Alex Cole-Hamilton

18 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to create 120 additional pharmacy preregistration training places over the next three years, in light of reports of concerns in the pharmacy sector about whether there are enough pharmacists in the profession.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government put in place funding for an additional 30 pre-registration places from September 2018, increasing the number of places available from 170 to 200 and we will continue to work with NHS National Education for Scotland to explore options a…

18 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many radiologist vacancies there are, also broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) length of time of the vacancy.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Whole time equivalent (WTE) numbers of consultants with a specialty of Radiology working in NHS Scotland have increased by 48.7%, from 223.5 WTE as at Sept 2006 to 332.4 WTE as at Sept 2019.   WTE numbers of Consultant Radiologist vacancies by NHS Board and…

18 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether all radiologists will be trained to perform mechanical thrombectomy, as stated in its integrated health and social care plan, and how it will ensure that training is up to date.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The training programme described in the integrated plan aims to upskill consultant interventional radiologists (known as interventional radiologists) to deliver the new and innovative treatment of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for stroke patients. As such it w…

18 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response to reports of a decline in the number of women being screened for breast cancer, and how it plans to (a) increase the uptake and (b) raise awareness regarding the importance of early diagnosis.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: We know that breast screening save lives and we want our programme to be as effective as possible. That is why we are committed to further increasing our work and focus on the importance of breast screening. It is welcome that recent figures from the Scottish…

16 Dec 2019 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on actions in relation to gender recognition reform set out in the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People on 20 June 2019.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government has published a draft Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill today. The Bill is accompanied by Explanatory Notes and draft Impact Assessments, including a draft Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA). A full consultation on the Bill has…

9 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had in connection with the development of the site of the old Corus Hotel at Ferrymuir Gate in South Queensferry in the context of the local tourism strategy.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government has not had specific meetings in connection with the development of the old Corus Hotel site in South Queensferry in the context of the local tourism strategy. Representations have been received from Queensferry & District Community Co…

9 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to an alternative use for the Corus hotel site at Ferrymuir Gate in South Queensferry, other than for housing development, in light of its proximity to the three Forth crossings and potential for a visitor destination.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The City of Edinburgh Council, as planning authority, is responsible for development planning and management decisions in South Queensferry. Planning legislation requires that planning applications are determined in accordance with the development plan, unles…

9 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with pharmaceutical companies regarding the shape and colour of tablets to make it easier for vulnerable people to avoid confusion if they receive a different brand of the same drug.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK wide authority has the primary function to regulate what products are safe and what products are a risk for public use. This includes matters relating to the appearance of tablets such as …

9 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what measures it is taking to help homeowners obtain fire safety certificates for cladding to high-rise buildings, in light of reports that lenders have started refusing to approve mortgages for properties without these.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Fire safety certificates have been introduced by industry in response to the implementation by mortgage lenders of a requirement for additional information in respect of high-rise domestic buildings. Responsibility for mortgage lending is a matter reserved to…

3 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish Health Survey 2018, what information it has on the proportion of people that have used e-cigarettes in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age group and (b) SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) quintile.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The proportion of people that have used e-cigarettes in each of the last five years broken down by age group is published in Chapter 4 of the Scottish Health Survey 2018 main report . The proportion of people that have used e-cigarettes in 2014, 2015, 2016…

3 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish Health Survey 2018, what the cigarette smoking status is for the (a) 16 to 24, (b) 25 to 34, (c) 35 to 44, (d) 45 to 54, (e) 55 to 64, (f) 65 to 74 and (g) 75 and over age group, broken down by SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) quintile.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The information requested is presented in the following tables.   Cigarette smoking status for 16-24 year olds, 2018 by area deprivation  SIMD 2016 quintiles  1st (Most deprived) 2 3 4 5 (Least deprived) Cigarette smoking status % % % % % Never…

2 Dec 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many GP practices there are.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The information requested is available at: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/General-Practice/Publications/2019-12-03/2019-12-03-GPWorkforce2019-Report.pdf .

21 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the delay of the publication of the Neurological Action Plan, which was due to be published on 8 November 2019, for what reason it was in a position that day to announce in its news release, Strengthening the hospital workforce, the planned appointment of an additional neuro…

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the Member to the answer to question S5W-26483 on 6 December 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…

21 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has delayed the publication of its Neurological Action Plan, and by what date the plan will be published.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I can confirm that Scotland's first National Action Plan on Neurological Conditions will be published before the end of the year as announced when I published the draft Plan on 13 November 2018.

14 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out on the impact of early diagnosis on oral cancer survival rates.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Survival data from ISD (2007-2011) show the 5 year survival for Oral Cavity cancers is 57.2%. To ensure progress is made the Scottish Government launched £42 million Detect Cancer Early Programme demonstrating commitment to early detection. The ‘Survivors’ c…

14 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of oral cancer have been diagnosed in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The incidence for cancer of the oral cavity by NHS board over the previous five years is shown in the following table. Table 1. Caner of the Oral Cavity – Number of Registrations  2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Ayrshire & Arran 45 46 35 42 41 Borders …

14 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in delivering its Oral Health Improvement Plan.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Oral Health Improvement Plan identified a range of actions, some of which have been completed. The current programme of work comprises two key highlights. The introduction of new arrangements for dentists to provide enhanced domiciliary care in care home…

11 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason patients aged over 65 in NHS Lothian will not be offered the immune-enhancing flu vaccination, Fluad, in light of reports that such patients in most other NHS boards will be offered it.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Vaccination policy in Scotland, as with the rest of the UK, is based on recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI is an independent, expert group which considers a full range of available evidence before providi…

8 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason only 25% of Scottish applicants were accepted on to the General Engineering undergraduate degree course in the academic year 2018-19, while 91% of applicants from England, Wales and Northern Ireland were accepted on to the same course.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Scottish universities have sole responsibility over the courses they make available and the admissions process and criteria applied to them. However, the latest UCAS statistics which show the overall UK Higher Education Institutions application and acceptance…

8 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason A-level entry requirements for students domiciled in Scotland applying for a general engineering degree at the University of Strathclyde are reportedly higher than that for students applying with A-levels from other parts of the UK.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Each institution is allocated a number of full time equivalent funded placements and it is for the universities themselves to decide; how to distribute the places between faculties, the courses they offer, how many of the total funded places they make availab…

1 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Children in Hospital Survey 2018-19 by Children's Health Scotland, how it ensures that there is consistency across NHS boards in the level of education in (a) adult and (b) child wards; what measures it is taking to tackle the reduction in healthy food and specifically d…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government published guidance on the education of children and young people unable to attend school due to ill health in June 2015. This guidance provides advice on the roles and responsibilities of local authorities, hospital and other services …

1 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the finding in the Children in Hospital Survey 2018-19 by Children's Health Scotland that access to information about routines on paediatric wards has decreased to 34% in 2018-19 from 73% in 2012-13, how it is seeking to address this.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to ensure that information is provided to children and families about their stay on the ward, either prior to admission if the admission is planned or as part of the admission process. Nursing staff routinely involve…

1 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the finding in the Children in Hospital Survey 2018-19 by Children's Health Scotland that adult wards do not provide any information on ward procedures, confidentiality, consent, complaints or access to health records, what plans it has to ensure that all NHS boards and hosp…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: In June 2019 the Scottish Government published the revised Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities, which summarises what everyone is entitled to and what is expected of them when they use NHS services and receive NHS care in Scotland. The Charter incl…

1 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a national maternal and neonatal health safety plan with specific action on monitoring that aims to ensure that women with acute and chronic medical problems, including hypertension, have timely access to specialist advice at all stages of pregnancy.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Maternal and Infant Quality Improvement Collaborative, part of our Scottish Patient Safety Programme, has maternity, neonatal and paediatric work streams and is rolled out in all NHS Boards in Scotland. The programme, which is now in its 6th year of opera…

1 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of pre-eclampsia were recorded in each NHS board in each of the last five years.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Information on the number of cases of pre-eclampsia recorded in each territorial NHS Health Board is not collected centrally. However, I have asked my officials to request this information from the relevant sources and I will write to you following receipt of…

1 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of estimates that approximately 1,000 babies across the UK die each year from pre-eclampsia-related complications, what steps it is taking to help identify such babies and reduce the risk of them dying.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the Member to the answer to question S5W-26150 on 11 November 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/parliamentarybusin…

1 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to raise awareness of pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and HELLP syndrome among healthcare professionals.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Every maternity health professional is trained to recognise the signs and symptoms of pre-eclampsia and in the management of the condition. The Scottish Government provides funding towards the commissioning of the Maternal Newborn and Infant Clinical Outcome…

1 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of NHS England planning to provide placental growth-based blood tests to better diagnose pre-eclampsia and manage risk using the Accelerated Access Collaborative, whether there are similar plans to introduce such testing in Scotland.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government recognises that it is essential to ensure that pre-eclampsia is diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. As part of developing an evidence base in this area, NHS Lothian intends to take part in a trial which will look at the benefits…

1 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce the number of cases of (a) pre-term births, (b) stillbirths and (c) maternal deaths attributed to (i) pre-eclampsia, (ii) eclampsia and (iii) HELLP syndrome.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government recognises that it is essential to ensure that pre-eclampsia is diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. As part of developing an evidence base in this area, NHS Lothian intends to take part in a trial which will look at the benefits…

1 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of (a) pre-term births, (b) stillbirths and (c) maternal deaths attributed to (i) pre-eclampsia, (ii) eclampsia and (iii) HELLP syndrome were recorded in each NHS board in each of the last five years.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Information on the number of cases of pre-term births, stillbirths and maternal deaths attributed to pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and HELLP syndrome recorded in each territorial Health Board is not collected centrally. I have asked my officials to explore whether…