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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4W-14692

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 21 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what has been done to publicise the National Confidential Alert Line to NHS staff.

5,000 posters and 158,000 credit card flyers promoting the National Confidential Alert Line were issued to all Health Boards in Scotland in March 2013. This followed a letter from Derek Feeley, Director General for Health and Social Care and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland, issued on 15 March 2013 to all NHS Boards, highlighting the launch of the Alert Line, its purpose, and requesting Health Boards appropriately display posters and distribute business card to members of staff.

In the coming months we will be providing information about the Alert Line on staff pay slips, making sure that all NHSScotland employees are aware of this important resource.

The Alert Line is also promoted on the NHS Staff Governance website and we are planning further promotion throughout the year.

Question reference: S4W-14789

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what impact funding for a neuromuscular care advisor post in the north of Scotland will have on direct care and support for people affected by neuromuscular conditions.

In 2011, Ministers made a public commitment to neuromuscular diseases by issuing a joint statement in response to a report published by the Scottish Muscle Network (SMN), (commissioned by the Scottish Government), and the Mackie Report (compiled by the Muscular Dystrophy Cross Party Group). One of the key issues highlighted was access to neuromuscular care advisors (NCAs). We provided funding for three NCAs for a two year pilot project.

There are three NCAs, one in each of the Regional Planning Group Areas: West of Scotland, North of Scotland and the South East and Tayside.

The North of Scotland area has reported that the impact of this post in the short term, will be a smooth pathway for paediatric and adult neuromuscular patients, with supported access to services and advice. In the longer term, it will deliver a comprehensive map of services and pathways in each board within the North of Scotland area.

NHS National Services Division (NSD) will evaluate the three NCA posts. An interim report to the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorate (SGHSC) is due in September 2013, with a final report 12 months later.

The Regional Planning Groups, the SMN, SGHSC Directorate and NSD are working in collaboration to agree a national approach to the evaluation process.

Question reference: S4W-14832

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to (a) better understand and (b) tackle deliberate self-poisoning.

In late 2012, the Scottish Government set up a working group to consider future strategy and action on prevention of suicide and self harm, in the context that the Choose Life, strategy and action plan is approaching the end of its 10 year lifetime. This includes consideration of understanding and tackling self-poisoning.

The aim is to produce a new national strategy on suicide and self harm, to be published by the Scottish Government in late summer/early autumn 2013. The expectation is that the final document will contain ambitious but realistic commitments on reducing suicide and self harm; will be informed by evidence of what we know works; will contribute to increasing our knowledge and learning in this complex area; and will contain milestones and outcomes against which to measure progress.

To help inform the development of a new strategy, the Working Group developed an engagement paper. This was published on 25 February 2013, with a close date of 28 May 2013 for comments. With support from NHS Health Scotland’s Choose Life team, we have held several engagement events to provide professionals and members of the public with an opportunity to discuss key issues which they consider should be in a future strategy on prevention of suicide and self harm. Input from these events will be taken into consideration, together with written comments received, in the development of the new strategy.

More information is available at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Services/Mental-Health/Suicide-Self-Harm/Working-Group

Question reference: S4W-14672

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 21 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the nurse-to-patient ratio is.

Question reference: S4T-00360

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria are used to test patients to identify their genetic risk of developing breast cancer.

Question reference: S4W-14675

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 20 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how will it ensure that staff reductions in the NHS do not lead to higher mortality rates.

There are now 5,829 more people working in the NHS (excluding GPs and GDPs) than when the SNP came to Government. This represents an increase of 3.9%.

The Scottish Patient Safety Programme was launched in January 2008 and now has an aim to reduce hospital mortality by 20% by 2015. Scotland is the first country in the world to implement a national patient safety programme across the whole healthcare systems.

Figures show that acute hospital mortality across Scotland continues to reduce by 12.4% since 2007. That equates to around 8,500 fewer than expected deaths, a result of our robust safety system working.

Further information regarding NHS mortality rates can be found at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Quality-Indicators/Publications/2013-02-26/2013-02-26-HSMR-Summary.pdf?94044131041

Question reference: S4W-14689

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 20 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what strategy the NHS has for the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of radiographers and training people in radiography.

NHS boards are required annually to provide workforce projections for all staff groups including radiographers. The workforce projections are used to identify supply and demand requirements across NHSScotland and also to inform education needs. NHS boards are also required to publish their workforce plans on an annual basis.

The Scottish Government expects all NHS boards to have robust processes in place to ensure the provision of safe, effective and high quality patient care which is delivered by the right professional at the right time.

Question reference: S4W-14685

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 20 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that there is a sufficient number of radiographers available to each NHS board.

Question reference: S4W-14676

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 20 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the skills mix of nursing teams is appropriate to providing high standards of quality patient care.

The Scottish Government has worked with NHS Scotland to develop a suite of workload measurement tools which help ensure the most efficient and effective use of the nursing and midwifery resource.

As of April 2013, all NHS boards are expected to use the workload tools to inform local nursing and midwifery workforce planning as part of a broader approach that incorporates professional judgement and quality measures. Skill mix is one of the considerations that is taken into account when applying the workload tools.

Question reference: S4W-14671

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 20 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a standard minimum nurse-to-patient ratio and, if so, whether this is statutory.

There are no regulations or Scottish Government guidelines on minimum nurse to patient or nurse to healthcare assistant ratios, or use of minimum staffing ratios.

Guidelines were issued to NHS boards in Scotland regarding the use of the national nursing and midwifery workload and workforce planning tools (CEL 32/2012). These tools are nationally validated and statistically robust and are used to derive the nursing number for each clinical area as appropriate through measurement of the actual workload, as part of a broader approach incorporating nurses’ professional judgement with quality measures. From April 2013, all NHS boards are expected to use the tools to inform local nursing and midwifery planning.