- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 2 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-1605 by Ms Margaret Curran on 18 March 2004, what action is being taken to increase access to funding and training in British Sign Language for health care providers.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is taking forward initiatives to improve the accessibility of healthcare provision for British Sign Language users.
The health department iscurrently developing an Equality and Diversity Strategy for the NHS and hasentered into a partnership with the Disability Rights Commission Scotland tolook at the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act on the NHS. Thispartnership will support and advise NHS boards in developing a disability strategywhich will highlight accessibility issues as part of the approach to deliveringpatient-centred and responsive services.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to implement the recommendation in the report by RNID, A Simple Cure - A national report into deaf and hard of hearing people's experiences of the National Health Service, that an update of the NHS Disability Access Audit which includes the needs of deaf and hard of hearing people should be undertaken.
Answer
The Health Department carriedout a survey to monitor the progress of NHSScotland bodies with disability accessaudits early in 2003. The survey results were published with
NHS HDL(2003)31
(
http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sehd/mels/HDL2003_31.pdf),issued on 8 July 2003. The Health Department intend to update this informationshortly.
The audit looks at access relatedto premises and property and may not impact directly on the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearingpeople. However, the good practice guidance on access to services Equality fordisabled people in the NHS in Scotland (Bib. number 7233) provides support and guidance forstaff in meeting the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing people. This guidance isbeing updated in partnership with NHS Health Scotland to ensure that the supportmechanisms are available for staff to apply the guidance.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to implement the recommendations in the report by RNID, A Simple Cure - A national report into deaf and hard of hearing people's experiences of the National Health Service, that all “front-line” staff undertake deaf and disability awareness training and that deaf awareness training becomes a part of all nursing and medical undergraduate courses.
Answer
NHS Education Scotland is workingwith the Scottish Council on Deafness and a number of other organisations representingthe deaf community in Scotland, to produce deaf awareness training. Representativesfrom the deaf community have provided essential information and guidance on thedevelopment of the training materials.
Thetraining will be available for use by all NHS providers by the end of 2004, andis suitable for use in standard induction training for all clinical and non-clinicalstaff. The training can include a short practical assessment to ensure traineeshave reached a level of competency in using appropriate strategies when communicatingwith deaf people.
Please also refer to my answersto parliamentary questions S2W-6895 on 29 March 2004,S2W-7379, S2W-7380 and S2W-7381 on 28 April 2004.All answers to parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website facility’sfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to investigate the introduction of communication support resources, such as video telephones, loop systems for hearing aid users, visual displays and trained lip readers in GP surgeries and other health care facilities in light of the report by RNID, A Simple Cure - A national report into deaf and hard of hearing people's experiences of the National Health Service.
Answer
NHS boards and independent contractorshave been advised to conduct audits of their premises to ensure that they have consideredwhat reasonable adjustments may be appropriate to the way they deliver servicesfor disabled people. This may involve the provision of communication support resourcesappropriate to particular locations.
the Scottish Executive Health Department has made available £1.5 million tohelp raise awareness amongst primary care contractors of the needs of disabled people.Such training has been shown elsewhere to be effective in improving services andto be valued by patients with particular needs.
Please also refer to my answersto parliamentary questions S2W-6895 on 29 March 2004,S2W-7379, S2W-7380 and S2W-7381 on 28 April 2004.All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’swebsite facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that the NHS becomes fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in respect of the requirements of deaf and hard of hearing people, given the report by RNID, A Simple Cure - A national report into deaf and hard of hearing people's experiences of the National Health Service, which states that the cost to the NHS of missed appointments because of poor communication could be #20 million a year.
Answer
I refer you to my answers toparliamentary questions S2W-6895 on 29 March 2004, S2W-7379, S2W-7380 andS2W-7381 on 28 April 2004, S2W-8279, S2W-8280 and S2W-8281 on 26 April 2004. Allanswer to written answer to parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 24 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of GP practices in each NHS board area prescribe methadone.
Answer
The table shows the number and percentage of all GP Practices, by NHS bard, that prescribed methadone (all formulations) in December 2003.
Number and Percentage of GP Practices Prescribing Methadone
| NHS Board | December 2003 |
| Methadone | Total | % |
| Argyll and Clyde | 62 | 102 | 60.78 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 8 | 62 | 12.90 |
| Borders | 10 | 24 | 41.67 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 16 | 37 | 43.24 |
| Fife | 51 | 63 | 80.95 |
| Forth Valley | 22 | 63 | 34.92 |
| Grampian | 61 | 88 | 69.32 |
| Greater Glasgow | 166 | 221 | 75.11 |
| Highland | 29 | 75 | 38.67 |
| Lanarkshire | 92 | 110 | 83.64 |
| Lothian | 116 | 141 | 82.27 |
| Orkney | 0 | 15 | 0.00 |
| Shetland | 2 | 10 | 20.00 |
| Tayside | 57 | 72 | 79.17 |
| Western Isles | 0 | 14 | 0.00 |
| All NHS Boards | 692 | 1097 | 63.08 |
The table does not present the full picture of methadone prescribing services across Scotland, since specialist drug services also prescribe methadone, both in community and residential settings.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 24 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3112 by Ms Margaret Curran on 21 October 2003, how the #57 million for rural affordable housing was distributed, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
In 2003-04, the planned investment for rural affordable housing by local authority was broken down as follows:
| | £ Million |
| Aberdeenshire | 7.622 |
| Angus | 2.177 |
| Argyll and Bute | 4.138 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 5.215 |
| East Ayrshire | 1.339 |
| Fife | 3.094 |
| Highland | 10.678 |
| Moray | 1.639 |
| North Ayrshire | 0.025 |
| Orkney | 1.746 |
| Perth and Kinross | 3.589 |
| Shetland | 0.900 |
| South Ayrshire | 3.933 |
| South Lanarkshire | 3.723 |
| Stirling | 2.238 |
| The Scottish Borders | 3.266 |
| Western Isles | 2.199 |
Note:
Planned expenditure figures are used in this table as year-end expenditure reconciliation is ongoing. Figures exclude social and environmental grants provided in rural areas.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 24 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what concerns it has that services to methadone patients, particularly in Glasgow and Edinburgh, may be withdrawn partly or wholly due to a dispute by GPs over payments for such treatment and what action it will take to address any such concerns.
Answer
Negotiations are taking placeacross Scotland between NHS boards and GPs on the provision and fundingof enhanced services (including services for drug misusers) under the new GeneralMedical Services contract. We are monitoring the position, but we do not believethat it would be appropriate to intervene in local negotiations at this point.
Our understanding is that agreementhas been reached between health authorities and GPs in Glasgow for aone year period, and that a review will be undertaken during that period of howservices for drug misusers will operate beyond then. Transitional arrangements arebeing put in place in Lothian to cater for patients from GP practices which havedecided to opt out of providing services for drug misusers.
The new contract incorporatesa Patient Service Guarantee, which will ensure that patients will receive at leastthe range of services they currently receive, although these may not necessarilybe delivered in the same way. The new contract is being supported by an unprecedented33% increase in investment in primary care services, which will see spending ongeneral medical services rise to £575 million in 2005-06. The Executive has alsoinvested an additional £34 million over the three years 2001-02 to 2003-04 in improvingdrug treatment and rehabilitation services.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 24 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-6845 by Allan Wilson on 29 April 2004, whether it will review the eligibility criteria for the exemption scheme in respect of circumstances where an applicant is debarred from the scheme unless the premises had relief from water charges as at 31 March 1999 and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The exemption scheme was createdto assist organisations that had been in receipt of discretionary relief on theirwater and sewerage charges and were likely to be most affected by the withdrawalof that relief. As the criteria for the scheme reflect this objective, there areno plans to review them.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 24 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has concerns about the operation of a points system for applications for housing by housing associations.
Answer
I have asked Ms Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
The Housing (Scotland) Act1987 establishes statutory requirements in relation to the allocation of housesby Registered Social Landlords. Landlords are required to give reasonable preferencein allocations to the statutory categories of priority need.
There is a range of acceptableapproaches that landlords can take in order to achieve this; a points based systemfor housing applications is one of these. A landlord is free to adopt its preferredsystem as long as it can demonstrate that it is complying with the requirementsof the legislation and the performance standards published jointly by CommunitiesScotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Scottish Federationof Housing Associations.
