policies, frameworks and resources to NHS boards to allow them to deliver services designed to meet the needs of their local populations.
14 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what data it collects on allergy-related waiting times.
Answer · Shona Robison: Information is collected centrally in relation to waits for a first outpatient consultation, inpatient and day case treatment and for the whole journey 18 weeks referral to treatment standard at specialty level only. Most patients requiring hospital care for …
14 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidelines the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network has developed in relation to allergies.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Allergy is covered extensively in Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) guideline 141 – British Guideline on the Management of Asthma and also in SIGN guideline 125 – Management of Atopic Eczema in Primary Care.
14 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to improve training and education on allergy among (a) general practitioners, (b) nurses, (c) dieticians and (d) pharmacists since 2009-10.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government provides policies, frameworks and resources to NHS boards to allow them to deliver services that meet the needs of their local populations. All healthcare professionals receive high quality training and education on conditions such as …
14 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients with allergic conditions have been referred to healthcare services elsewhere in the UK for treatment in each year since 2009-10.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The information requested is not held centrally.
14 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many dedicated (a) consultant allergists, (b) nurse allergy specialists and (c) paediatric allergy consultants there are, and what assessment it has undertaken of whether there are sufficient numbers of each.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Information Services Division does not record this as a separate specialty, but we are aware that there is medical consultant input into allergy management from a number of other medical specialties, including immunology, anaesthesia and others.
14 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many regional allergy centres there are.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Consultant-led adult immunodeficiency and allergy services in Scotland are provided by Grampian, Tayside and Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS boards. A service is expected to be available in NHS Lothian by spring 2016 following the appointment of a consultant im…
14 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) GP consultations and (b) hospital admissions have been attributed to allergic disease in each year since 2009-10.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The table at the following link: http://www.scotpho.org.uk/health-wellbeing-and-disease/allergic-conditions/data/secondary-care-data shows the number of hospital discharges following admission with a diagnosis of any allergic condition. The figures include as…
14 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many anaphylactic (a) shocks and (b) deaths have been recorded in each year since 2009-10.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Information on the total number of cases of anaphylactic shock is not available centrally. At this link http://www.scotpho.org.uk/health-wellbeing-and-disease/allergic-conditions/data/secondary-care-data there is a table which shows the number of hospital dis…
14 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of people with allergic disorders, and how many of these are (a) severe or (b) life-threatening.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Information on the number of people with allergic disorders has been published at http://www.scotpho.org.uk/health-wellbeing-and-disease/allergic-conditions/key-points. Information on the severity of the allergic conditions is not held centrally.
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it considers that its proposed controls on salmon spawning could have a significant effect on numbers, given that it is understood that up to 90% of salmon in Scottish rivers escape to spawn elsewhere.
Answer · Aileen McLeod: It is believed that most wild Scottish salmon return to spawn in the river where they were themselves spawned. Below a critical level of spawning adults, the production of smolts depends not on how many juveniles can be supported by the river habitat, but rat…
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a national shortage of spawning salmon; whether this has resulted in a reduction in juvenile salmon in Scottish rivers, and whether it will publish the statistical evidence in this regard.
Answer · Aileen McLeod: Using best available evidence, there is a shortage of spawning salmon in some parts of Scotland but not others. Marine Scotland Science has published evidence of reduced levels of juvenile production in two tributaries on the Aberdeenshire River Dee (http://w…
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what conservation reasons it has introduced a system under which salmon can only be killed by anglers under licence.
Answer · Aileen McLeod: The introduction of a kill licence was a key recommendation of the independent Wild Fisheries Review published in 2014. The review called for this issue to be given immediate consideration given the conservation status of wild salmon. The revised proposals re…
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what legal or other advice it has received in the context of the habitats directive in relation to its management of Atlantic salmon and whether it will publish this.
Answer · Aileen McLeod: As part of the formulation and development of Scottish Government policy, ministers are advised on a regular basis about the various requirements of the Habitats Regulations, including the management of Atlantic salmon.
7 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress in implementing the National Unscheduled Care Action Plan and what measurable benefits it has provided.
Answer · Shona Robison: The National Unscheduled Care Action Plan, which was launched in 2013, moved to an improvement focussed approach to sustainability improving unscheduled care, focussing on six essential actions. This new approach was launched in May 2015 and is a two year pro…
7 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many emergency medicine consultants there have been in each NHS board in each year since 2010, broken down by grade.
Answer · Shona Robison: We currently have the highest medical staffing levels ever in NHSScotland. Under this government, the number of consultant medical staff working in NHSScotland has increased by a record 38.2%. A&E has seen an unprecedented increase in consultant staff of 171.…
7 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many locum emergency medicine consultants each NHS board has used and at what cost in each year since 2010.
Answer · Shona Robison: The use of locum staff helps ensure service continuity during times of planned and unplanned staffing gaps including short and long term sickness, unexpected vacancies, and maternity and paternity leave. We have a national framework contract in place which en…
2 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people it has recruited through the (a) Scotland GP Returner Programme and (b) Scotland GP Enhanced Induction Programme in each year since 2010.
Answer · Shona Robison: The GP returner programme started in May 2015 and to date three GPs have completed the programme. There are currently four GPs taking part in the programme and a further eight expressions of interest have also been submitted. There are two practitioners curr…
2 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on the (a) Scotland GP Returner Programme and (b) Scotland GP Enhanced Induction Programme in each year since 2010.
Answer · Shona Robison: Introduced in 2015-2016 Scottish Government provided £100,000 NES for this year to fund the GP Returner scheme. This is the first year and therefore there is no historical data. It is NHS Education for Scotland (NES) which has operational responsibility for b…
2 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients Police Scotland has delivered to accident and emergency units in each month since 2010 due to self-harm.
Answer · Shona Robison: Attendances at A&E due to self-harm can be recorded in several ways, primarily through the data field ‘intent of injury’. However, this field is not mandatory and Information Services Division is working with NHS boards to increase coverage and consistency.