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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: S3W-21171

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 17 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the observations of hand hygiene undertaken by trained observers and collected by Health Protection Scotland for the quarterly hand hygiene reports include a positive return for staff if they hand wash with (a) the agent provided and water only, (b) the agent provided and water or alcohol gel and (c) alcohol gel alone.

The observations, carried out by trained Hand Hygiene Local Health Board Co-ordinator''s, (LHBCs) are to assess whether the correct opportunity for hand hygiene was taken by NHS staff and whether the opportunity was performed with either the correct use of soap and water or the correct use of alcohol based hand rub. If staff are observed following these procedures correctly then they would be marked a pass. If they are not following these procedures correctly, then they would be marked a fail.

Question reference: S3W-21168

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of published guidance by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on borderline and antisocial personality disorders, what steps it is taking to ensure that individuals with such disorders have access to the necessary assessments, treatment management and support.

Services for people with personality disorders are planned and delivered by NHS boards and their partners in line with national clinical guidelines and in accordance with the standards for integrated care pathways for personality disorders, published by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS) in December 2007 (Bib. number 44374).

This is complemented by the work of the Scottish Personality Disorders Network in engaging with key partners to promote best care, treatment and support for this patient group.

We are also providing funding support to NHS Lothian who are piloting joint work between the board, the prison service and criminal justice social work services to improve the management and treatment of offenders with personality disorders.

Question reference: S3W-21181

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards (a) do and (b) do not provide fully trained deafblind guide/communicators, whether directly or jointly with local authorities or through a voluntary organisation, and what steps it will take to ensure equality of access to a deafblind guide/communicator for deafblind people.

This information is not held centrally.

However, we are aware from information provided by Deafblind Scotland that they provide guide/communicator support within medical services to:

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde;

NHS Lothian;

NHS Lanarkshire, and

NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

We also understand that NHS Forth Valley has its own arrangements to provide a limited guide/communicator service within a hospital setting and that NHS Highland use Deaf Services, a voluntary organisation, to provide deafblind support.

The Scottish Government awarded Deafblind Scotland funding of £120,000 over three years from April 2008 until March 2011 from section 16b of the NHS (Scotland) Act 1978, as amended, to take forward work around the experiences of deafblind people within the health system.

As part of this work, Deafblind Scotland are currently using the section 16b funding to visit all health boards and to work with them to develop and improve services and ensure equality of access for those who are deafblind.

Question reference: S3W-21172

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 13 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many residential drug treatment places there are and how many there were in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008.

The Review of Residential Drug Detoxification and Rehabilitation Services in Scotland, published in July 2007, found that there were 352 beds across 22 residential services in Scotland.

At the end of February 2009, the National Directory of Drug Services, maintained by the Scottish Drugs Forum and funded by Scottish Government, showed that there was a total of 450 beds across 28 residential services.

The number of beds does not equate to the number of places which depends on occupancy rates and length of programme.

Question reference: S3W-20823

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the emergence of the 078 strain of Clostridium difficile and its potentially higher level of toxicity, whether it has issued new guidelines to replace those requiring samples to be submitted where (a) a patient has developed a severe disease, including (i) admission to hospital or an intensive care unit with, (ii) surgery for or (iii) death following a diagnosis of Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD), (b) an outbreak of CDAD is suspected or (c) infections or outbreaks of ribotype 027 are suspected.

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) confirm that their current guidance on Prevention and Control of Clostridium difficile Associated Disease (CDAD) in Healthcare Settings in Scotland provides for the possibility of more virulent strains being identified. HPS also advise that irrespective of strain, early and appropriate treatment, effective infection control procedures, and prudent antimicrobial prescribing are the key interventions needed to minimise the risk of Clostridium difficile Associated Disease (CDAD).

Question reference: S3W-20821

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18600 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 December 2008, when the review of NHS board compliance with the Protocol for the Scottish Surveillance Programme for Clostridium Difficile Associated Disease by the HAI National Taskforce will be (a) completed and (b) published.

NHS board practice in the area of surveillance is monitored through the National HAI Action Plan and progress is reviewed by the HAI National Task Force, as confirmed in the answer provided to question to S3W-18600 on 15 December 2008.

There is no review of NHS board compliance with the protocol for the Scottish Surveillance Programme for Clostridium difficile Associated Disease (CDAD) planned.

Question reference: S3W-20822

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18599 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 December 2008, where the study of Clostridium difficile ribotypes will take place; when it will start and finish; when it will be published on the Health Protection Scotland website, and when the results are expected to be published.

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) has indicated that results from their study, which started in January 2009, will be included in each of the Clostridium difficile Associated Disease (CDAD) quarterly surveillance reports which are published on the HPS website. http://www.ewr.hps.scot.nhs.uk.

Publication dates for these reports can be found at http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/ewr/2009-schedule.pdf.

Question reference: S3W-20269

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18600 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 December 2008, what monitoring the Healthcare Associated Infection Task Force has undertaken in each NHS board for compliance with the Protocol for the Scottish Surveillance Programme for Clostridium difficile Associated Disease in respect of the submission of samples to the national reference laboratory.

Question reference: S3W-20149

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits and enhancements, other than financial savings, it envisages achieving in merging the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland with NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and the Care Commission that could not be achieved by closer joint working.

Question reference: S3W-20150

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what functions of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland (MWCS) are to be subsumed within any new organisation resulting from the proposed merger of MWCS with NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and the Care Commission, rather than retained within an independent section, unit, directorate or division of that organisation.