- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 November 2023
To ask Scottish Government, further to the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care's ministerial statement on winter planning and resilience on 24 October 2023, how many of the "additional 1,000 nurses, midwives and allied health professionals" (AHPs) from overseas who have joined NHS Scotland over the past two years were AHPs, broken down by profession.
Answer
In October 2022, we announced that further Scottish Government funding of £8m was being made available to recruit allied health professionals and midwives from overseas for the first time alongside nurses whereas the £4.5m funding in 2021 for international recruitment was provided solely for registered nurses.
I am pleased to advise that between October 2022 and 30 September 2023, a total of 109 AHPs have been recruited from overseas and are in posts across NHS Scotland, with further arrivals expected as we continue to support international recruitment. The Scottish Government does not hold data centrally relating to the AHP professions recruited to, that information is held by employing health boards.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether there are exemptions from the Treatment Time Guarantee in certain specialities, and, if so, what these are.
Answer
Exceptions to the Treatment Time Guarantee, as set out by The Patient Rights (Treatment Time Guarantee) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 are as follows:
• Assisted reproduction.
• Obstetrics services
• Organ, tissue, or cell transplantation, whether from living or deceased donor.
Over 2.8 million inpatients and day cases have benefited from the 12-weeks treatment target since it was introduced.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2023
To ask the First Minister what immediate action the Scottish Government is taking to address the reported crisis in social care, in light of the letter from the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland stating that the social care pay uplift is insufficient.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2023
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish any paper on the potential implications of losing intensive care status in neonatal units.
Answer
The Best Start recommendation to move to a model of three intensive care units in Scotland was based on evidence that this will improve outcomes for the smallest and sickest babies.
The Framework for Practice ‘Criteria to Define Levels of Neonatal Care including Repatriation within NHS Scotland’, published on 25 July 2023 describes the care that can be provided at each level of neonatal care. It outlines that Local Neonatal Units can continue to care for babies requiring short periods of intensive care in accordance with agreed pathways.
In addition the British Association of Perinatal Medicine published ‘ Optimal Arrangements for Neonatal Intensive Care Units in the UK’ in 2021, which provides a framework for practice for neonatal care. This sets out the optimal arrangements for neonatal intensive care to provide the lowest mortality and morbidity, and the best baby and parent experience.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what geographical location each proposed neonatal intensive care unit will serve, and what the population density is for each of those locations.
Answer
The three NICU units; Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, the Aberdeen Maternity Hospital and the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary will serve the West, North and East regions of Scotland. Data on births in Scotland is published on the National Records of Scotland website for every year since 1991, broken down by NHS Board or council area of birth.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether any clinician from University Hospital Wishaw was involved in the work of the (a) Best Start Review Group and (b) Sub-Group on Neonatal Models of Care.
Answer
The membership of the Best Start Review Group and the Best Start Sub-Groups is published in Appendix E and Appendix F of the Best Start Report .
Dr Ian Wallace, at the time Medical Director at NHS Lanarkshire, was a member of the Best Start Review Group and the Neonatal Models of Care sub group.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its reported decision to downgrade neonatal services at University Hospital Wishaw, for what reason Healthcare Improvement Scotland reportedly does not give a view on whether Scottish Government decisions constitute a major service change, as it is required to do in respect of decisions made by NHS boards, health and social care partnerships and local authorities.
Answer
It is not within Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s legal remit to assess decisions made nationally. Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Community Engagement arm supports, ensures and monitors NHS Boards and Integration Authorities activity in relation to patient focus and public involvement in health services.
When decisions are made by the Scottish Government on NHS services, they are scrutinised through the Parliamentary process, the Health and Social Care Committee and Audit Scotland.
The Scottish Government’s Participation Framework provides information / guidance on relevant commitments to public participation that Scottish Government must adhere to. The Participation Framework supports Scottish Government to take decisions about how to open up opportunities for participation in ways that best suit the needs policy areas, the types of contribution being sought, and the characteristics and needs of the people being engaged with.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it considered regarding the potential consequences of separating a mother from their newborn in connection with the proposed location of neonatal intensive care units.
Answer
The Best Start emphasises parents as key partners in caring for their baby and aims to keep mothers and babies, and families together as much as possible in the crucial early weeks, with services designed around them.
The new model of care aims to minimise the separation of families, and to support parents with babies in neonatal care. We have a number of measures already in place to support families:
- Providing accommodation for parents to stay on or near neonatal units;
- Roll out of the Young Patients Family Fund (formerly the Neonatal Expenses Fund) to support families with the costs of travel, accommodation and food whilst their baby is in neonatal care;
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- Repatriating babies to their local neonatal units as soon as clinically possible.
Under the new model of care mothers in suspected extreme pre-term labour are transferred before they give birth (in-utero) to maternity units in the hospitals that have neonatal intensive care units. Experience from the Early Implementer Boards indicates that this will happen in the vast majority of cases. On occasion when it is not possible to transfer mothers before they give birth, the baby will be stabilised and transferred to a NICU by the specialist neonatal transport service ScotSTAR, and the mother will be transferred to the maternity unit in the same hospital as her baby.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 13 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Short Life Working Group report arising from the Fatal Accident Inquiry recommendations following the fire at Cameron House Hotel, when it will carry out its commitment to “amend the Section 34 letter to Local Authority Chief Executives under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 (Section 34 - Reports and Information - Notification of Application for Building Warrant - Section 2 - Fire) to require that a verifier must notify the Scottish Government where future conversions of historic buildings are to be used as hotel accommodation”.
Answer
The Section 34 letter to Local Authority Chief Executives under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 (Section 34 - Reports and Information - Notification of Application for Building Warrant - Section 2 - Fire) to require that a verifier must notify the Scottish Government where future conversions of historic buildings are to be used as hotel accommodation has been sent to all Local Authority Chief Executives and copied to Building Standards Managers on 31 October 2023.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it anticipates breast cancer screening will be reintroduced for women aged 75 and over, following a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as committed to by the former First Minister on 24 November 2022.
Answer
As noted in S6W-19908 on 31 July 2023, the age ranges for breast screening are based on recommendations from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group which informs decisions taken across the UK on screening programmes. There is no clear evidence that the benefits of screening this age group outweigh the potential harms.
Since October 2022, women aged 71-74, and those over 75 with a history of breast cancer, have been able to self-refer for a screening appointment. Due to the challenges around programme capacity and wait times as a result of the pandemic, self-referrals for those over 75 without a history of breast cancer remain paused. This ensures those between 50 and 70 and for whom screening has clear benefits are prioritised. The most recent statistics show that breast screening uptake has increased across Scotland which is the most important factor when maximising cancer detection and effectiveness of the screening programme.
Considerable work has been undertaken to improve programme capacity, including extending screening hours, using additional mobile units, and optimising appointment allocation. The scale of the challenge facing the screening programme since the pandemic means it has taken time for this work to have a significant impact. However, considerable progress has been made, and the scope to extend self-referrals to all those over 75 remains under active review. Both Parliament and NHS Inform will be updated when any decision is made to lift the current pause.
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
