- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason it has not included for roll-out of targeted MRSA screening those patients who have repeated admissions.
Answer
Those patients who are readmissions are included in the national screening programme for most elective admissions and high risk specialties. NHS boards MRSA policies are based on local clinical risk assessment and, in general, involve targeted screening of specific specialities and patient populations. This will continue as part of the routine local clinical risk assessment on admission.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 April 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions its health directorates and health ministers have had with Grampian NHS in light of the reported 34% European working time directive compliance level as at December 2008.
Answer
Scottish Government is committed to helping NHS Scotland boards to reach compliance with the Working Time Regulations for their doctors in training. We are actively involved with all boards through discussions and written communications.
In January 2009 the Director General Health and Chief Executive NHS Scotland held a video conference with the Chief Executive of NHS Grampian to discuss the board''s progress against key actions including its plans for reaching compliance with the Working Time Regulations by August 2009. In addition, the Scottish Government Working Time Advisers have met with NHS Grampian officials and provided practical support and guidance in order to help them achieve compliance.
Significant progress towards compliance is being made by boards across Scotland. Recently, Chief Executives have received guidance on calculating Working Time Regulation compliance over a 26 week reference period and they are required to report the extent of compliance to the Scottish Government on a regular basis. These data will provide an up to date picture of the progress being made in Grampian and other boards and will facilitate the effective targeting of further assistance by the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 April 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-21171 by Nicola Sturgeon on 17 March 2009, in respect of hand hygiene, when it is correct for NHS staff to use (a) the agent provided and water only, (b) the agent provided and water or alcohol gel and (c) alcohol gel alone.
Answer
The Health Protection Scotland (HPS) guidance on hand hygiene is reviewed annually. It can be accessed through the following web link (
http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/haiic/ic/guidelinedetail.aspx?id=31220), and confirms that:
If hands have patient/client contact before or during a procedure, but are not soiled with any body fluids and, therefore, do not require re-hand washing with soap or an antiseptic hand cleanser, alcohol based hand rub can be used;
Any soilage/organic matter can inactivate the activity of alcohol and, therefore, re-hand washing in these circumstances is essential;
Where infection with a spore forming organism e.g. Clostridium difficile is suspected/proven it is recommended that hand hygiene is carried out with liquid soap and water although it can be followed by alcohol based hand rub, and
Where infection with a viral gastroenteritis e.g. Norovirus is suspected/proven it is important that hand hygiene is carried out with liquid soap and water although it can be followed by alcohol-based hand rub.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 1 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcomes have been of its discussions about high hedges with groups and organisations, as referred to by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in a parliamentary debate on 2 April 2009 (Official Report c. 16554).
Answer
The Scottish Government had a very productive meeting with Scothedge, the organisation which seeks to secure legislation on this issue in Scotland, on 2 April 2009. I wrote to the Public Petitions Committee on 23 April to provide its members with an update and a copy of the note of the meeting''s outcomes, which had been agreed with Scothedge. My letter and the meeting note can be viewed on the Parliament''s website at
www.scottish.parliament.uk, under Written Submissions for Petition PE984.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 1 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether disputes about high hedges will be covered by the national framework for preventing antisocial behaviour or by separate legislation.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-23036 on 1 May 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
had
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 April 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 29 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to work with RCN Scotland and other stakeholders to develop the framework for community nursing and other proposals as set out in the recent RCN Scotland publication A Sustainable Future: The RCN Vision for Community Nursing in Scotland and, if so, how such proposals will be developed.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22602 on 29 April 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 April 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 29 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it agrees with RCN Scotland, as outlined in its A Sustainable Future: The RCN Vision for Community Nursing in Scotland report, that community health teams must have adequate, dedicated administrative support if community nurses are to be enabled to focus their work on patient care and, if so, how it will ensure that this happens.
Answer
The service model proposed by Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care, the report of the 2006 Review of Nursing in the Community, fully acknowledges that community nursing teams require administrative support. However, it is for each NHS board and Community Health Partnership to decide how best to utilise its resources to meet the health needs of its resident population, taking account of national and local priorities.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 April 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 29 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the number of nurse consultants available to work with community teams in NHS boards.
Answer
The service model proposed by
Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care the report of the 2006 Review of Nursing in the Community, provides for the introduction of the Community Nurse Consultant role. Work is in progress to develop an outline job description for this role.
Recent Scottish Government Health Directories guidance on the NHS Career Framework for Scotland underpins the consistent development of Nurse, Midwife and AHP Consultant roles in shaping and influencing care delivery, service strategy and professional development across NHS Scotland. Importantly, all such role development takes place in parallel with, and in support of, wider service and organisational developments and it would be for individual NHS boards to determine whether to appoint new Community Nurse Consultants based on local service need.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 April 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 29 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that community health teams should be able to provide the full spectrum of physical and mental health interventions to local communities.
Answer
Local, multi-disciplinary Community Mental Health Teams in each NHS board area already provide care, services and support, according to individually assessed needs. This will also include attention to the physical health needs of people with mental illness.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 April 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 29 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are to explore the potential of a generic community staff nurse role following the publication of RCN Scotland’s A Sustainable Future: The RCN Vision for Community Nursing in Scotland report and the results of the baseline study of the Review of Nursing in the Community pilots.
Answer
Plans are already in place to explore and develop the potential of the generic staff nurse role as part of the pilot arrangements for the service model proposed by
Visible, Accessible and Integrated Care the report of the 2006 Review of Nursing in the Community.
NHS Education for Scotland is currently completing work on the development of a framework document to provide principles and guidelines for the development of staff nurses within the community health nursing team. A national job description and KSF outlines have been developed in consultation with staff.
The Scottish Government will consider the potential of the generic community staff nurse role when the independent evaluation of the Pilot Sites is reported.
