Parliamentary questions
Miles Briggs
4,209 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
8 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the NICE guidelines covering deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) were informed by greater specialist input than the equivalent guidance in Scotland, and how it plans to ensure that greater specialist input is received when developin…
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) 122 guideline development group had input from all specialities involved in the care of patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE), including haematology, orthopaedics, pharmacy, anaesthetics, vascular an…
7 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many couples have used a third cycle of IVF since April 2017, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Information on how many couples have used a third cycle of IVF since April 2017 is not held centrally. However, Scottish Government officials regularly discuss the impact of this change with the 4 Centres providing NHS IVF. The Scottish Government has had in…
7 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many couples with children in the home, but where one partner does not have a biological child, have accessed IVF since September 2016, broken down by NHS board, and what guidance it provides to ensure that all NHS boards offer this option to such couples.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Information on how many couples with children in the home, but where one partner does not have a biological child have accessed IVF since September 2016, is not currently held centrally. However, Scottish Government officials regularly discuss the impact of t…
6 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the assertion that it does not necessarily follow that a patient will be entirely lacking in legal capacity even though, because of a mental disorder, his or her ability to make decisions regarding the provision of medical treatment is significantly impaired and, …
Answer · Maureen Watt: There is no test of capacity set out in the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. In some circumstances different provisions and safeguards of the 2003 Act apply if the patient does not have capacity to make a certain decision in relation to…
6 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that it is common for the forced treatment of a patient detained on the basis of a short-term detention certificate to begin before that person has had an opportunity to appeal against being detained.
Answer · Maureen Watt: A short-term detention certificate (STDC) should be the usual route into hospital for someone who needs compulsory treatment. The STDC offers several safeguards for the person. Before granting the certificate, the doctor must consult a mental health officer (…
2 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-08627 by John Swinney on 24 April 2017, whether it will provide the information for (a) 2016-17 and (b) each year broken down by (i) primary, (ii) secondary and (iii) special schools.
Answer · John Swinney: Data detailing spending on additional support for learning is collected from local authorities via the Local Financial Returns (LFR). Data from 2016-17 is provided below, data from the financial years 2012-13 to ? 2015-16 was provided in the answers to ques…
27 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many clinics a cleft surgeon attended as part of the multidisciplinary cleft team in NHS (a) Highland and (b) Fife in 2017, and how many in both plan to attend as part of the multidisciplinary cleft team in 2018.
Answer · Shona Robison: Local surgeon led multidisciplinary outreach clinics are supported by the national cleft surgery service to ensure that the patient is seen by all the necessary clinical staff at one visit and not required to have multiple visits. As the shortage in surgeon …
26 Feb 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the number of Scottish-domiciled students applying to study medicine in Scotland.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) publish the number of applications received from Scottish domiciles to study pre-clinical medicine at any UK Institution, as well as the number of applications received from UK domiciles to study pre-cli…
23 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05973 by Shona Robison on 31 January 2017, what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of the initial funding provided in 2017-18 for insulin pumps and real-time continuous glucose monitoring.
Answer · Shona Robison: The decision to invest further in CGM and insulin pumps was made on the basis of robust analysis of clinical evidence by NICE and SIGN. Effectiveness of these technologies is considered over the lifetime. The Scottish Diabetes Survey enables us to track impr…
23 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government further to the answer to question S5W-05973 by Shona Robison on 31 January 2017, how much will be made available to fund insulin pumps and real-time continuous glucose monitoring in each of the remaining years of the current parliamentary session.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has committed to £10m additional funding to increase, over the term of this Parliament, the provision of insulin pump therapy for adults and Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM). The first £2 million was allocated to NHS Boards in fina…
22 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress that has been made in assessing the impact of implementing NICE Diagnostics guidance (DG27), which recommends the testing of all bowel cancer patients for Lynch syndrome by the Molecular Pathology Consortium.
Answer · Shona Robison: It is current protocol for all NHS Scotland Health Boards to ensure appropriate referral and testing when Lynch syndrome occurs, and for all patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer before the age of 60. In relation to the NICE guidelines recommendation to …
20 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether qualified but non-practicing doctors from overseas who live in Scotland and who are seeking to return to practice have to pass a Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test and, if so, what training courses are available to allow them to do this, broken down by inst…
Answer · Shona Robison: All medical doctors, whether UK citizens or nationals of countries outside the UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, with a primary qualification from a medical school outside the UK, EEA or Switzerland must undertake parts 1 and 2 of the Professio…
20 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many qualified but non-practicing doctors from overseas who live in Scotland have (a) sought to return and (b) returned to practice in each of the last three years.
Answer · Shona Robison: The General Medical Council (GMC) is the statutory regulator of the medical profession in the UK. The Chief Executive of the GMC is the registrar for the medical profession. Further information can be sought from the GMC annual report: State of Medical Educat…
20 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers to qualified but non-practicing doctors from overseas who live in Scotland who are seeking to return to practice.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government actively supports initiatives being led by the service to encourage practitioners to return to practice in known areas of need. The GP Returner Programme for instance, provides a supported opportunity for practitioners who are eligible…
20 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on encouraging qualified but non-practicing doctors from overseas who live in Scotland to return to practice.
Answer · Shona Robison: Scotland’s health workforce benefits enormously from the contribution made by overseas staff. The Scottish Government has consistently signalled that we need to remain an open and welcoming destination for international medical graduates, both from the EU and…
20 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many qualified but non-practicing doctors from overseas live in Scotland.
Answer · Shona Robison: Registration and licensing is undertaken by the General Medical Council (GMC), which is the statutory regulator of the medical profession in the UK. The chief executive of the GMC is the registrar for the medical profession; this information is not held by th…
20 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) adult social care and (b) childcare training places there have been in each year since 1999.
Answer · Maree Todd: The information requested on training places for workers in this sector is not held centrally as the activity is not centrally managed. Much adult social care and childcare training is vocational and work-based and training providers with relevant information…
20 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether a social care internship programme for students studying the subject could help tackle the reported recruitment issues in that sector, and whether it has discussed introducing such a programme with (a) colleges and (b) other stakeholders.
Answer · Maree Todd: Introduction of an internship programme would be a matter for the organisations responsible for delivering social care and other stakeholders and this approach has not to date been raised with the Scottish Government. It may be helpful to note that much of th…
16 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that qualified but non-practicing doctors from overseas who live in Scotland are unable to access training courses to allow them to sit their Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test; what information it has regarding how many people t…
13 Feb 2018 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers have had regarding the future regeneration of Edinburgh’s waterfront.
9 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action NHS Lothian is taking to (a) recruit more orthopaedic consultants and (b) reduce waiting times for orthopaedic treatment, and what discussions it has had with the NHS board regarding this.
Answer · Shona Robison: Health Boards have fully delegated powers to recruit and deploy staff, in order to meet their service delivery responsibilities. The Scottish Government supports health boards in their efforts to ensure that they have the right staff in place to meet the heal…
8 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to whether the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of X v Finland will impact on mental health law in Scotland, in light of reports that the Scottish legislation allows for the forced treatment of a person detained in hospital to begin before t…
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government is committed to creating a modern, inclusive Scotland which protects, respects and realises internationally recognised human rights, and is working with the whole of Scottish society to deliver a shared vision for a Scotland where ever…
8 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Lothian regarding the recent leak at the Sick Kids Hospital in Edinburgh, which incapacitated the MRI scanner, and how it will ensure that the lessons learned from this incident are rolled out across the other NHS boards.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is in regular contact with NHS Lothian to discuss all key issues which impact on service delivery. As far as possible, NHS Lothian minimised the impact on patients as they are aware that any delay in diagnosis or treatment can be worr…
7 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to (a) help promote small businesses and (b) create new jobs in West Lothian.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is continuing to work closely with partners in the region to deliver the West Lothian Economic Growth Plan, which was agreed following the announcement in 2012 that the Halls of Broxburn plant would close with the loss of 1,700 jobs. T…
7 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much each NHS board has spent on staff overtime in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) role and (b) grade.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not collect specific data on how much each NHS Board spends on staff overtime. It is for Boards to manage service provision locally, including the use of overtime where appropriate.
5 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of the Return to Practice scheme for nurses and midwives, and whether it has plans to expand it.
Answer · Shona Robison: Return to Practice programmes for former nurses and midwives whose registration has lapsed across Scotland are administered by NHS Education Scotland (NES). Scottish Government funding for Return to Practice schemes was reintroduced in April 2015. Since then…
5 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that mentors in the Return to Practice scheme for nurses and midwives receive appropriate training to cater for the specific needs of the students.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Return to Practice programmes are approved and monitored by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and must meet all of their requirements; this includes support and mentorship in practice by a qualified mentor and final assessment by a ‘sign-off’ mentor…
1 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in implementing each of the provisions in the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016, and what funding it is providing to support this work.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Officials are working in liaison with local authorities, health boards, integration authorities and carer organisations and others on preparations for implementation from 1 April 2018. Draft guidance, co-produced with stakeholders was circulated at the end o…
31 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-13628 and S5W-13986 by Aileen Campbell on 18 January and 31 January 2018 respectively, for what reason the minister referred to the response to question S5W-13906, which did not provide the information that was requested, and whether it will provi…
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Decisions on health policy are a matter for Ministers, not officials. Ministers are, of course, accountable to Parliament for those decisions.
31 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the findings of its comparative review of the health technology assessment processes of other countries, including those for orphan and ultra-orphan medicines.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-14278 on 8 February 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/parliamentarybusi…