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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-27097

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of disabled people employed across the NHS.

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing the number of disabled people employed across the NHS.

Our NHS Professional Careers Programme continues to place disabled graduates in rewarding roles and the careers of their choices. A number of health boards are also working with project SEARCH to help people with intellectual impairments into employment.

We are working with health boards to ensure that all jobs are made accessible for disabled applicants. Work is also underway to increase disclosure rates and develop national commitments for the recruitment, retention and progression of people with protected characteristics, including those with a disability.

Question reference: S5W-27003

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of sepsis have been diagnosed in each year since 2017, broken down by NHS board.

Information on cases of sepsis is only held centrally for people admitted to hospital. The following table presents the number of hospital stays with a diagnosis of sepsis at any point during the stay by NHS Board of Treatment for the years 2017, 2018 and up to June 2019. Note that because of changes to coding these figures are not directly comparable with those from previous years.

Table: Number of hospital stays1,2 with a diagnosis of sepsis 4,6; NHS Scotland; 20175 - 2019

NHS Board of Treatment	2017	2018	20193

National Waiting Times Centre	20	28	16
NHS Ayrshire & Arran	1,797	1,680	724
NHS Borders	343	599	260
NHS Dumfries & Galloway	365	582	239
NHS Fife	637	1,446	759
NHS Forth Valley	714	1,146	460
NHS Grampian	848	1,305	615
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde	2,769	4,684	2,479
NHS Highland	504	999	407
NHS Lanarkshire	2,855	2,511	1,211
NHS Lothian	1,652	2,828	1,277
NHS Orkney	30	102	50
NHS Shetland	50	41	15
NHS Tayside	784	1,307	566
NHS Western Isles	49	104	66
Total	13,417	19,362	9,144

1. These statistics are derived from data collected on discharges from non-obstetric and non-psychiatric hospitals (SMR01) in Scotland.
2. A hospital stay is selected if sepsis is recorded at any point during the stay.
3. Data for 2019 includes discharges up to June 2019.
4. International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD10) codes used to
identify relevant cases: A40, A41, P36, A02.1, A22.7, A26.7, A32.7, A42.7, B37.7, O85X.
5. Year is based on date of discharge
6. Note that the coding of sepsis in Scotland was changed in October 2017 and that figures for 2018 are not comparable with those for previous years.

Question reference: S5O-04148

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported extended waiting times for general colorectal surgery in NHS Lothian.

Question reference: S5W-27246

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the plans for Dr Veronikis to visit Scotland to conduct mesh removal surgery and train other surgeons in this technique.

Question reference: S5W-27247

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what care and treatment pathways there are for people experiencing complications arising from hernia mesh implants.

Any patient who suspects they are experiencing complications from hernia mesh surgery should discuss their concerns with their GP or other clinicians involved in their case. Any subsequent care may be surgical or non-surgical depending on the individual circumstances of the case. The Chief Medical Officer has previously written to all Health Boards to emphasise that any patient who reports complications or side-effects following mesh surgery must be carefully listened to. Their concerns should, at all times, be taken seriously and acted on appropriately.

More generally, in response to emerging concerns about hernia mesh, the Scottish Government commissioned the Scottish Health Technologies Group to undertake an evidence review into its use in men. The final report can be viewed here . The Scottish Government will also approach Healthcare Improvement Scotland to ask that it considers whether a guideline on clinical care, including using recently published international studies, would be helpful for NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-27124

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much was spent on the upkeep of the Forth Road Bridge in the financial year (a) 2017-18 and (b) 2018-19.

Question reference: S5W-27128

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how fees for birth and death certificates are regulated and monitored.

The setting of fees for registration matters, including charges for extracts from the Birth and Death Registers (birth certificates and death certificates), is the responsibility of the Registrar General for Scotland, subject to the approval of Scottish Ministers. Fees are monitored by an advisory working group within National Records of Scotland which includes members from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Association of Registrars of Scotland. Where the Registrar General recommends to Ministers a change to the established fees, and this is approved, revised fees are then brought into force by way of a Scottish Statutory Instrument.

Question reference: S5T-01996

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for the leadership of NHS Lothian, in light of the recent resignation of its Chairman and forthcoming retirement of its Chief Executive.

Question reference: S5O-04060

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 29 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect standards in publicly-owned care homes.

Our national Health and Care Standards set out what everyone should rightly expect when using health and social care services in Scotland. The Care Inspectorate carries out a rigorous programme of inspections to ensure registered services are meeting these standards and take action where necessary. Through these inspections, we know that the vast majority of our care services, including publicly-owned care homes, are providing high quality care and support.

Question reference: S5W-26987

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 23 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of what action it is taking to address the "distinct recruitment issues across health and social care in remote, rural and Island areas", which were referred to in the paper, An Integrated Health and Social Care Workforce Plan for Scotland.

We are supporting remote, rural and island general practice with a comprehensive package of measures:

We have significantly enhanced recruitment incentives in the 2019/20 GP contract, investing £400,000 in recruitment incentives for rural GP posts across Scotland, and £200,000 for relocation costs for GPs moving to rural posts. This includes £10,000 payments to GPs taking up posts in rural practices for the first time and support with relocation costs.

We have increased GP relocation packages from £2,000 to £5,000 and widened eligibility to all remote and rural practices.

Since 2016 we have supported the Scottish Rural Medical Collaborative to develop recruitment and sustainability measures. In 2019.20 this included £69,450 to NHS Shetland to support the Rediscover the Joy in General Practice Project. The project has so far seen 33 doctors recruited from other areas to work up to 18 weeks a year in practices that previously found it difficult to attract a GP.

Scotland’s first Graduate Entry Medicine programme (ScotGEM) has a focus on careers in general practice and remote and rural working.

We are providing £500,000 for a new pilot shortened midwifery course at the University of Highlands and Islands. 19 registered adult nurses started the programme in January 2019 to become fully qualified midwives in just 20 months, and then work in the region. Funding has already been made available for 300 pre-registration nursing places through the University of the Highlands and Islands.

The Shaping the Future Together Report from the Remote and Rural General Practice Working Group describes the Group's first year of work. It sets out recommendations designed to support the ongoing process of implementing the contract as well as support future developments in rural General Practice and Primary Care.