Donald Cameron

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 530 WTE vaccinators required for the commencement of the COVID-19 vaccination programme are currently in place, and when all 530 will be in place.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: More than 12,000 active vaccinators are registered on our national Vaccination Management Tool. Availability of vaccine supply is a key factor in determining the size of the vaccination workforce deployed at any given time, with workforce requirements fluctu…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many healthcare professionals each week it plans to provide with (a) generic vaccination training and (b) training specific to the characteristics of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: National training events on the administration of the Pfizer vaccine took place on 3 and 7 December and were attended by more than 4,000 individuals. Training events on the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine were subsequently delivered on 4 and 7 Janua…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the 530 WTE vaccinators required for the commencement of the COVID-19 vaccination programme are split across NHS boards.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: On 20 November the Scottish Government wrote to Health Boards to set out workforce requirements for the initial phase of the Covid-19 vaccination programme. This letter included a breakdown of WTE Vaccinators by Health Board: NHS Health Board WTE Vaccinato…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the new national protocol allowing healthcare support workers to administer vaccinations will come into effect.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: National protocols that allow appropriately trained, competent healthcare support workers to administer the Pfizer and Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines with suitable clinical supervision first came into effect on 21 January 2021. These are updated from time to tim…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether, once approved, different vaccines will be used for different priority groups.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: We follow JCVI guidance on priority including any clinical guidance on vaccine use they recommend.

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 2,000 vaccinators and support staff needed for the COVID-19 vaccination programme are currently in place, and how many of those currently in place (a) can administer the vaccine and (b) are support staff.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: More than 12,000 active vaccinators are registered on our national Vaccination Management Tool. Availability of vaccine supply is a key factor in determining the size of the vaccination workforce deployed at any given time, with workforce requirements fluctu…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government where the fridges needed to store COVID-19 vaccines are currently located, broken down by the number in each NHS board area.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33812 on 23 December 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/parliamentarybusine…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what existing infrastructure for the flu vaccination programme will be used for the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: NHS Scotland Heath Boards are responsible for the local delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine. As such, health boards along with GPs are responsible for making decisions regarding local delivery in line with the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JC…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there will be outsourcing of any aspect of the COVID-19 vaccination programme and, if so, what specific areas will be outsourced.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Given the scale of the COVID-19 Vaccination programmes and the unprecedented demands put on health services two organisations, KPMG and Cap Gemini, had been contracted to provide non-healthcare related support. KPMG had been contracted to provide administrat…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how people will be notified that they are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination, and how much notice they will be given before a potential appointment.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Vaccinations are taking place differently across Scotland to reflect the needs of local communities. It is NHS Scotland who will confirm local arrangements and who will invite the eligible cohort by letter to receive a COVID-19 vaccine Furthermore, members o…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the COVID-19 vaccination delivery plan that has been reviewed by Ministers.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government has published the Delivery Framework for the COVID-19 vaccination programme. Additionally, the Minister for Public Health has written to MSPs on 8 December to confirm planning arrangements for the vaccine.

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what training of staff will be required to administer COVID-19 vaccinations, and by what date any training will be delivered in full.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: NHS Education for Scotland and Public Health Scotland have developed a learning pathway, providing an overview of training requirements for COVID-19 vaccinations. For individuals who are experienced active vaccinators, training need only cover the specific c…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many COVID-19 vaccinations each fridge can contain.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government made early arrangements at the start of the vaccine roll out programme with a capacity to store and distribute vaccines at low temperature. The Pfizer vaccine must be stored at a temperature of around -70°C. For this reason, stock is …

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are specific plans for the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to rural and island communities.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Effective provision of Covid-19 Vaccination to the citizens of Scotland regardless of geographical location is a key aim of our vaccination programme, and the Scottish Government is working with Health Boards to ensure this happens. Vaccine doses are being …

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to roll out COVID-19 vaccinations to the wider population once they have been provided to the nine priority groups recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Once we have offered vaccination to initial priority groups, we will continue to follow the JCVI advice by inviting adults under 50 who have not yet received the vaccine in age cohorts, as follows:All those aged 40-49 yearsAll those aged 30-39 yearsAll those …

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 2,000 vaccinators and support staff required for the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination programme are allocated to each NHS board.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Close to 12,200 vaccinators are registered on our national Vaccination Management Tool. Boards are approaching 1,400 support staff headcount available for deployment.

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a COVID-19 vaccine passport.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is considering the role of a vaccination certificate. However, it is too soon to introduce any form of certification. We need to know more about the efficacy of the vaccines, their impact on transmission and the length of immunity bef…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how people will be told the appointment of the second booster COVID-19 vaccine after they have received the first.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: All vaccinations are held on an individual’s medical records. Individuals in cohorts 1 – 5 who have been appointed through local GP IT systems will receive a reminder based on local process. This may include being given a leaflet at first vaccination, an SMS…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will follow the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI) recommendations for who gets priority for the COVID-19 vaccine, and whether it will publish a definitive list of the priority groups in Scotland.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We will prioritise to make sure those most at risk are protected, in line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) . They have recommended prioritising those with the greatest clinical need - this includes older residents …

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for a public campaign regarding the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Following extensive research to determine motivations to vaccinate we launched a mass communication public health marketing campaign ‘Roll up your sleeves’ to promote the roll out of the vaccine programme, on 21 st January. The Roll Up Your Sleeves campaign w…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many mobile COVID-19 vaccination units there are, and when they will be operational.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33810 on 23 December 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/parliamentarybusine…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many fridges it currently has to store COVID-19 vaccines; when the first order of these fridges was received, and whether it has ordered any more.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Pfizer vaccine must be stored at a temperature of around -70°C. For this reason, stock will initially be held in 23 specialised freezers situated in NHS Board Vaccine Deployment Centres in every NHS Board. We hope to address your other queries in a forthc…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is regarding frontline NHS and social care staff who refuse to be given the COVID-19 vaccine.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: While the Scottish Government strongly recommends that those eligible to receive vaccines should do so, vaccination is not mandatory: individuals have a choice as to whether they themselves are vaccinated and whether they vaccinate their children. We continue…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place for a COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to care home residents.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The vaccination of care home residents commenced on the 14 December 2020.  

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a national list of COVID-19 vaccination centres, and when each of these centres will be ready for use.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33810 on 23 December 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/parliamentarybusine…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role GP surgeries will play in the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: We want to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible and are continually working hard to see if distribution can be made faster. Our Chief Pharmaceutical Officer wrote on to all GPs and Health Boards explaining in more detail the mechanism of supply, or…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a COVID-19 vaccine hotline, and when any such hotline will be available to the public.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: To ensure that everyone has access to information about Covid-19 Vaccination, we have introduced Covid-19 Hotline here: (0800 030 8013). The Covid-19 helpline was firstly introduced at start of the programme on 8 December 2020 and the rebooking service was a…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what IT infrastructure is in place to be used for the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: In Scotland, we already deliver nearly two million doses of vaccine routinely every year and we have a comprehensive delivery infrastructure in place. Our Flu Vaccination and Covid-19 Vaccine programme board has a national delivery framework to support deploy…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to transport people in priority groups, such as older and vulnerable people, to the site of their COVID-19 vaccination.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Individuals who are unable to leave their own homes will receive their vaccination at home. All Health Boards have included their housebound patients within their delivery models for each priority group. The Scottish Government is working with the voluntary …

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role community pharmacists will play in the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: In the national programme we have the workforce and the infrastructure capacity to vaccinate 400,000 people, supply permitting. Vaccination will take place in care homes, where needed into people’s own homes, through GP surgeries, local vaccination clinics, c…