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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-10389

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-09794 by Alex Neil on 22 October 2012, when the Adult Health and Social Integration Bill will be introduced.

Question reference: S4F-00956

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 November 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 November 2012

To ask the First Minister what steps it is taking to improve treatment for people with dementia.

Question reference: S4W-10296

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what specific treatment is provided for chronic pain patients at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath.

Question reference: S4W-10294

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-09291 by Michael Matheson on 11 September 2012, for what reason the report of the audit of pain management services anticipated by the end of September 2012 has not been published and when it will be published.

As explained in my previous response of 11 September, to the question S4W-09291, raised by Jackie Baillie MSP on behalf of the Cross Party Group, the change of publishing date was due to additional factual accuracy checks being undertaken.

I am pleased to advise that the Update Report on Scottish Pain Management Services was published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland on 26 October 2012 and is available on their website at the following link:

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/programmes/long_term_conditions/chronic_pain/chronic_pain_update_report.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-10295

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-09736 by Michael Matheson on 27 September 2012, whether it will provide specialist services for chronic pain treatment in Scotland rather than sending patients to Bath at a cost in excess of £1.1 million since 2008-09.

Question reference: S4W-10436

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 1 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to S4W-09790 by Alex Neil on 22 October 2012, whether it will provide the information that was requested and confirm that table 3.02 on page 29 of the Draft Budget 2013-14 is wrong to show a real-terms reduction in the health budget lines of £189.3 million from 2012-13 to 2013-15.

As table 3.01 on page 29 shows the resource budget is increasing in the Health portfolio from £11,128.4 million in 2012-13 to £11,841.4 million in 2014-15 – a significant cash terms increase of £713m, or 6.4 per cent. In real terms, as shown in Table 3.02, this is a rise from £11,128.4 million in 2012-13 to £11,270.8 million in 2014-15 in the resource budget.

Territorial Health Boards, who provide frontline point of care services will receive above inflation increases in resource in 2013-14 and 2014-15 of 3.3 per cent and 3.1 per cent which represents real terms increases of 0.8 per cent and 0.6 per cent respectively.

In addition, the short to medium term outlook will see capital resources under severe pressure given the significant real terms reduction in capital resources available to the Scottish Government over the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review period from 2011-12 to 2014-15. In response to this situation however, the Scottish Government has put in place arrangements to support a programme of £2,500m of revenue financed investment across Scotland to boost infrastructure investment. Of this total investment, £750m is being directed towards projects within Health as Non Profit Distributing (NPD) projects or via the hub initiative.

Question reference: S4W-10347

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 1 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-08193 by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 July 2012, what issues were discussed at the meeting with the Thalidomide Trust and National Advisory Council on 17 July 2012.

The meeting with the Thalidomide Trust was held in London on 17 July and was attended by a Scottish Government official. Members of the trust and National Advisory Council, along with a Scottish Thalidomider highlighted the benefits the grant had brought to Thalidomiders across the UK and how many were relying on its continuation to meet their long term healthcare needs and financial commitments.

The trust and advisory council agreed at that meeting to provide further evidence to strengthen their case, particularly in relation to the devolved administrations where health and social care systems differ from England. This report is due to be published in December.

Question reference: S4W-10344

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 1 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued to NHS boards about communicating with patients who have English as a second language in the context of access policies required by the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011.

<>A Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities containing guidance on communicating with patients was issued by the Scottish Government and is available at the following link: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/09/8540.

Also as part of the charter a leaflet has been published on Communications and Participation. This leaflet clearly states that in communicating with patients, staff should ensure that any information provided to patients meets their needs.

This would include the need for boards to provide communications in another language other than English and/or by an interpreter. We would therefore expect boards to include in their local access policy access to interpreters and communication policy in relation to other languages. The leaflet is available at http://www.hris.org.uk/patient-information/information-about-health- rights/charter/communication-and-participation/what-can-i-expect-from-the-nhs/.

Question reference: S4W-10342

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 1 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions took place with NHS boards to ensure that a consistent approach is taken to patient treatment and is set out in access policies as required by the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-10339 on 1 November 2012. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

A number of meetings were held with the Management Task & Finishing Group on the development of the NHSScotland National Access Policy. This should have ensured that all boards across Scotland were taking a consistent approach in developing their local access policies.

Question reference: S4W-10341

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 1 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions took place with NHS boards on the acceptability of the use of private providers in access policies developed by NHS boards as required by the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011.

The Scottish Government undertook a full consultation on the Patient Rights Bill before it was introduced to the Parliament in March 2010.

We expect most patients to be treated locally in the NHS, however, we recognise that, to address any short-term capacity issues which may arise, NHS boards may need to make use of the independent healthcare sector. The Scottish Government has made clear to boards that use of the independent healthcare sector will only be at the margins where it is demonstrably of benefit to NHS patients and represents value for money.