Brian Whittle

23 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support primary care in the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) for those at risk in the community.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: We recognise that supporting people to remain physically active and keep mobile can reduce the incidence of both venous thromboembolism and pulmonary embolism. Being physically active is particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic as this not only has…

23 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many episodes of venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurred between 1 April 2020 and 1 December 2020, also broken down by how many were associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is not recorded as a single separate diagnosis and represents a range of conditions. VTE is likely to be the underlying condition in almost all cases with a recorded diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. Some, though not all, cases wit…

10 Feb 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment is has made of the financial and personnel resources required to conduct a second independence referendum.

1 Feb 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that patients have timely access to echocardiograms.

27 Jan 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to combat loneliness among older people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

26 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to expand the provision of weight management services.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: One of the key outcomes of our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan is that people have access to effective weight management services. The Delivery Plan is at https://www.gov.scot/publications/healthier-future-scotlands-diet-healthy-weight-delivery-pl…

26 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to address obesity as an inter-generational issue among families.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan sets out that we will give children the best start in life through a broad range of action to support children and their families to eat well and be a healthy weight. The Delivery Plan is at https://www.gov.scot…

26 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support the maintenance of long-term weight loss among people who are obese.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We are taking forward a range of actions across five key outcomes set out in our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan:giving children the best start in life;creating a healthier food environment;better access to weight management services;leadership;red…

26 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made an assessment of the prevalence of adult obesity since it published its strategy, A Healthier Future: Scotland's Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The 2019 Scottish Health Survey, published in September 2020, reported that 29% of adults in Scotland were living with obesity. The Survey is at https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-health-survey-2019-volume-1-main-report/ Due to the COVID-19 pandemi…

26 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in the delivery of its strategy, A Healthier Future: Scotland's Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan, and what plans are in place to ensure that its commitments are met.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We set out in 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan ambitious and wide-ranging action to deliver our vision for a Scotland where everyone eats well and has a healthy weight. The Delivery Plan is at https://www.gov.scot/publications/healthier-future-scot…

22 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on delivering a long-term solution to the ongoing environmental issues at Tarbolton Moss Landfill.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Tarbolton Landfill Limited, the operator of the site, remains in liquidation. The Scottish Government is not directly responsible for the site, however, on? 8 December we met with SEPA and South Ayrshire Council to discuss a proposition for how the different…

22 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress it has made on securing a buyer for Glasgow Prestwick International Airport, and when it expects to be in a position to complete a sale.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I advised Parliament on 5 November 2020 that Prestwick Airport would be placing a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union inviting expressions of interest in Prestwick Airport. I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33019 on 5 November …

18 Jan 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has put in place to help teachers deliver home schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

18 Jan 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to make the training of vaccinators as streamlined as possible.

6 Jan 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated to support the construction and development industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

18 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the cost to NHS Scotland of continuous treatments prescribed to people with a cancer diagnosis under COVID-19 guidelines in comparison with any alternative cost-effective fixed treatment duration options.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: NHS Boards are monitoring overall costs of COVID19 including the net cost of treatments supported by the COVID-19 National Cancer Medicines Advisory Group (NCMAG). NCMAG has provided NHS Boards with a toolkit to facilitate this.

18 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the long-term impact of medicines prioritised during the response to COVID-19 for people with a cancer diagnosis who have been prescribed continuous treatments, that do not offer patients time off from their treatment and therefore impact their quality …

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The use of continuous treatment almost always allow greater numbers of patients to be eligible for these treatments, which are generally better tolerated and overall have advanced outcomes. Side effects do occur with ‘continuous’ or ‘maintenance’ treatment an…

18 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure the stability of oncology and haematology services in rural areas of south Scotland with regard to (a) maintaining a consistent workforce in response to any movement of clinicians towards urban centres and (b) enabling equity of access to patient care and treatment.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Territorial NHS Boards have been asked to produce local Mobilisation Plans, underpinned by the Re-mobilise, Recover and Re-design Framework . We have worked continuously with NHS Boards across Scotland to ensure Mobilisation Plans involve effective, anticip…

16 Dec 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to preserving community organisations and activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-33477 by Clare Haughey on 3 December 2020, whether it will now consider deleting the reference to chemical restraint that appears on page 18 of the Health and Social Care Standards.

Answer · Clare Haughey: I refer Mr Whittle to the answer provided for 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 …

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the statement on page 65 of the final report of The Independent Review of Learning Disability and Autism in the Mental Health Act that "there is evidence that some psychotropic medication is being used in Scotland to manage behaviour rather than the purposes for w…

Answer · Clare Haughey: Scottish Government are considering all 107 recommendations of the Independent Review of Learning Disability and Autism in the Mental Health Act in order to respond fully. Preparations were underway to issue this response by April 2020 but this work was paus…

4 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider regulating health and social care services in order to ensure that they comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 is reserved, however, it applies to all employers in the UK without exception. Enforcement of this legislation is the statutory responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive. Additionally the Scottish Social Ser…

19 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 20 September 2020, £1.1b for health and social caresector, whether it will provide a breakdown of how much of this funding (a) has been and (b) remains to be allocated and to which areas, also broken down by the specific allocation to rheumatology services.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government has confirmed additional funding of £1.1 billion to support the health and social care sector in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding, which has been allocated in full, provides support for the additional costs reported …

18 Nov 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding a potential collaboration between its Youth Guarantee initiative and the UK Kickstart Scheme.

13 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there are no patients among the 50 members of its Mobilisation Recovery Group.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The remit, membership and meeting notes of the Mobilisation Recovery Group (MRG) can be found on its webpage at: www.gov.scot/groups/mobilisation-recovery-group/ . The MRG is an advisory group set up to generate key expert, stakeholder and system-wide inpu…

11 Nov 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the impact of the repeated postponement of court proceedings on the mental health of alleged victims, particularly of sexual crimes.

2 Nov 2020 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that some NHS boards reduced COVID-19 testing for patients over 70 on the basis of guidance issued by the Chief Nursing Officer.

28 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what investment it is making in rheumatology services in the north of the country, in light of reports suggesting that the ratio of rheumatology consultants to people in this area is 1:142,857.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32886 on 11 November 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 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that rheumatology services are operating at between 30 to 50% of capacity; how it is (a) remobilising these services and (b) working to reduce (i) waiting times and (ii) any backlog in appointments, and what action it is taking to improve a…

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: We appreciate how difficult it has been for people who have had procedures or treatments postponed due to the pandemic. Putting the NHS on an emergency footing has meant the focus has initially been on urgent and essential care. Health Boards are continuing …

28 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that everyone has equitable access to health care, no matter where they live.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has the right to safe and effective healthcare and treatment that is provided at the right time, in the right place, by the most appropriate person. COVID-19 has highlighted and exacerbated inequ…