Parliamentary questions
Miles Briggs
4,209 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
8 Mar 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many cancer nurse specialists there were in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The number of cancer nurse specialists employed by NHScotland for years 2016 and 2017 is available on the ISD website: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2018-12-04/Clinical_Nurse_Specialists_S2018.xls Health Boards are current…
8 Mar 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average age is of an NHS (a) specialist, (b) GP, (c) nurse and (d) dentist.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: ISD workforce holds information on the number of Hospital, Community and Public Health Services (HCHS) medical staff by specialty directly employed by NHS Scotland. Staff are not directly classified as “specialists” within the ISD workforce data, however we i…
8 Mar 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) nursing and (b) midwifery vacancies there have been in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: A table on the number of nursing and midwifery vacancies for staff working in NHSScotland from 2007 onwards has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre- Bib reference number 60524 The number of nursing and midwifery vacancies for staff work…
7 Mar 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what new guidance has been provided to NHS Lothian on infection control, and whether this includes building design and healthcare associated infections processes.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Current national guidance remains extant across NHS Scotland. This is set out in the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual which can be accessed via: http://www.nipcm.scot.nhs.uk/ . Any new or updated infection prevention and control guidance is…
7 Mar 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what most recent estimate it has made of how many smokers there are in each local authority area.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The latest estimates of smoking prevalence in each local authority area are available from the Scottish Surveys Core Questions 2016 report .
6 Mar 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with NHS Lothian regarding the reported long-term sick leave among its glaucoma consultant team, and what support it is being providing to the board to ensure that this staffing issue does not have an adverse impact on waiting times.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government Access Support Team is in regular contact with NHS Lothian glaucoma team. There is currently a member of the glaucoma team on long-term sick absence, a locum consultant has been employed to provide cover. NHS Lothian are identifying t…
6 Mar 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce waiting times for glaucoma outpatient appointments.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21952 on 18 March 2019. 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/…
25 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the NHS has had regarding the reclaiming of excess prescribing costs for the drug, Pregabalin.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: This issue is being considered by the Scottish Government in conjunction with NHS Boards.
25 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15037 by John Swinney on 15 March 2018, whether it will provide the information for 2017-18.
Answer · John Swinney: Data detailing spending on additional support for learning is collectedfrom local authorities via the Local Financial Returns (LFR). Data from 2017-18 is provided in the following tables. As highlighted in the answer to questions S5W-08627 on 24 April 2017 …
25 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which health and social care organisations it has met to discuss the proposed workplace parking levy.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has not held any meetings with health and social care organisations to discuss the specific matter of Workplace Parking Levies.
25 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities was last updated.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities was published in September 2012 and reviewed in September 2017. As a result and in response to views expressed by participants, Ministers agreed that further revision of the Charter of Patient Rights and Resp…
25 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish an updated version of the Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government will lay an updated version of the Charter before Parliament once the current revision is complete. This work is expected to be completed by Summer 2019. Plans for the publication and effective promotion of the Charter are being develo…
25 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment it has made of the proposed workplace parking levy policy.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21475 on 13 March 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s web site, the search facility can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.asp…
25 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of its call for views on the review of the Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities, which concluded in September 2017.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The review included engagement with key stakeholders including the Patient Advice and Support Service, Scottish Human Rights Commission, Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance and Mental Welfare Commission, and with around 2,500 individuals and groups across …
25 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) care homes and (b) hospices will be subject to the proposed workplace parking levy.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Workplace Parking Levy will be a discretionary power for local authorities to implement, should they wish to do so, within the provisions set by the Transport (Scotland) Bill and any subsequent Regulations. The detail on the framework for how such levies …
25 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19321 by Joe Fitzpatrick on 6 November 2018, whether the information has now been collated and assessed and, if so, (a) by what date it will be published and (b) whether it will show how many (i) sessions and (ii) hours each profession in a team pro…
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Further to the answer provided to question S5W-19321, the collated information is undergoing quality assurance checks. We anticipate that the National Advisory Committee for Chronic Pain (NACCP) will consider the draft findings at its next meeting on 18 March…
20 Feb 2019 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with introducing access to thrombectomy services in Scotland.
15 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to promote the Daffodil Standards, which were created in partnership between Marie Curie and the Royal College of General Practitioners, in GP practices.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government recognises the important role of primary care teams in delivering care to patients living with advanced, serious illness or at the end of lives, and their loved ones. The Daffodil Standards for GPs provides a useful resource for pract…
15 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been treated with Duodopa since it was approved for use by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) in June 2016.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21701 on 4 March 2019. 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/2…
15 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people with advanced Parkinson’s disease are being treated with (a) apomorphine, (b) deep brain stimulation and (c) Duodopa.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Prescribing data is not associated with diagnostic data in the Prescribing Information System (PIS) dataset or in the Hospital Medicine Use Database (HMUD). It is reasonable to make the assumption that the prescription of these drugs indicates the patients ar…
15 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review SIGN guideline 113 for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: SIGN is part of the Evidence Directorate of Healthcare Improvement Scotland and receives core funding from Healthcare Improvement Scotland. It is editorially independent from Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Scottish Government. Any group or individua…
15 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people it estimates have advanced Parkinson’s disease.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The information requested is not held centrally. However, the number of hospital discharges where a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease was recorded, per year, for the last 10 years in Scotland, is available. Note that the same person may be counted more than o…
11 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates has been spent on preventative health in each year since 1999.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: There is a large range of actions and activities delivered across a large number of organisations which contribute, directly and indirectly, to preventative health. As we noted in our response to the Health and Sports Committee's recent report on preventative…
11 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of patients that have chosen to have surgery at a private hospital following an initial NHS consultation in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not held centrally. The member may wish to consider contacting individual Health Boards to obtain this information.
11 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its latest NHS workforce plan.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We have already published workforce plans covering the NHS, Primary Care and Social Care. We intend to publish our integrated health and social care workforce plan this year, as the Health Secretary made clear when she updated parliament in November. We are …
11 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time has been for an appointment at a chronic pain clinic in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Data on waiting times for a chronic pain clinic has only been collated since December 2015. The below table sets out the median waiting time in weeks for a first appointment at a pain clinic or pain psychology clinic since December 2015. Table 1: Median wai…
11 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been allocated to each NHS board from the £850 million of funding for its waiting times improvement plan.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The first £26.7 million of the £850 million has been allocated across all territorial NHS Boards and the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in 2018-19. This funding is being used to increase workforce, purchase new equipment, put on additional clinics in the ev…
11 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints of bullying have been made by NHS staff in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not held centrally. Mechanisms for how complaints about bullying are recorded are matters for each individual Health Board within the framework of the relevant policy and procedure. The Scottish Government is clear that bullying and haras…
11 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of patients that have chosen to have surgery at a private hospital following an initial NHS consultation.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21607 on 27 February 2019. 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/parliamentarybusine…
11 Feb 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional funds it will make available for the development of its Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland, which is due to be published in 2019.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Once the Respiratory Care Action Plan is finalised we will have a better understanding of the financial challenges and opportunities lying ahead and this will inform funding decisions.