Parliamentary questions
Miles Briggs
4,209 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether GPs will be provided with tinnitus awareness training to be better informed about the range of support available to people who present with tinnitus.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: While the RCGP curriculum makes reference to the treatment options available for tinnitus within the ‘Ear, Nose & Throat and Speech & Hearing’ section, it acknowledges that patients with ENT symptoms may prove difficult to manage e.g. tinnitus, facial pain, u…
15 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has given further consideration to removing reference to chemical restraint from health and social care standards.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the Member to the answer to question S5W-22466 on ? 23 May 2019. The legislation applicable for the use of chemical restraint makes clear that consent is required where an individual has capacity. Where an individual does not have capacity, the use of…
13 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26324 by Jeane Freeman on 20 November 2019, how much of this additional funding has been claimed by optometrists through the General Ophthalmic Services contract under code 3 in relation to supplementary eye examinations.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: In the period 1 October 2018 to 31 December 2019, £25,039.00 was paid to General Ophthalmic Services practitioners who submitted a payment claim for a 3.0 reason code supplementary eye examination. A £24.50 fee is paid for this type of supplementary eye exami…
19 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates new guidance on restraint and seclusion in schools will be published; which organisations it will consult on this, and whether it will provide more detail of what the guidance will cover.
Answer · John Swinney: We anticipate that the new guidance on physical intervention and seclusion in schools will be published in January 2021. The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland and the Equality and Human Rights Commissioner reached agreement with the Scottish G…
19 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018, and whether it has plans to introduce similar legislation for Scotland.
Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government is aware of the Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018. There are currently no plans to introduce similar legislation for Scotland. However, the new Quality and Safety Board, once established, will consider matters related to qua…
19 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that restraint reduction network training standards should be made mandatory for all training with a restrictive intervention component that is delivered within NHS mental health and related services.
Answer · Clare Haughey: Health Boards in Scotland have a duty to ensure that they have policies in place covering all forms of restrictive practice and that all staff receive appropriate training. It is the expectation that episodes of restraint are recorded in clinical case record…
19 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the recording of the use of restraint in NHS settings should be mandatory.
Answer · Clare Haughey: Health Boards in Scotland have a duty to ensure that they have policies in place covering all forms of restrictive practice and that all staff receive appropriate training. It is the expectation that episodes of restraint are recorded in clinical case record…
19 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the use of restraint in (a) education and (b) mental health settings.
Answer · Clare Haughey: Regarding the use of restraint in education, we anticipate that the new guidance on physical intervention and seclusion in schools will be published in January 2021. The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland and the Equality and Human Rights Commi…
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding (a) diagnosing and (b) the development of treatment for women with micro-vascular angina.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Our Programme for Government 2019-2020 commits to establishing a Women’s Health Plan to reduce inequalities in health outcomes that affect women, including reducing inequalities relating to cardiac disease. In order to inform and develop the Plan, key stakeho…
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the number of staff retirements in the (a) short-, (b) medium- and (c) long-term on the size of the mental health nurse workforce.
Answer · Clare Haughey: As part of the process of planning the Nursing and Midwifery workforce, each year Ministers recommend the numbers of commissioned places for all fields of pre-registration nursing and midwifery education and training based on the work of the Student Intake Gr…
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the decision on motion S5M-16702 on 3 April 2019, when ministers will report back to Parliament on the review into NHS and social care staff workplace support services.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Information from a number of sources regarding the provision of workplace support across our health and social care services, is currently being considered on behalf of the Ministerial Short Life Working Group on Culture and Wellbeing, which I chair. The Grou…
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of NHS expenditure is spent on independent (a) general practice and (b) dental contractors.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Details of NHS expenditure on general practice and dental services are made available each year in the annual NHS publication “Scottish Health Service Costs”, also known as the Cost Book. The latest available Cost Book is for 2018-19 and the report can be acc…
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce speed awareness courses as an alternative to points being put on driving licenses.
Answer · James Wolffe QC: The Lord Advocate has agreed in principle - subject to approval of the detailed arrangements - to a Police Scotland proposal to introduce speed awareness courses, where appropriate, as an alternative to prosecution. A working group comprising Police Scotland…
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many public inquiries it has announced in each year since 2007, broken down by the cost of each inquiry.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Listed below are the six public inquiries constituted under the Inquiries Act 2005 since 2007. There have been a variety of other reviews and non-statutory inquiries for which costs are not held centrally. Public Inquiry Cost ICL Stockline Set up Febru…
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional operations have been carried out under the Waiting Times Improvement Plan.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not held centrally by either the Scottish Government or Information Services Division (ISD). In these circumstances the Member may wish to contact individual Health Boards to obtain these details.
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have received support for opioid addiction in each year since 2007.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Information Services Division Scotland publish quarterly statistics on treatment waiting times and types of treatment undertaken which shows how many treatments were started in that period. This information is available here - https://www.isdscotland.org/ind…
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patient scans have been read outside of Scotland in each year since 2007, and how much this has cost.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not held centrally. The member may wish to contact each individual Health Board to obtain this information.
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many endoscopies have been carried out in each year since 2007.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The following table provides numbers of endoscopy procedures reported from inpatient, day case or outpatient settings from 2007 to 2018. Calendar Year Endoscopy procedures 2007 242,395 2008 251,138 2009 260,153 2010 281,999 2011 279,629 2012 …
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop self-referral for screening for women under 50 with concerns regarding their breast health.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government, along with the rest of the UK, is advised on all aspects of screening by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group who assesses screening programmes against a robust set of criteria, and based …
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time has been for an endoscopy in each year since 2007.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: ISD publish waiting times for endoscopy as part of the Diagnostics Waiting Times publication. The data published gives the number of people who are still waiting at the end of each month, and does not provide the completed waiting times for this test. Perform…
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many agency midwives have been employed by each NHS board in each year since 2007.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The information requested on how many agency midwives there are broken down by board is not centrally held by ISD or NES.
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid NHS providers in the rest of the UK to treat patients from Scotland in each year since 2007.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The following table sets out NHS Scotland’s spend on both goods and services from other UK NHS bodies, as reported by NHS Boards in their annual accounts. Financial Year £’000 2006-07 24,467 2007-08 58,562 2008-09 67,934 2009-10 32,125 2010-11 …
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures there is a consistent approach across NHS boards in the treatment and support of people with anaphylaxis.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: We expect NHS Boards to adhere to current guidelines on the treatment of anaphylaxis from authorative professional sources such as the Resuscitation Council UK and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to (a) raise awareness of and (b) help prevent anaphylaxis, and whether it plans to introduce additional measures.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Community pharmacists provide information, advice or assistance to people on the use of and any risks associated with medicines, and medical devices to prevent harm. This includes people who require an Adrenalin Auto Injector (AAIs) device. Paediatric allerg…
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) adults and (b) children have been treated for anaphylaxis in each year since 2007.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Treatment for anaphylaxis may take place in primary care, in accident and emergency departments and in hospitals. Statistics provided by ISD shows the number of patients aged (a) under 16 years and (b) 16 years and over, who were discharged from hospital foll…
18 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is provided to people requiring treatment for anaphylaxis.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: NHS Inform is Scotland's national health information service that aims to provide people with accurate and relevant information to help them make informed decisions about their own health. This includes information about symptoms, diagnosis and treatment for …
11 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to make dying, death and bereavement a public health priority.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government is clear about the priority we place on ensuring people can access high quality palliative and end of life care. Our Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care sets out our ambition that we want those who would …
11 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is upskilling a health and social care workforce in palliative and end of life care education and training.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government recognises the need to ensure that health professionals have the knowledge, skills and confidence to provide high quality palliative and end of life care, relevant to their role. In April 2018, we published a new palliative and end of…
11 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what mandatory training and education in palliative and end of life care health and social care staff working in all care settings are required to complete.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government recognises the need to ensure that health and social care professionals have the knowledge, skills and confidence to provide high quality palliative and end of life care, relevant to their role. In April 2018, we published a new palli…
11 Dec 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making toward its ambition that by 2021 everyone who needs palliative care will have access to it.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Good care at end of life requires collaborative, multi-disciplinary support, which is why Integration Authorities have been given statutory responsibility for meeting this need. Integration Authorities regularly report on their progress using the 23 indicator…