Parliamentary questions
Miles Briggs
4,209 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many DNR (do not resuscitate) forms have been signed in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-29407 on 10 June 2020. 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/28…
26 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers have had regarding DNR (do not resuscitate) forms being put in place for individual patients during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Ministers have made it repeatedly clear that the guidance on the use of Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary (DNACPR) forms has not changed in light of the Covid-19 outbreak and that they expect conversations around such matters to be handled with the utmost compas…
26 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients were transferred between hospitals in Scotland in (a) March and (b) April 2020 and, of these, how many were tested for COVID-19 before transfer.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The data is not centrally available. Public Health Scotland have pre-announced that Acute Hospital Activity and SMR01 data to end March 2020, is scheduled for publication in September 2020 and that data for April to June 2020 is scheduled for publication in …
26 May 2020 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will have recruited all 2,000 contact tracers by the end of May.
18 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it took over 15 months for action to be taken by the Care Inspectorate regarding Home Farm Care Home on Skye.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Prior to the action it took last month to seeking an Emergency Cancellation Order the Care Inspectorate inspected Home Farm Care Home in April 2019, November 2019 and January 2020. Following these inspections, requirements were made on the service and steps w…
18 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the quality indicators in the Care Inspectorate document, A quality framework for care homes for older people, to ensure there is appropriate emphasis on infection control, and what its position is on whether the comment in the paper that “the primary purpose …
Answer · Jeane Freeman: A quality framework for care homes for older people was published by the Care Inspectorate in 2018. Self-evaluation is an important marker of quality assurance and covers all aspects of a care home’s performance and outcomes for the people experiencing care.…
18 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many care homes have had their registration cancelled by the Care Inspectorate in each year since 2007 due to a failure to achieve standards, and how many such failures have been recorded since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Care Inspectorate was formed on 1 April 2011 following the implementation of the Public Service Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. Between Inspection years 2016-17 and 2019-20, 8 care homes have been had their registrations cancelled. Inspection Year Total 2…
18 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review its funding to (a) local authorities and (b) care home operators to ensure that residential and nursing care services fully meet infection control and hygiene standards.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Care providers are expected to fully meet the standards required of them, including in respect of infection control and hygiene standards, and this is monitored by the Care Inspectorate working with other partners. New arrangements to significantly strengthe…
14 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish figures on deaths from COVID-19 broken down by ethnicity.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Analytical partners across the Scottish Government, NRS, Public Health Scotland and the NHS are working together to consider how we can better understand the impact of Covid-19 on those from all minority ethnic communities. NRS recently published a note desc…
14 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings Ministers held to discuss the Silver Swan pandemic meeting in 2015.
Answer · John Swinney: The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Minister for Public Health and I were briefed on the findings of Exercise Silver Swan in 2015. While this may have been discussed in subsequent meetings, we do not hold records of meetings that far back in relation to specifi…
14 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information has been recorded regarding the length of time between a patient first presenting with suspected COVID-19 and them being admitted to hospital.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not held centrally. The member can obtain this information by contacting the Information Services Division.
14 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many care home (a) staff and (b) residents in the (i) local authority, (ii) charitable and (iii) independent sector have been tested for COVID-19.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Public Health Scotland provides the Scottish Government with numbers of residents and staff tested in care homes, but it is not possible to disaggregate this further to provide a breakdown of the type of…
14 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much additional funding to tackle COVID-19 has been given to each NHS board.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government has made available additional funding for frontline Boards of £333 million through the Scottish Budget, and this has now been allocated in full to support our health and care services. This funding is detailed in the table below and wi…
14 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what clinical guidance has been issued to NHS boards on the admittance of patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 into hospital.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Clinical advice on admitting people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 to hospital is included in a range of clinical guidance that has been published on the Scottish Government website - https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-clinical-advi…
7 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what risk assessments have been carried out by the NHS regarding the potential impact of COVID-19 on the care home sector, and whether the results have been shared with care home residents and/or their relatives.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting every care home in Scotland whether or not an outbreak has been experienced. Health and Social Care Partnerships developed local mobilisation plans in response to the COVID-19 emergency. These plans, which a…
7 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will be making the first payments from the £19 million that it announced on 28 April to support hospices.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: On the 29 June, I wrote to Scottish Hospices to confirm that their funding requests (totalling £10.1m) related to loss of income during the pandemic during the first financial quarter of 2020 would be met in full. Integration Authorities and NHS Boards were a…
6 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS patients have received treatment in the independent sector during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Across Scotland, there are 4 hospitals within the independent sector being utilised, delivering activity across a range of specialties. At week ending 17 May, 943 urgent surgical cancer procedures had been undertaken, and 1249 Outpatient appointments, which h…
6 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of hospital-acquired COVID-19 have been reported in each NHS board.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Due to the prolonged incubation period of COVID-19, it has not so far been possible to report with the accuracy required how many cases of healthcare associated infection (HCAI) involving COVID-19 have occurred in each NHS board. The normal definition of a H…
6 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when will it respond to the final report of the Junior Doctors’ 48-hour Expert Working Group.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Prior to the current CV-19 situation, I had arranged to meet the BMA to discuss the report and recommendations. The current CV-19 response has necessitated the pausing of many areas of work, as we focus on responding to this pandemic. It is vital that this i…
6 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many local authority care home residents have been tested for COVID-19.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Public Health Scotland provides the Scottish Government with numbers of residents and staff tested in care homes, but it is not possible to disaggregate this further to provide a breakdown of the type of…
6 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many independent care home residents have been tested for COVID-19.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Public Health Scotland provides the Scottish Government with numbers of residents and staff tested in care homes, but it is not possible to disaggregate this further to provide a breakdown of the type of…
6 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £30 million received from the National Lottery Communities Fund has been distributed.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government has not received £30 million from the National Lottery Community Fund, but has been notified by HM Treasury of an estimated £30 million consequentials relating to UK Government grant to the National Lottery Community Fund in respect of…
6 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people who have been asked to shield at home from the COVID-19 outbreak have (a) had a bone marrow or stem cell transplant in the last six months and (b) are taking immunosuppression drugs following a bone marrow or stem cell transplant carried out more than six months ago.
Answer · John Swinney: It is not possible to provide information on the exact reasons why individuals have been asked to shield within each specific shielding group as this is not recorded in the list of people who have been asked to shield. The following table provides informatio…
6 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people who have been asked to shield at home from the COVID-19 outbreak have severe respiratory conditions, broken down by type.
Answer · John Swinney: It is not possible to provide information on the exact reasons why individuals have been asked to shield within each specific shielding group as this is not recorded in the list of people who have been asked to shield. The following table provides informatio…
6 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people who have been asked to shield at home from the COVID-19 outbreak have inborn errors of metabolism that might significantly increase the risk of infection, broken down by type.
Answer · John Swinney: It is not possible to provide information on the exact reasons why individuals have been asked to shield within each specific shielding group as this is not recorded in the list of people who have been asked to shield. The following table provides informatio…
6 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people who have been asked to shield at home from the COVID-19 outbreak have rare diseases, broken down by type.
Answer · John Swinney: It is not possible to provide information on the exact reasons why individuals have been asked to shield within each specific shielding group as this is not recorded in the list of people who have been asked to shield. The following table provides informatio…
6 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people who have been asked to shield at home from the COVID-19 outbreak are receiving immunosuppression therapies that might significantly increase their risk of infection.
Answer · John Swinney: It is not possible to provide information on the exact reasons why individuals have been asked to shield within each specific shielding group as this is not recorded in the list of people who have been asked to shield. The following table provides informatio…
6 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many pregnant women are being asked to shield at home from the COVID-19 outbreak, also broken down by how many have (a) (i) congenital and (ii) acquired heart conditions and (b) other underlying health conditions, broken down by type.
Answer · John Swinney: It is not possible to provide information on the exact reasons why individuals have been asked to shield within each specific shielding group as this is not recorded in the list of people who have been asked to shield. The following table provides informatio…
5 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to establish COVID-19-free hospitals specifically dedicated to cancer treatment.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We are working hard to ensure vital and urgent care remains, including the use of the Golden Jubilee and the use of private hospital capacity to treat these NHS patients. By utilising the private sector capacity we are able to provide a COVID free environment…
5 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) men and (b) women with blood cancer in each age group have (i) contracted and (ii) died from COVID-19, also broken down by how many had received intensive care support.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government does not hold the total number of men or women with blood cancer, in each age group, who have contacted or died from COVID-19. National Records of Scotland have recently published statistics on Deaths Involving Coronavirus (COVID-19) i…