- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 August 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 25 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any discussions it has had with representatives from the care sector, in light of reports that care homes are closing at a rate of one per week.
Answer
Scottish Government regularly engages with representatives from the care sector to discuss the challenges facing social care and how we can work together to improve services.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 July 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Marie Curie’s report, How many people need palliative care?, which was published in July 2023, and estimates the projected need for palliative care in Scotland will increase by 17.1% by 2048 to 64,587 people.
Answer
The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that everyone who needs it can access seamless, timely and high-quality palliative care.
We are currently developing a new National Strategy for Palliative and End of Life Care for Scotland and, as part of this work, we are reviewing the information and evidence we have, and need, to develop the strategy. This includes gathering and analysing data on current and projected needs for palliative care for the population of Scotland.
We will study the Marie Curie figures in comparison to our own ongoing analysis in order to assess increased palliative care need over future years to inform the development of the new strategy.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 August 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the 2023 Recruitment Scotland Fill Rates, for what reason the medical trainee recruitment fill rates for clinical oncology ST3 is at 27.78% and medical oncology ST3 is at 33.33% at this stage in the recruitment year for trainee doctors.
Answer
The number of posts advertised annually by NHS Education for Scotland is determined by two factors: (1) the number of trainees who have completed training, obtained a CCT (Certificate of Completion of Training) and whose posts are therefore vacant, and (2) whether any additional posts have been created.
We funded the creation of additional training places this year in both Medical and Clinical Oncology. This, coupled with high CCT rates, has led to lower fill rates. All unfilled posts are being readvertised in the last recruitment round of 2023, meaning these fill rates could improve. The end-year position will be known in November.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 July 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 22 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what urgent action it is taking to reduce waiting lists for social care, in light of recent reports that 3,964 people are waiting for a social care package and 6,253 are waiting for an assessment.
Answer
The Scottish Government is aware of the pressures faced by the Social Care sector at present and while the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, it is local authorities and health and social care partnerships who have the responsibility for commissioning appropriate services for local needs. We are however, taking steps at a national level to assist in reducing these pressures.
We are continuing to invest in social care to support the people who deliver, and rely, on these services with £1.7bn being provided for social care support and integration in 2023-24.
We have invested a further 3.6 million pounds to continue the development and expansion of Hospital at Home services. This additional funding brings the Scottish Government’s total investment in Hospital at Home services to more than 10.7 million pounds since 2020 and will see the number of patients accessing Hospital at Home grow by 50%.
We are progressing our commitment to increase spend in social care support by 25% by the end of this Parliament - an increase of over £840m, laying the groundwork for the establishment of a National Care Service.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 August 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in digital health technologies in each of the past three years.
Answer
Core central funding for digital technologies across health and social care in each of the past three years is as below:
22-23 - £99,522
21-22 - £ 112,267
20-21 - £103,232
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 August 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of properties in (a) Aberdeenshire and (b) Angus that are still to be connected to superfast broadband under its R100 scheme, and by what date it expects these properties to be connected.
Answer
The Scottish Government is enabling access to superfast broadband through the R100 contracts (North, Central and South) and the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS).
As at 30 June 2023, the total number of properties included in the R100 contracts yet to receive a connection in the (a) Aberdeenshire and (b) Angus local authority areas are as follows:
| | Number of contracted premises to be connected |
(a)Aberdeenshire | 13,516 |
(b)Angus | 6,538 |
The R100 contracts are delivering future-proofed, gigabit capable broadband connections, with build in Aberdeenshire and Angus currently underway and expecting to complete in 2028. Constituents can access the latest deployment information relating to their property via the R100 address checker ( www.scotlandsuperfast.com ).
All premises not in commercial or R100 contract plans are eligible for the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 July 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the number of road deaths increased by 17% between April 2022 and March 2023, what assessment it has made of the Road Safety Framework and the Vision Zero goal for no serious injuries or road deaths by 2050.
Answer
The Scottish Government is clear that one life lost on our roads is one too many and along with partners is committed to eradicating fatal and serious collisions on our roads.
Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2030 sets out a vision for Scotland to have the best road safety performance in the world by 2030 and an ambitious long term goal where no one is seriously injured or killed on our roads by 2050. For the first time, a full range of mode and user specific targets for key priority groups such as pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and over-represented age groups have been created to focus our partners on key priority areas.
The framework is supported by annual delivery plans that includes a wide range of road safety initiatives from road safety partners. These initiatives are continuously monitored through our three tier governance structure, with progress and outcomes published within our annual reports on the Transport Scotland website.
In addition, our Road Safety Framework Fund gives road safety partners the opportunity to co-design and co-deliver road safety initiatives that support the delivery of the framework. A condition of the grant funding is that each project is independently evaluated to determine the impact it is having on road safety performance.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 July 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, as part of the new model of neonatal intensive care recommended by the 2017 Best Start report, whether the number of "local" neonatal units is anticipated to increase in order to minimise separation from families when babies are born prematurely and require specialist care.
Answer
The Best Start, published in January 2017, outlined a new model of neonatal service provision which emphasises parents as key partners in caring for their baby; aims to keep mothers and babies together as much as possible, with services designed around them; and suggests care for the smallest and sickest babies is consolidated to deliver the best possible outcomes.
We currently have 15 Neonatal Units in Scotland, each providing care for babies in their area. The new model of neonatal care will focus on the most preterm and sickest babies who will receive specialist complex care in fewer centres. Evidence tells us long term health outcomes will improve for those babies if cared for in higher volume units.
To aid with implementation we will work with regional chief executives and strategic planning leads to undertake modelling and capacity work to help develop local implementation plans.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 July 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many claims have been made to the Young Patients Family Fund since it was first introduced in 2021, and how many claims have been successful.
Answer
The Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) has been available since July 2021. We ask NHS Boards to report on the number of claims, including successful claims, which have been made to the fund.
In 2021/22, NHS Boards reported that 4,983 claims were made under the YPFF and all claims were successful.
For reporting period 2022-23, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18948 on 21 June 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 July 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the 76 recommendations from the Best Start report on maternity and neonatal care in Scotland, which was published in 2017.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to improve provision of maternity and neonatal services through implementation of The Best Start: A Five Year forward plan for Maternity and Neonatal care in Scotland.
We receive regular reporting from Health Boards showing they are on track to be delivered by the revised end date of mid 2024 for the majority of the recommendations and for continuity of carer to be implemented within the lifetime of this Parliament.
