Parliamentary questions
Monica Lennon
3,484 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many hospital beds there have been in each NHS board in each of the last five years.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The data on the number of hospital beds there have been in each NHS board in each of the last five years can be found on the Public Health Scotland website: https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/health-services/hospital-care/acute-hospital-…
29 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine that lack of capacity in hospitals will lead to A&E delays and ambulance queues.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is working with Health Boards to redesign urgent care pathways by reviewing and building upon some of the important work carried out during the pandemic to ensure people receive the right care, at the right place, at the right time, ev…
29 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when NHS dentistry will be able to resume dental treatments.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32144 on 23 October 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/parliamentarybusines…
28 Sep 2020 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has for NHS Louisa Jordan, in light of reports that it has awarded a contract for its decommissioning.
25 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25509 by Jeane Freeman on 8 October 2019, how many community link workers (a) have been recruited and (b) are in post, broken down by SIMD quintile.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We remain committed to our target of recruiting 250 Community Link Workers across Scotland by the end of the Parliament. As of September 2019 there were 112 Community Link Workers in post, all of whom have played a crucial role in supporting patients during t…
25 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 800 mental health workers proposed in the Mental Health Strategy have been recruited, broken down by setting.
Answer · Clare Haughey: Recruitment data for Action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy 2017-27 is published on the Scottish Government website ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/mental-health-workers-quarterly-performance-reports/ ). The last publication provides data as of 1 Janua…
25 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the data strategy for health and social care that was announced in the Programme for Government.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We aim to publish Scotland’s Data Strategy for Health & Social Care around March 2021 and aim to have developed a refresh of the Digital Heath & Care Strategy by the end of 2020.
25 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the redesign of unscheduled care that was announced in the Programme for Government will be completed.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: To ensure patients are seen in the most appropriate clinical environment for their healthcare need, we have set up a group made up of clinical and operational leaders to provide leadership to the redesign of urgent care. The key elements of the programme wil…
25 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the 24/7 NHS service that was announced in the Programme for Government will be completed.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32072 on 15 October 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/parliamentarybusines…
25 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional whole-time equivalent staff will be required to deliver the (a) 24/7 NHS service and (b) redesign of unscheduled care that was announced in the Programme for Government, broken down by profession.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32072 on 15 October 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/parliamentarybusines…
23 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce regular COVID-19 testing in prisons for (a) prisoners and (b) staff.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: COVID-19 testing is already available for all those living and working in prisons in Scotland presenting with symptoms. Where…
23 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what COVID-19 testing facilities are available (a) at higher and further education institutions and (b) near student accommodation, and what plans it has to prioritise mobile testing units for these locations.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32033 on 23 October 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/parliamentarybusines…
23 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many home care staff have been tested for COVID-19, and what proportion tested positive.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: In the latest reporting week (19 - 25 October) 39,461 care home staff were tested, comprising 5,421 staff in homes with confirmed covid , and 34,101 staff in homes with no cases of confirmed covid . This data is published weekly.
23 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to carry out routine weekly COVID-19 tests for home care services' staff.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Our home care workers are on the frontline of our national pandemic response and their work is hugely valued and it is crucial that they are able to access testing with results provided in a timely manner. Anyone with symptoms can access a test through our te…
23 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have tested positive for COVID-19 each month, broken down by prison.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: I can confirm that, as at 8 October, there have been 35 individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19. This has been acros…
23 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend the NHS COVID-19 testing capacity ahead of the winter.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We have been deliberately seeking to build winter capacity as we know demand will increase as people come forward with COVID-like symptoms over the winter months, in addition to the temporary demand increases such as those we’ve seen from local outbreaks and …
23 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many walk-in COVID-19 testing centres it plans to establish, broken down by location.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We plan to establish at least 22 Local Test Sites. Sites in St Andrews, Glasgow city centre, west Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, West Dunbartonshire, Stirling, Dundee, west Edinburgh, Inverness and Inverclyde are operational. We have worked closely with univer…
23 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what use it has made or plans to make of laboratory testing capacity for PCR COVID-19 tests in (a) university and (b) private laboratories, and what the associated costs are.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: A number of university and private laboratories were used to bolster testing capacity as we undertook our initial response to the pandemic. Since the start of the outbreak we have significantly increased our NHS testing capacity from 350 tests per day to a ma…
22 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many referrals for suspected prostate cancer have been received by NHS boards in each quarter of (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The following table includes all eligible referrals on the 62 day cancer pathway for Urology for each quarter. It should be noted that this data cannot be broken down to specific prostate referrals. Source: PHS Cancer Waiting Times publications …
22 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to support early diagnosis of prostate cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: NHS Boards are continuing to closely monitor all cancer referrals, including prostate, to ensure that capacity supports demand and patients can move through their pathway as safely and quickly as possible. Throughout the pandemic urgent cancer care has been p…
15 Sep 2020 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what information and assistance is available to Members and staff who are experiencing difficulties with alcohol or drugs.
Answer · Liam McArthur MSP (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate : The SPCB is committed to providing a safe and positive working environment for Members and staff. The SPCB recognises that this can be put at risk by individuals who misuse alcohol, drugs or substances to such an extent that that it affects their health, wor…
14 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the InHealthCare digital service will allow people to access pulmonary rehab remotely.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The InHealthcare platform has been procured to deliver an interim remote monitoring solution aimed at Covid-19 patients and to aid response and recovery mobilisation plans within Scotland. Immediate additional focus areas have been identified in collaboration…
14 Sep 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have accessed pulmonary rehab in the last six months.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not held by the Scottish Government. It may be available on request from health boards.
14 Sep 2020 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what urgent action the Scottish Government is taking to restore and support contact between family carers and older and disabled people living in care homes, which is considered essential to their mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.
26 Aug 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to organisations that provide support to the employers of social care personal assistants in each of the last five years.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The funding provided to organisations supporting the employers of social care personal assistants in each of the last five years is as follows: 2015 – 2016 The Support in the Right Direction Fund 2015-18 A portfolio of 36 independent support services ac…
26 Aug 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly reduced its funding to the Scottish Personal Assistant Employers Network (SPAEN), which supports the employers of social care personal assistants, and what equality impact assessment it carried out before reaching this decision.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The financial settlement in the 2020-21 budget was very tight and tough decisions were made across all parts of the health and social care portfolio. The majority of projects in the self-directed support and social care portfolio experienced reduced levels of…
26 Aug 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many items of PPE have been provided to social care personal assistants and their employers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The supply of PPE is primarily the responsibility of social care providers themselves, and in the case of social care personal assistants, the responsibility of the person/people who employ them. However, given the immense pressure on normal supply chains due…
24 Aug 2020 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that patients have timely access to cancer services, and when cancer surgery will be restored to full capacity across all NHS boards.
24 Aug 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding the financial viability of (a) care homes and (b) care at home services, and whether it (i) plans to provide any financial assistance and (ii) has discussed the acquisition of care homes with (A) health and social care partnerships, (B) COSLA, (C) lo…
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is in regular contact with stakeholders such as Scottish Care and CCPS on a range of issues, including the financial sustainability of social care services. The Scottish Government has agreed additional funding of up to £100 million t…
17 Aug 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when adult day care and respite services will fully reopen.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Minister for Children and Young People and I wrote to Health and Social Care Partnerships, Chief Social Work Officers, care providers and others on 3 August 2020 advising that guidance on dedicated residential respite and day care services would be issued…