Miles Briggs

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what any budget deficit has been for each integration joint board in each year since they commenced operating.

Answer · Shona Robison:   This information is publically available from the audited annual accounts published on Integration Joint Board websites. The only reported deficit is by North Ayrshire Integration Joint Board in their 2016-17 annual accounts: https://www.north-ayrshire.go…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS surgeon positions remained unfilled in each year since 1999, also broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: NHSScotland staff numbers have increased by over 10% under this Government to a record high of than 127,000 WTE, with staff in post numbers of consultants working in surgical specialities increasing by over 40% in the same period. Information on how many NHS…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have died before a care package had been put in place in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information isn't held centrally. The annual published Social Care Statistics only relate to people with care packages in place.

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the percentage of health spend in Scotland compared with that of NHS England in each year since 1999.

Answer · Shona Robison: Health spend in Scotland is 7.5% higher per head than in England. This equates to over £880 million more spending comparatively on health services in Scotland, compared to England. Comparative spending between Scotland and England is set out as part of HM Tre…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the postage costs for the NHS has been in each year since 1999.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many pharmacists have been working in the NHS in each year since 1999, also broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: The number of pharmacists employed by NHSScotland is published annually from 1999 by Board. Data from 2007 to the most recent data, published on 5 December 2017, can be found at https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2018-03-06/Non…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS criminal negligence cases have been brought in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government. Where a Board has been prosecuted and required to pay a fine as a criminal sanction the payment would be made directly by the Board and would not be recoverable from the Scottish Government und…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been paid out as a result of successful criminal negligence cases brought against the NHS in each year since 1999, also broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-15515 on 10 April 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the NHS publication and printing costs have been in each year since 1999.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had on capping the costs that lawyers can recover in NHS criminal negligence cases, including with (a) legal and (b) health organisations.

Answer · Shona Robison: Where a claim for compensation is made following any prosecution this would be a civil matter. Under the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Bill which is currently before the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Ministers would be given a …

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many children have been diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome in each year since 1999.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The number of children that have been diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in each year from 1999 - 2002 is not held centrally. The Scottish Birth Record (SBR) was introduced in 2002. The number of babies reported in the SBR as having a diagnosis of ‘Fetal …

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of eating disorders have been recorded in each year since 1999, also broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The number of cases of eating disorders is shown in the following table for the calendar years 1999 to 2016, broken down by NHS board of treatment. Please note that the complete figures for 2017 and 2018 have not yet been published. Number of cases with eati…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of Neuro-Electro Therapy (NET) treatment for alcohol and drug addiction.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Advice has been sought from a range of clinical specialists in the field, and the Scottish Government’s Senior Medical Officer, to obtain a comprehensive view on the effectiveness of Neuro-Electro Therapy (NET). Their responses indicate that NET is not used b…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many pharmacists have qualified from Scottish universities in each year since 1999.

Answer · Shona Robison: The following table provides details of the number of pharmacy degrees awarded by each of the Scottish Schools of Pharmacy and the number of pharmacists joining the General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC) register each year from 1999 to 2017. The data is prov…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued regarding training tor myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

Answer · Aileen Campbell: In 2010 the Scottish Government published a Scottish Good Practice Statement (SGPS) for GPs to ensure better and more consistent standards of care for ME/CFS. This was produced in wide consultation with NHS Scotland and is formally endorsed by the Royal Colle…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many pharmacists it estimates will be required under its NHS workforce plan.

Answer · Shona Robison: Pharmacists are core members of the healthcare workforce, and reforms introduced in the National Health and Social Care Workforce Plan will ensure that all GP practices have access to enhanced pharmacist and pharmacy technician support by 2021. In 2017-18 fu…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS operations have been undertaken in independent hospitals in each year since 1999.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is provided in the following table. In 2017 private sector operations were less than 0.4% of NHSScotland inpatient and day case operations. Number of inpatient and day case operations undertaken by NHSScotland and in independent hos…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) have been provided with specialist care in each NHS board in each year since 1999.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: This information requested is not held centrally.

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of self-harm have been recorded in each year since 1999, also broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The recording of self-harm is complex because the decision to report ‘intentional self-harm’ on the patient’s record lies with the clinician. The assessment of intent is a clinical one and subject to variation. The number of recorded cases of self-harm is sh…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many children have presented at A&E units in each year since 1999, broken down by unit.

Answer · Shona Robison: Consistent information on the age of patients attending A&E is only available from 2010. The number of attendances recorded at main hospital A&E sites for patients aged under 16 is provided in the following table.  Year of Attendance SITE 2010 2011 2012 …

16 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the incomplete standard for waiting time targets that is used by NHS England, and whether it plans to introduce a similar method.

Answer · Shona Robison: I understand the incomplete standard for waiting time targets that is used by NHS England relates to a census taken at the month end that measures the waiting times of patients on the waiting list for the referral to treatment standard. We already have a comp…

16 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the figures published by Information Services Division (ISD), which records a rise in the 90th percentile waiting time for outpatient, inpatient and day case appointments.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-05363 on 15 April 2018. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/…

16 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the figures published by Information Services Division (ISD), which record that more than half of the patients for whom the 12-week waiting time target for inpatient and day case appointment is not met subsequently wait for over 18 weeks.

Answer · Shona Robison: We are taking significant action to reduce waits for all patients in Scotland. I recognise that some patients are experiencing long waits, which is why the Scottish Government announced last year that £50 million was being made available to reduce hospital wa…

16 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how vaccination programmes will be delivered in remote and rural areas under the new GP contract.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-12475 on 21 November 2017. Vaccination is one of the services currently provided by GPs which will be reconfigured under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between Scottish Government, British Medical…

14 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the NHS applies the Royal College of Physicians’ national clinical guidelines on prolonged disorders of consciousness.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government expects clinicians working in this area to be familiar with the Royal College of Physicians’ guidelines; they provide a useful framework for the assessment and management of patients.

9 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the (a) housing supply and (b) number of homes available for purchase in the Lothian parliamentary region.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government is working towards our target to increase housing supply by delivering at least 50,000 affordable homes within this parliament, backed by investment of at least £3 billion. Through this programme, we are determined to increase and acce…

9 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many first-time house buyers in each constituency in the Lothian parliamentary region have paid the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT), also broken down by rate of LBTT.

Answer · Derek Mackay: Information on the number of first-time buyers paying LBTT is not currently required to be collected from Revenue Scotland tax returns. Following the announcement of the new LBTT first time buyer relief, the Scottish Government is in discussions with Revenue …

9 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) is making it difficult for first-time buyers in the Lothian parliamentary region to purchase a home because of the level of high house prices compared with other areas.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government’s reforms to Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) are helping both first-time buyers and home movers across Scotland to purchase a home. Between April 2015 and October 2017, LBTT kept over 25,000 house purchases out of tax by sett…

9 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support first-time buyers in the Lothian parliamentary region.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government is working to open up the housing market to as many people as possible. Since 2013, over 15,700 households across Scotland, with over 30% of these in the Edinburgh and Lothians area, have been supported to purchase a home through our s…

8 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are to update the SIGN guideline on the prevention and management of venous thromboembolism (VTE), and what discussions it (a) has had and (b) plans with stakeholders regarding this.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) 122 guideline regarding the prevention and management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) was published in 2010 and updated in 2014. SIGN is in the process of contacting the original guideline development gro…