Questions and answers

Question reference: S3W-35949

Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many inpatient beds there are in NHS Lanarkshire, broken down by (a) specialism and (b) hospital.

Question reference: S3W-35948

Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 September 2010

The requested information is shown in the following table.

Average available staffed beds in NHS Lanarkshire by location and specialty: years ending 31 March 2008-10:

	2008	2009	2010^P
NHS Lanarkshire	2 503	2 506	2 442
Accident and Emergency	6	6	6
Anaesthetics	27	30	31
Cardiology	35	36	33
Communicable Diseases	19	18	15
Dermatology	13	12	13
Diagnostic Radiology	<1	-	-
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)	21	19	17
Forensic Psychiatry	11	11	11
General Medicine	405	414	414
General Psychiatry	208	208	200
General Surgery	211	208	211
Geriatric Medicine	606	632	657
GP Other than Obstetrics	91	91	93
Gynaecology	18	14	13
Haematology	14	15	14
Learning Disability	47	47	9
Medical Oncology	1	1	<1
Medical Paediatrics	69	75	67
Nephrology	16	12	13
Obstetrics	78	74	74
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery	-	5	8
Oral Surgery	6	2	-
Orthopaedics	137	139	148
Palliative Medicine	41	41	43
Psychiatry of Old Age	364	360	315
Rheumatology	3	3	3
Thoracic Surgery	21	-	-
Urology	36	34	34
Airbles Road Centre	26	26	26
General Psychiatry	10	10	10
Psychiatry of Old Age	16	16	16
Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit	21	21	21
Palliative Medicine	21	21	21
Caird House	10	10	10
General Psychiatry	10	10	10
Carrickstone House and Day Hospital	35	35	35
Geriatric Medicine	35	35	35
Cleland Hospital	72	72	30
Psychiatry of Old Age	72	72	30
Coathill Hospital	73	68	45
Geriatric Medicine	53	48	25
Psychiatry of Old Age	20	20	20
Cumbernauld Nursing Home	52	52	52
Psychiatry of Old Age	52	52	52
Hairmyres Hospital	483	471	491
Anaesthetics	11	13	13
Cardiology	8	8	8
Diagnostic Radiology	<1	-	-
General Medicine	133	138	136
General Psychiatry	54	54	55
General Surgery	66	65	66
Geriatric Medicine	136	140	154
Medical Oncology	1	1	<1
Orthopaedics	48	46	54
Psychiatry of Old Age	5	5	5
Thoracic Surgery	21	-	-
Hartwoodhill Hospital	81	80	72
Forensic Psychiatry	11	11	11
General Psychiatry	40	39	30
Psychiatry of Old Age	30	30	30
Hatton Lea Nursing Home	90	87	90
Psychiatry of Old Age	90	87	90
Kello Hospital	22	22	22
GP Other than Obstetrics	22	22	22
Kirklands Hospital	47	47	9
Learning Disability	47	47	9
Lady Home Cottage Hospital	22	22	23
GP Other than Obstetrics	22	22	23
Lockhart Hospital	30	30	30
GP Other than Obstetrics	30	30	30
Monklands District General Hospital	510	509	524
Accident and Emergency	6	6	6
Anaesthetics	5	5	5
Cardiology	21	22	19
Communicable Diseases	19	18	15
Dermatology	13	12	13
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)	21	19	17
General Medicine	125	125	130
General Psychiatry	48	48	48
General Surgery	69	68	68
Geriatric Medicine	76	79	93
Haematology	9	9	9
Nephrology	16	12	13
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery	-	5	8
Oral Surgery	6	2	-
Orthopaedics	40	44	45
Urology	36	34	34
Parksprings Care Centre	-	24	48
Geriatric Medicine	-	24	48
Roadmeetings Hospital	34	34	34
Geriatric Medicine	34	34	34
St Andrew''s Hospice	32	32	32
Geriatric Medicine	12	12	10
Palliative Medicine	20	20	22
Stonehouse Hospital	40	40	40
Geriatric Medicine	40	40	40
Udston Hospital	116	115	108
Geriatric Medicine	60	60	60
Psychiatry of Old Age	56	55	48
Victoria Memorial Cottage Hospital	17	17	17
GP Other than Obstetrics	17	17	17
Wester Moffat Hospital	60	60	55
Geriatric Medicine	60	60	55
Wishaw General Hospital	631	633	627
Anaesthetics	12	12	12
Cardiology	6	6	6
General Medicine	147	151	148
General Psychiatry	46	46	47
General Surgery	77	75	76
Geriatric Medicine	100	100	103
Gynaecology	18	14	13
Haematology	4	5	5
Medical Paediatrics	69	75	67
Obstetrics	78	74	74
Orthopaedics	48	49	49
Psychiatry of Old Age	23	23	23
Rheumatology	3	3	3
Urology	<1	<1	-

Source: ISD Scotland [ISD(S)1].

^PProvisional.

- Denotes zero.

Notes:

1. The table shows information on average available staffed beds. This indicates the average daily number of beds, which were staffed and were available for the reception of inpatients and day cases.

2. The figures presented in the published tables are averages; due to rounding, certain totals and sub-totals may not equate to the sum of the component figures shown.

3. The figures presented in the table include beds for use by NHS patients that are located in non-NHS locations e.g. joint-user and contractual hospitals.

Question reference: S3W-35950

Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans NHS Lanarkshire has to provide for a WestMARC satellite clinic in Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S3W-35739

Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 1 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Energy Efficiency Action Plan will include a home loans scheme and, if so, how much money will be made available.

The specific contents of the Energy Efficiency Action Plan will be disclosed when it is published this autumn.

However, we are currently evaluating the Energy Saving Scotland home loans pilot which ran from October 2009 until June 2010. The outcome of this evaluation will help to inform future policies targeted at reducing fuel bills for Scottish households, reduced emissions, reduced fuel poverty and a strong energy efficiency industry in Scotland.

Question reference: S3W-35741

Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 1 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to re-introduce the Energy Saving Scotland home loans pathfinder scheme on a permanent basis and, if so, how much money will be put into the scheme.

Question reference: S3W-35740

Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 1 September 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Energy Efficiency Action Plan will include a new round of the home loans scheme and, if so, how much money will be put into the scheme.

The specific contents of the Energy Efficiency Action Plan will be disclosed when it is published this autumn.

However, we are currently evaluating the Energy Saving Scotland home loans pilot which ran from October 2009 until June 2010. The outcome of this evaluation will help to inform future policies targeted at reducing fuel bills for Scottish households, reduced emissions, reduced fuel poverty and a strong energy efficiency industry in Scotland.

Question reference: S3W-35424

Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 July 2010
Current Status: Answered by Adam Ingram on 12 August 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive which national charities it is working with, and how it is supporting national organisations, to increase access to and improve the quality of early years care and learning.

Scottish Government ministers and officials are in regular contact with a wide range of children''s charities. We provide around £7.2 million per annum through the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector Fund to support such charities.

Matching local service provision with local needs and circumstances is for local authorities and their partners to decide. Scottish Government funding to support early years services is incorporated in the overall local government settlement.

We also work closely with other organisations, including Learning and Teaching Scotland, who have produced a range of materials to help embed the Curriculum for Excellence in the early years. The Care Commission and Her Majesty''s Inspectorate of Education ensure that standards of care and education are maintained and improved in early years settings.

Question reference: S3W-35423

Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 August 2010
Current Status: Answered by Adam Ingram on 12 August 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what role it envisages for private and voluntary nurseries in the delivery of the Early Years Framework.

Private and voluntary nurseries have an important role to play in implementing the early years framework and improving outcomes for our young children. We are keen to ensure that there are a range of service providers and that high quality and flexible services are available which meet families'' needs.

Decisions on matching services with needs and circumstances are best taken at local level by councils and partner providers in the private and voluntary sectors working together. Scottish Government financial support for local early years services is included within the overall local government settlement to allow councils more flexibility to meet local needs.

Question reference: S3O-10773

Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 June 2010
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 3 June 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to tackle antisocial behaviour.

In March 2009, Councillor Harry McGuigan of COSLA and I published our shared vision for tackling antisocial behaviour in Scotland, Promoting Positive Outcomes. This was developed in partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and other national partners, and supported across this chamber when it was debated on 2 April 2009.

I am delighted to say that a significant amount of work is going in to tackling antisocial behaviour in Scotland.

We are continuing to meet our commitment of having 1,000 additional police officers on Scotland''s streets making our communities safer places to live and work. Additionally, we have committed investment of over £17 million since the Cashback for Communities scheme was announced in June 2007. In North Lanarkshire this amounts to 38 awards receiving a total of £285,488.

Question reference: S3O-10675

Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 May 2010
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 27 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that good quality bus services are provided according to community need.

The Scottish Government is committed to bus services in Scotland. We are taking forward a number of initiatives with local government partners and bus operators to maintain and improve bus services including statutory Quality Partnerships, Punctuality Improvement Partnerships and the appointment of a Senior Bus Development Advisor.

The Scottish Government reached an agreement earlier this year with the Confederation of Passenger Transport around funding levels for concessionary travel and the Bus Service Operators Grant which will give budget certainty and stability to the bus industry. This funding amounts to over £240 million in the current financial year.

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