Parliamentary questions
Alex Cole-Hamilton
2,700 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to help employers tackle mental health stigma in the workplace.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government provides £1 million per year, along with £0.5million from Comic Relief, to fund the See Me, Scotland’s national programme to end the stigma and discrimination that can be associated with mental illness. See Me delivers the See Me in Wo…
13 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the impact of workplace stress on NHS services.
Answer · Shona Robison: The welfare of NHS staff is critically important with every health board required to have policies in place and to comply with national policies on managing health at work. This includes all aspects of health and wellbeing such as addressing workplace stress.…
13 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the budget for mental health has been allocated to mental health in the workplace for each year up to 2021.
Answer · Maureen Watt: NHS Health Scotland allocation from the Scottish Government for the provision of mental health at work programmes was £35,825 for 2016-17 and this covers the costs for materials and Training for Trainers courses. Information on the future allocation is not av…
13 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of introducing mandatory mental health first aid training in the workplace.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Staff Governance Standard for NHSScotland commits all Boards to providing a continuously improving and safe working environment promoting the health and wellbeing of staff, patients and the wider community. The welfare of NHS staff is critically important…
11 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason annual subscription for the General Teaching Council for Scotland has increased by 30% from £50 to £65.
Answer · John Swinney: The General Teaching Council for Scotland is an independent body responsible for the registration of teachers in Scotland. It is for the General Teaching Council for Scotland to set the registration fee at a level that will allow the range of services it prov…
6 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05304 by Maureen Watt on 12 December 2016, whether (a) the consultation will include extending the powers to practitioners other than psychologists and (b) it expects to introduce new legislation as a result of the consultation.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The details of the consultation have yet to be finalised but it is anticipated that views will be sought on extending the powers to practitioners other than psychologists and the need for new legislation. It would be inappropriate at this stage to comment or …
18 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that schools provide training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), in line with its commitment to improving survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: We are committed to improving survival rates from Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) and are working in partnership with a range of public and voluntary organisations to deliver the aims in Scotland's strategy for OHCA, published in March 2015. The Strateg…
18 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will resource its ambition that by 2020 Scotland will be an international leader in the management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Strategy for Scotland (the Strategy) was produced through collaboration between, the Scottish Ambulance Service; Scottish Fire and Rescue Service; Police Scotland; British Heart Foundation; Chest Heart and Stroke Scot…
14 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings it has had with the (a) Consul General of China, (b) Chinese Government and (c) Communist Party of China since 20 November 2014; what future meetings are planned, and, in light of its international obligations, whether it has raised or will raise the issue of reported h…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I had a meeting with the Consul General at the Chinese Consulate on 14 September 2016, during which they discussed the strengthening relationship between Scotland and China. Scottish Government Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Consul General an…
14 Dec 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to provide access to fibre broadband in areas where there is an insufficiency of hardware to meet demand.
12 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government further to the answer to question S5W-04565 by Shona Robison on 22 November 2016, whether everyone who is considered clinically suitable for this treatment will have access to it at facilities in Scotland.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-04565 on 21 November 2016. 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…
9 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that people with diabetes who require an insulin pump have timely and appropriate access to them, as outlined in the 2014 Diabetes Improvement Plan.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: In February 2012, the Chief Executive Letter (CEL 04 (2012)) required Health Boards to increase insulin pump therapy in line with national clinical guidance. The commitment to provide insulin pump therapy to 25% of under 18s and for people of all ages with …
9 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress there has been in implementing a national improvement programme to increase the proportion of people with type 1 diabetes with optimal glycaemic control, as outlined in its 2014 Diabetes Improvement Plan.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Diabetes Group (SDG), our national advisory group and its subgroups have agreed national glycaemic levels and have been holding quality improvement meetings to promote and share good practice throughout our diabetes communities in order to achiev…
9 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether people with diabetes are accessing structured education at 12 months post-diagnosis, as outlined in the 2014 Diabetes Improvement Plan and, if so, how this is measured.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: People with diabetes access structured education through NHS Health Boards. Our Diabetes Improvement Plan 2014 supports people with diabetes to self-manage their condition through the provision of timely information and advice. We continue to build on this …
9 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress there has been in implementing an early glycaemic intensification strategy for people with diabetes, as outlined in its 2014 Diabetes Improvement Plan.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Our Type 1 subgroup of the Scottish Diabetes Group (SDG) has reviewed early intensification strategies and evaluated the outcomes. A national curriculum is being developed, outlining what patients newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes should understand at se…
9 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the success of the Diabetes - think, check, act initiative.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government works closely with the Scottish Diabetes Group (SDG), our national advisory group, to oversee and drive implementation of our Diabetes Improvement Plan (2014) to improve care and treatment for people living with diabetes in Scotland. T…
9 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what mental health support is available to people with diabetes.
Answer · Maureen Watt: We expect that health boards and HSCPs will deliver mental health care and treatment in a person-centred manner to meet each individual’s needs. This includes people with diabetes.
9 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people residing in Scotland have received deep brain stimulation surgery in hospitals in (a) Dundee, (b) Edinburgh and (c) centres in England since 2011.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-05462 on 22 December 2016. 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…
9 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many deep brain stimulation procedures have been performed at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in 2016.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-05462 on 22 December 2016. 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…
9 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place for providing long-term support to people resident in Scotland who have previously received deep brain stimulation surgery in (a) Dundee, (b) Edinburgh and (c) centres in England.
Answer · Shona Robison: The receiving centres of excellence in England are responsible for the surgical care of patients referred from Scotland for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery. Otherwise, the referring NHS Board remain responsible for the healthcare of their local populatio…
9 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have been referred for assessment for deep brain stimulation surgery to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital from NHS boards outwith the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area since April 2016.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-05462 on 22 December 2016. 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…
9 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been assessed for deep brain stimulation surgery at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in 2016.
Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally.
7 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a substantive answer to question S5W-04749, which received a holding response on 30 November 2016.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-04749 on 22 December 2016. 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…
7 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of maternal mortality has been recorded as suicide since 2011, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.
7 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government at what capacity mother and baby inpatient units at (a) St John's and (b) Leverndale Hospital have been operating in each year since 2011, from which NHS board areas people were admitted during that period, and how many.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Data on the capacity of mother and baby inpatient units at St John’s and Leverndale Hospital, and the NHS boards from which people were admitted, is not held by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government expect that health boards and health and social c…
7 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what maternal mental health targets it has, and which NHS boards are meeting these.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Scotland was first nation to introduce a waiting time target for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) services in the world, and was the first country in the UK to introduce a waiting time target for psychological therapies - this is an indicat…
7 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many mothers in each NHS board area have received mental health support outside of their board area in each year since 2011.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Data on the number of mothers that have received mental health support outside of their board area is not held by the Scottish Government. However, the Scottish Government expect that health boards and health and social care partnerships (HSCPs) will deliver …
7 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the mother and baby inpatient units at (a) St John's and (b) Leverndale Hospital have had to turn people away in each year since 2011 and, if so, for what reasons.
Answer · Maureen Watt: We expect that health boards and health and social care partnerships (HSCPs) will deliver mental health care and treatment in a person-centred manner to meet each individual’s needs. This would include mother and baby units at hospitals. The Scottish Governme…
7 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many mothers have been separated from their babies in the course of receiving mental health treatment in each year since 2011.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Mental Welfare Commission report “Perinatal Themed Visit Report – Keeping Mothers and Babies in Mind” published 29 June 2016 contains a survey of all 43 Scottish General adult acute wards, 11 IPCUs and both mother and baby units from July to September 201…
2 Dec 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how long it takes for third-party approval for a Section 47 certificate of incapacity under Part 5 of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 provides a framework for safeguarding the welfare and managing the finances of adults (people aged 16 or over) who lack capacity due to mental illness, learning disability or a related condition, or an inability …