- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to conclude a feasibility study of extending breast cancer sentinel node biopsy to the whole of Scotland.
Answer
Better Cancer Care: An Action Plan stated that the Scottish Government together with the Regional Cancer Advisory Groups and NHS boards will explore the feasibility of sentinel node biopsy being made available across NHSScotland. The timetable for this work will be agreed by the new Scottish Cancer Taskforce which meets for the first time in January 2009.
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-18879 on 8 January 2009. The service is already provided in a number of NHS boards.
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
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 8 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what support is being given to local authorities and voluntary organisations to establish good practice in consulting service users with learning disabilities before any decision is taken to tender or retender or during the tender specification process itself.
Answer
The Scottish Procurement Directorate guidance of August 2008 makes clear that, before tendering a service, contracting authorities should develop a strategy which addresses the concerns of those who use or will use the service. Consultation with service users prior to drawing up the tender specification is essential in order to ensure that the service meets users'' requirements and that their views inform how it should be delivered.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 8 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to involve people with learning disabilities, other vulnerable adults and, where appropriate, their carers or advocates in the establishment of good practice in consulting service users in the procurement process.
Answer
The Scottish Procurement Directorate will consult key stakeholders, including service users and, where appropriate, their carers or advocates, to ensure that their views are taken into account and inform the additional guidance. The Learning Disability Alliance Scotland have been asked to contribute to this work.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 8 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with local authorities on establishing common practice in consulting service users with learning disabilities prior to tendering their existing services.
Answer
The Scottish Procurement Directorate have held discussions with the Association of Directors of Social Work, COSLA and Scotland Excel, the centre of procurement expertise for local authorities, on the conduct of tendering exercises for social care services. These discussions will inform the development of guidance for local authorities which establishes best practice in consulting service users
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 8 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to establish good practice in consulting service users with learning disabilities prior to tendering of their existing services taking place.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to address best practice in consulting with service users.
The Scottish Procurement Directorate issued guidance in August 2008 which stated that, prior to tendering, Contracting authorities should have a strategy for the procurement of social care services which recognises the need to maintain the quality and continuity of services and addresses the concerns of vulnerable service users and their relatives. The guidance is available on the Scottish Government''s website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/116601/0065310.pdf.
The Scottish Public Procurement Toolkit provides best practice guidance on the development of procurement strategies and emphasises the importance of involving key stakeholders and service users. The toolkit is also available on the Scottish Government''s website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Procurement/Resources/SPDToolkit.
The Changing Lives User and Carer Forum published a report on Citizen Leadership earlier this year which defines the principles and standards of citizen leadership and sets out the role of citizens in using their power and influence to make decisions about services. The report is available at:
http://www.socialworkscotland.org.uk/resources/pub/B55231_Citizen%20Leadership.pdf.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive which areas of Scotland (a) make and (b) do not make sentinel node biopsy available to breast cancer patients.
Answer
This specific information is not held centrally.
However, Sentinel node biopsy for breast patients is already available routinely in some NHS board areas and training programmes are underway to make the service accessible across the other board areas during 2009.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will set new targets for recruitment to cancer research trials.
Answer
Better Cancer Care, An Action Plan published in October 2008 stated that the Scottish Cancer Research Network had bid for extra funding from the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) for the next three financial years. This extra funding has been agreed with CSO and details of new targets for increased recruitment of patients to cancer research trials are currently being negotiated with the aim of ensuring that recruitment exceeds the level of 13.9% achieved in 2005-06. The new targets are expected to be in place by 1 April 2009 and are likely to include:
A greater focus on key UK flagship trials carried out across Scotland in the common tumour types; e.g. breast, colorectal and lung.
A specific focus to increase recruitment in under-recruited groups, e.g. lung, prostate, head and neck.
Conducting work to test whether electronic datasets available through ISD can be used to reliably capture long-term follow-up.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 7 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18594 by Shona Robison on 11 December 2008, how soon the State Hospital will reduce its numbers to a level that can be accommodated in the new redeveloped facility.
Answer
Allowing for forecast progress with the building and commissioning of the new facilities the new level of patient provision should be achieved by July 2009.
Practical contingencies have been included in the current and forward planning to ensure continued safe care at all stages to completion and beyond.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the study of breast cancer screening that compared double reading of mammograms with a single reading and a computer assisted programme, as set out in page 38 of Better Cancer Care, An Action Plan, when a decision will be reached on which approach should be used in the Scottish Breast Screening Programme.
Answer
The Scottish National Advisory Group on Breast and Cervical screening (NAG) have agreed to invite the study group to meet in 2009 to present their findings. As all film images would have to be digitised, it would be impractical to introduce this new CAD technology until digital mammography is implemented. Scottish Breast Screening Programme is currently undertaking early planning for the introduction of digital mammography.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 6 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to add ethnicity information to death certificates.
Answer
There are no such plans.
