Monica Lennon

23 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role specialist chronic pain clinics will have in the delivery of a sustainable chronic pain service.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: As Chronic Pain impacts on every aspect of the lives of those experiencing it, we will be working with chronic pain clinics and services across the whole patient pathway to ensure that people can receive the most appropriate safe and timely treatment and care…

23 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what purpose recruitment information for the role of Chronic Pain Clinical Lead specifies a requirement for a primary care background, as opposed to a secondary care consultant specialising in pain management.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Chronic Pain Primary Care Clinical Lead is a dedicated post, specifically to implement the findings from the Scottish Access Collaborative Chronic Pain Design workshop report. Recruiting to this post reflects the strong Primary Care focus of the report…

23 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Respiratory Care Action Plan will be published for public consultation.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-22346 on 23 April 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/…

21 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the ISD figures on NHS workforce data published on 4 June 2019, what assessment it has made of the impact of the decrease in the number of consultant gastroenterologists in 2018-19 on patient waiting times.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: It is not possible to determine the impact between number of staff and waiting times without additional information, as waiting times can be impacted by a number of factors. The average (median) waiting time for inpatient or day case admission for gastroente…

21 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many paediatric gastroenterologists there have been in each NHS board in each of the last five financial years, also given in terms of whole-time equivalent staff.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Information requested on how many Paediatric Gastroenterologists there have been in each of the last five financial years is not centrally held. Information on the whole time equivalent of Consultant staff by specialty is only available for Paediatric an…

21 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many stop smoking specialist midwives there have been in each of the last five years, also broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Information regarding numbers of smoking cessation midwives in the last five years broken down by NHS Board is not centrally held. Data on midwives can be found in the Nursing & Midwifery dashboard – https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publi…

21 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effects of e-cigarettes on pregnant women.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government does not support the use of e-cigarettes during pregnancy. Our assessment of what little research exists on the effects of e-cigarettes on pregnant women comes from evidence from adult smokers in general. This suggests that e-cigarette…

21 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds regarding the number of pregnant women who use (a) e-cigarettes and b) traditional nicotine replacement treatments.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: This information is not held centrally.

21 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its current guidance is regarding the use of e-cigarettes by pregnant women.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Health Scotland has published guidance on quitting smoking in pregnancy. The guidance contains the current position on using e-cigs during pregnancy. The Health Scotland guidance is available on the following link. http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/docum…

21 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many graduate apprentices started in each framework in (a) 2017-18 and (b) 2018-19, broken down by gender.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The information requested was published by Skills Development Scotland in the Graduate Apprenticeships Early Activity and Progress report (2017-18 and 2018-19), August 2019.

14 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times in the last 12 months it has met the UK Government to discuss the supply of hormone replacement therapy.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government have regular monthly engagement with the UK Government regarding the management of medicines shortages, including hormone replacement therapy supply issues.

14 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it issues to GPs and pharmacies regarding the supply of hormone replacement therapy and, if it does not currently issue such advice, whether it plans to do so.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for Scotland wrote to all NHS Boards, GPs and community pharmacists (Circular PCA(P) (2019) 18) on 26 August 2019 advising of the latest supply update on all Hormone Replacement Therapy products marketed in the UK. Any inform…

12 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it (a) has commissioned and (b) plans to commission a feasibility study on bringing NHS catering services in-house.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-24706 on 2 September 2019 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/ormain.aspx

12 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) NHS boards, (b) trade unions and (c) NHS National Services Scotland regarding the feasibility of bringing NHS catering services in-house.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: There are no current discussions regarding the feasibility of bringing NHS catering services in-house. However, NHSScotland is undertaking an ambitious programme to deliver the National Catering Strategy that was published in 2017 and that seeks to maximis…

12 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which NHS hospitals hold contracts with private providers for the delivery of catering services.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The list of NHS hospitals where all catering services are delivered by private providers (either through a PFI or PPP contract), is set out below: NHS Ayrshire and Arran - East Ayrshire Community Hospital NHS Forth Valley - Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larb…

12 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much each NHS board pays to private contractors for hospital catering services.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The following table details how much NHS board pays to private contractors for hospital catering services; all other hospitals catering costs are covered by the local NHS Board: NHS Board Project Name Annual Cost NHS Ayrshire and Arran East Ayrshire Comm…

9 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent research from Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, which states that women with physical disabilities are experiencing difficulties attending, or even being denied access to, cervical screening.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Barriers to attendance are regularly considered by the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme and individual NHS Boards with initiatives taking place across Scotland to look at ways of tackling inequalities of access. The Programme will review the recommendati…

8 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to research by the University of Edinburgh that states that one in 125 people in Edinburgh have Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, and that this figure is expected to increase to one in 98 by 2028.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The cause of the increased incidence rate of people living with IBD in Scotland is multifactorial and not fully understood. Research is essential if we are to develop more effective diagnostic approaches and treatments. That is why we are investing in researc…

8 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent announcement by ScotRail that Glasgow Queen Street, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William train stations will not remove charges for access to toilets and plan to increase charges from 30p to 50p.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The decision to increase charges at the 4 stations which are staffed during opening hours was a commercial decision taken by ScotRail. The remaining 91 stations which have toilet facilities remain free. Toilets are available on all trains serving these statio…

8 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement by ScotRail that toilet charges will continue in four stations in Scotland, what its response is to research by Age Scotland that states that older people may not make journeys that do not have a convenient toilet stop.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The decision to increase charges at the 4 stations which are staffed during opening hours was a commercial decision taken by ScotRail. The remaining 91 stations which have toilet facilities remain free. Toilets are available on all trains serving these statio…

8 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement by ScotRail that toilet charges will continue in four stations in Scotland, what support it will offer to older people and those with medical conditions who require the use of toilet facilities at train stations where a charge is applied.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The decision to increase charges at the 4 stations which are staffed during opening hours was a commercial decision taken by ScotRail. The remaining 91 stations which have toilet facilities remain free. Toilets are available on all trains serving these stat…

5 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure the continuation of the Children Experiencing Domestic Abuse Recovery (CEDAR) programme in South Lanarkshire, which is operated by Women's Aid South Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Scottish Government recognises that all victims and survivors of domestic abuse deserve access to support. Our Equally Safe Fund provides £5.6 million (2019-2020) to support local projects and frontline services which support women and children who have e…

2 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that the general standards in neurological health services are implemented universally across NHS.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Organisations delivering services are responsible for implementing the standards at a local level, and local quality frameworks and procedures will assist them in monitoring progress. As part of the draft National Action Plan, we have included a commitment t…

2 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many peripheral nerve experts there have been in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The information requested on how many peripheral nerve experts there have been in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board is not centrally available. Staff in other professions (such as neurology consultants, physiotherapists and general physicia…

2 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to monitor the implementation of the general standards in neurological health services across NHS boards.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-24616 on 21 August 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 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to research suggesting that the level of inflammatory bowel disease in Scotland is double the previous estimate and, in light of this, what workforce planning is in place to address the reported shortage of gastroenterologists.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government, through its Modern Outpatient Programme, has been working closely with Crohn’s and Colitis UK, NHS Scotland and other partners in recent years to improve Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) services and pathways across Scotland. The Mod…

1 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the due diligence that it carried out prior to appointing Tradebe to dispose of clinical waste, and what consideration it made of the reported penalties that the company had been subject to because of environmental and workplace health and safety violat…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The tender process included independent analysis of data from a number of sources including Environmental Regulatory Agencies and Health and Safety Executive. Data was reviewed and assessed to consider the nature of the breach, repeat offences and the size an…

1 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether clinical waste will be exported to other countries under its contract with Tradebe.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: There are no plans to export clinical waste under the new Tradebe contract.  

1 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the report in The Guardian on 25 July 2019 regarding hazardous clinical waste originating from the UK that has recently been discovered in Sri Lanka, what information it has regarding whether this includes clinical waste originating from Scotland.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: SEPA has confirmed that there are no records of any transfrontier shipments of waste to Sri Lanka from Scotland in the last five years.  

1 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it has taken in response to the report in the Herald on Sunday on 17 February 2019 that that nearly 30 tonnes of high-risk clinical waste appears to have gone missing.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: SEPA has advised that it carried out an extensive investigation into this and found no conclusive evidence that waste is missing.