- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to tackle the reported workforce shortages being experienced by community pharmacies.
Answer
The community pharmacy network is a vital part of the primary care team. The Scottish Government continues to work with Community Pharmacy Scotland and other partners to ensure not only the stability of the network but also that a balance is maintained across the whole pharmacy workforce in the hospital, community, and GP practice sectors.
The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer has committed to putting together a workforce forum which will meet in early 2022. The forum will look at the workforce challenges and bring together stakeholders from pharmacy education and pharmacy service provision to set a strategic workforce plan for the profession.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering introducing sanctions for any community pharmacy that has breached its NHS contract.
Answer
The Scottish Government is not considering the introduction of sanctions for any contractor which breaches its NHS contract at present. The National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009, set out the provision of NHS pharmaceutical services and requirements for those entered on the Boards Pharmaceutical List.
The Achieving Excellence in Pharmaceutical Care strategy, published in 2017, commits the Scottish Government to review contractual arrangements and as such may consider the introduction of sanctions as part of any future strategy framework.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to allowing NHS boards to take over the running of any community pharmacies that are struggling to remain open.
Answer
The Scottish Government is not considering the possibility of allowing Health Boards to take over the running of community pharmacies that are struggling to remain open. Community pharmacies, along with other primary care contractors, are wholly independent private entities providing NHS services on behalf the Health Board. Any challenges faced by community pharmacy contractors in delivering existing pharmaceutical care services should be discussed with the Health Boards who will be able to consider actions to support service provision.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce protected learning time and the necessary infrastructure in order for all pharmacists to receive support in professional development from foundation to consultant level.
Answer
There are no plans to introduce protected learning time at present. It is a decision for employers to allow staff time to study for additional qualifications.
To support delivery of the Community Pharmacy First Plus service, Community Pharmacist contractors receive backfill (up to £5750) to release community pharmacists to undertake their IP qualification (5 days face to face teaching + 12 days Period of Learning in Practice), clinical skills training (4 days) and also access to a maximum of 3 sessions at a CCC Teach and Treat Training Hub (backfill up to £750).
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to work with NHS boards and pharmacy contractors to define the standard of care that should be expected by patients across all sectors of pharmacy.
Answer
The pharmacy profession and provision of pharmaceutical care is regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council, who assure and improve standards of care for people using pharmacy services. The Achieving Excellence in Pharmaceutical Care strategy, published in 2017, setting out the priorities, commitments, and actions for improving and integrating NHS pharmaceutical care in Scotland up to 2022. The strategy sets the direction for how pharmaceutical care would be delivered in Scotland and the crucial contribution of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, working together with other health and social care practitioners, to improve the health of the population and impact on health outcomes.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what environmental assessments were carried out at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where aspergillus infection was suspected; when each assessment was conducted, and whether any changes to practices and procedures were made as a result.
Answer
Because of the unpredictable lifecycle of this particular organism, it is not possible to routinely test buildings for an Aspergillus infection. Where water ingress creates the conditions for mould, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s staff work to remedy faults as soon as they are found and remove any mould with oversight from Infection Prevention and Control (IPC). Patients with Aspergillus are visited by an infection prevention and control nurse. Advice on the correct antibiotics to administer to patients is given by a Microbiology/ICD/antimicrobial pharmacist on request of the clinical teams.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it does not keep a record of deaths from deep vein thrombosis.
Answer
Causes of death in Scotland are recorded by National Records of Scotland (NRS). The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) system, which is used in the UK to classify deaths, does not allow deep venous thrombosis to be separated from phlebitis (inflammation of a vein).
Figures from NRS are provided below, for which deep vein thrombosis (DVT) has been taken to refer to thrombosis of the deep veins of the leg. Deaths from DVT frequently occur from complications of the DVT, principally pulmonary embolism, so deaths from pulmonary embolism have been included in these figures. As mentioned above the ICD-10 does not allow DVT to be separated from phlebitis, so these figures may include a small number of deaths due to phlebitis.
Deaths attributed to deep vein thrombosis (DVT)* registered in Scotland, 2014 to 2020
| Year in which death was registered |
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
All Scotland | 338 | 356 | 318 | 360 | 322 | 320 | 385 |
* deaths for which one of the following ICD-10 codes was allocated for the underlying cause of the death:
- I26 - Pulmonary embolism
- I80.1 - Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of femoral vein
- I80.2 - Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of other deep vessels of lower extremities
- I80.3 - Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of lower extremities, unspecified
- I80.9 - Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of unspecified site
- O22.3 - Deep phlebothrombosis in pregnancy
- O87.1 - Deep phlebothrombosis in the puerperium
- O88.2 - Obstetric blood-clot embolism
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by George Adam on 23 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03934 by George Adam on 12 November 2021, how many items of correspondence each (a) cabinet secretary and (b) minister has received since January 2021, broken down by (i) month, (ii) portfolio and (iii) whether the correspondence was from (A) an MSP and (B) a source other than an MSP.
Answer
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by George Adam on 23 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03933 by George Adam on 12 November 2021, what the (a) longest and (b) average time has been for it to respond to correspondence to each (i) cabinet secretary and (ii) minister since January 2021, broken by (A) month, (B) portfolio and (C) whether the correspondence was from (1) an MSP and (2) a source other than an MSP.
Answer
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by George Adam on 23 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03933 by George Adam on 12 November 2021, what percentage of correspondence to (a) cabinet secretaries and (b) ministers since January 2021 was answered within 20 working days, broken down by (a) month, (b) portfolio and (c) whether the correspondence was from (A) an MSP and (B) a source other than an MSP.
Answer
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.