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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: S5W-19397

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 15 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter from the Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing to the Scottish Infected Blood Forum and Haemophilia Scotland of 27 September 2018, when it expects to obtain core participant status in the UK Infected Blood Inquiry.

Question reference: S5W-19459

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that data on the prevalence of health conditions, previously captured by the Quality Outcomes Framework, will continue to be made publicly available, and what will be done to ensure that this is available from the year 2016-17 onwards so that trends can continue to be monitored.

Question reference: S5W-19303

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 1 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the work that is underway to develop an enhanced national mental health pathway for those coming into contact with justice system who are in mental health crisis or distress, as referred to in its paper, Mental Health Strategy: 2017-2027 - 1st Progress Report, in response to the goal of supporting “efforts through a refreshed Justice Strategy to help improve mental health outcomes for those in the justice system”.

The recruitment of staff for the enhanced mental health pathway has begun. In addition, Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service are currently undertaking a call sampling exercise from members of the public. This will inform the development of the pathway model through NHS24 and how those in crisis or distress can be provided with the most appropriate support. The pathway is expected to go live from spring 2019.

Question reference: S5W-19347

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 31 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether, under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, it is mandatory for doctors, nurses, social workers and mental health officers to make people with learning disabilities and those with a mental illness aware of their right to independent advocacy and how to access it.

Section 328(1) of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 Act defines mental disorder as mental illness, personality disorder or learning disability however caused or manifested.

Section 259 of the 2003 Act places a duty on Local Authorities and Health Boards to secure the availability, to every person in its area who has a mental disorder, of independent advocacy services and to take appropriate steps to ensure that those persons have the opportunity of making use of those services.

There are additional specific requirements in respect of patients who are subject to compulsory powers under the 2003 Act. Section 260 of the 2003 Act places a requirement on the managers of the hospital in which the patient is to be detained to take all reasonable steps to ensure that, at various stages throughout the operation of compulsory measures, patients are aware of, and understand their rights to independent advocacy. Section 260 also places a requirement on managers to provide the patient, together with any named person, appropriate material to aid their understanding of these services and provides that managers take appropriate steps to ensure that the patient has the opportunity of making use of such advocacy services.

However for some orders under the 2003 Act, e.g. Short Term Detentiton Certificates, Compulsory Treatment Orders etc there is a specific duty placed on mental health officers to inform the patient about the availability of independent advocacy and to take appropriate steps to ensure that the patient has an opportunity of making use of those services.

Question reference: S5W-19258

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 31 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of new figures obtained by BBC Scotland, how much it has cost NHS Scotland to facilitate the practice of moving people with learning disabilities, autism and complex care needs to facilities outwith Scotland in each of the last five years.

The Scottish Government does not collect this information. The cost of each individual placement for a person with learning disabilities, autism and complex care is a contractual matter between the commissioning authority and the care provider and will depend on the individual specialist care, support and accommodation provided.

The information obtained by the BBC refers to a report commissioned by the Scottish Government from Dr Anne MacDonald. Her full report is planned for publication in November 2018.

Question reference: S5W-19231

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 31 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of new figures obtained by BBC Scotland that show people with learning disabilities and autism are still being required to live some distance from their families, and its commitment in 2013 that "by 2018 people with learning disabilities and autism and complex care needs who are currently in facilities outwith Scotland should be supported to live nearer their family in Scotland", what action it (a) has taken and (b) will take to reduce the number of out-of-area placements.

I recognise how very difficult it is for families and people with learning disabilities if they are placed out of area in a different local authority or delayed in hospital settings.

Dr MacDonald was commissioned to specifically look into the issues of delayed discharges and out-of-area placements following publication of the Mental Welfare Commission's report “No Through Road” in 2016. Dr MacDonald’s work means that we are now much better informed about the issues and gaps in services, and able to address these.

The report is due to be published soon and has been discussed at stakeholder events over the summer that have considered the next steps for our learning disability strategy "Keys to Life". We are committed to considering how best to take forward work based on Dr Macdonald’s findings, including discussing this with Health and Social Care Partnerships in relation to the commissioning of local services, developing community services, transition planning and specialist skills.

Question reference: S5O-02494

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress it is making with its commitment to recruit up to 250 community link workers to work in GP surgeries by the end of the parliamentary session.

Question reference: S5W-19011

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 22 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-18613 by Clare Haughey on 24 September 2018, what additional funding will be provided to local authorities to support the recruitment of the additional school counsellors.

Question reference: S5W-19010

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 22 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-18613 by Clare Haughey on 24 September 2018, by what date the delivery plan for all of the mental health commitments in the Programme for Government will be published.

Question reference: S5W-18002

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 25 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the average length of contract is for Community Link Workers employed on fixed-term contracts.

31 of the directly SG-funded link workers are employed on a fixed term contract.

Of these, 13 in Edinburgh are on fixed term contracts of 18 months. The Integration Authority intends to sustain these posts at the end of the current procurement period.

The other 18 are in Glasgow, and have had varying lengths of contract as the programme has developed. The current funding arrangement ends on 31 March 2019, but Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) will be procuring the service on a four year framework to run from 2019-20 onwards. Glasgow City HSCP is committed to the continuing delivery of a community link worker programme through third sector providers.

Outwith the SG-funded cohort described above, we are aware from research undertaken in 2017 that a range of approaches have developed and been funded locally. The Scottish Government does not hold information on the average length of contract for link workers, social prescribers, community connectors or others in comparable roles that may be employed or contracted by GPs, local authorities, health boards, the third sector or other employers.