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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-18288

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had discussions with, or indications from, NHS Lanarkshire on why it was necessary to redirect medical or surgical GP calls from Wishaw General Hospital accident and emergency department to other NHS Lanarkshire sites during 99 time periods between July 2006 and July 2008.

Question reference: S3W-18250

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 December 2008

Details of in-year savings achieved in 2007-08 and the proposed savings for 2008-09 and 2009-10 for each NHS board are as follows:

NHS Board	2007-08 Savings Achieved (£000)	2008-09 Forecast Savings (£000)	2009-10 Forecast Savings (£000)
Ayrshire and Arran	5,516	10,934	11,284
Borders	1,704	5,661	4,700
Dumfries and Galloway	2,176	5,091	4,707
Fife	4,746	10,201	9,902
Forth Valley	4,323	11,741	12,185
Grampian	5,398	12,926	32,489
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	16,385	46,200	35,000
Highland	5,971	15,985	17,430
Lanarkshire	5,823	14,804	19,905
Lothian	10,016	19,737	20,000
Orkney	93	927	855
Shetland	408	710	1,165
Tayside	8671	19,039	19,512
Western Isles	601	2,177	1,898
National Waiting Times Centre	1,382	800	824
NHS 24	2,579	4,696	1,868
NHS Education for Scotland	1,468	724	747
NHS Health Scotland	0	336	358
NHS National Services Scotland	2,554	5,617	5,102
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland	79	332	338
Scottish Ambulance Service	1,792	5,338	3,918
The State Hospitals Board for Scotland	917	974	1,347
Total	82,602	194,850	205,534

Question reference: S3W-18243

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 18 known deaths due to, or associated with, Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital between December 2007 and May 2008 were identified by type (a) before the patient’s death, (b) within two weeks of the patient’s death, (c) within one month of the patient’s death and (d) more than one month after the patient's death.

Question reference: S3W-18252

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether savings made by national e-drug procurement programmes are being passed to NHS boards and, if so, whether boards are allowed to count them towards efficiency savings.

Question reference: S3W-18242

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 18 known deaths due to or associated with Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital between December 2007 and May 2008 were (a) type 027, (b) other types of Clostridium difficile and (c) not identified by type.

The information sought forms part of the Outbreak Control Team''s report which has been provided to the Area Procurator Fiscal for Argyll and Clyde by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to assist in his on-going investigations and the parallel investigations that are being undertaken by Strathclyde Police and the Health and Safety Executive. I am advised that the release of part or all of this report at this time may have a prejudicial effect on any action that may follow the investigation. I therefore cannot provide the member with the data he requests until the investigation by the Area Procurator Fiscal is complete.

Question reference: S3W-18257

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies there are for hospital pharmacists and how many of these posts have been vacant for more than (a) three and (b) six months, also broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S3W-18254

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive with the exception of the new Southern General Hospital, what plans there are to build hospitals with single rooms only.

Question reference: S3W-18246

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers it appropriate for NHS boards to cut improvement and support budgets as part of efficiency savings.

Only schemes that comply with the definition of an efficiency saving would be accepted. The definition of a cash‘releasing efficiency saving is where the organisation delivers the same service at a reduced cost, demonstrated by delivering the same outcome(s) or output(s) for a reduced input or delivering a reduced unit cost allowing an increased volume of service for the same cost.

Potential efficiencies are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Question reference: S3W-18245

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all NHS hospitals or units where external cleaning and catering contracts are (a) in operation, (b) subject to best value reviews or test marketing, (c) in operation under extended PFI/PPP contracts or (d) planned to operate in hospitals or under construction.

With regard to cleaning services I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15208 on 22 August 2008. 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.

The hospitals and NHS board with outsourced or PFI catering contracts are as follows:

NHS Ayrshire and Arran:

East Ayrshire Community Hospital. PFI contract over 25 years benchmarked on a five yearly basis.

NHS Highland:

New Craigs Hospital, Inverness. PFI contract due for benchmarking in 2010.

NHS Lanarkshire:

Hairmyres Hospital. PFI contract for 30 years commencing March 2001. Next benchmark exercise due in 2012, and

Wishaw Hospital. PFI contract for 30 years commencing June 1998. Next benchmark exercise will be on 2013.

NHS Lothian:

Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. PFI contract, benchmarking in five years.

Ellensglen House - PFI to be market tested in 2008-09.

Ferryfield House - PFI to be market tested in four years time.

Tippethill - PFI to be market tested in five years time.

NHS Shetland:

Contract awarded for five years in 2007.

NHS Tayside:

Carseview - PFI 25 years commencing 2001.

The new acute hospital in Larbert is under construction as a PFI and both cleaning and catering services will be provided by the external provider but will be subject to value testing after five years of operation. Due to commence in 2010.

Question reference: S3W-18244

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3M-15208 by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 August 2008 indicating that a number of hospital cleaning and catering services contracts is subject to review, whether this position contradicts the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing’s letter to NHS boards on 20 October 2008 advising them that there will be no further privatisation of hospital cleaning and catering services anywhere in Scotland.

The announcement I made on 18 October, 2008 is in line with the answer to S3W-15208 and the guidance issued to NHS Chief Executives on 20 October 2008 which indicates that existing contracts for the provision of such services are not affected.

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.