- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 4 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to recommendation 19 of NHS Audiology Services in Scotland, what other professionals are being considered for further training to enable them to provide care to people in need of audiology services but unable to access them due to any shortage of audiologists in their area.
Answer
The modernisation actionplans, which NHS boards have been asked to prepare in relation to audiologyservices, will identify the functions and areas in which the training of otherstaff suggested in recommendation 19 might be appropriate. In rural areas, forexample, this could involve the training of GP practice nurses in the fittingof hearing aid batteries. Training of this type would be delivered by staffworking in the NHS board area involved.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 4 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will advise local authorities and NHS boards to support services that provide financial advice and support to people affected by cancer such as the partnership between Macmillan Cancer Relief and Airdrie Citi'ens Advice Bureau.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-3559 on 17 November 2003. 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/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 17 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 2 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Your Local Care: A survey of diabetes services in primary care organisations, what steps will be taken to encourage NHS boards that do not provide designated diabetes clinics to do so.
Answer
The Scottish DiabetesFramework encourages all providers of services for people with diabetes toimprove the care they provide. The Scottish Primary Care Collaborative whichwas launched earlier this year provides support to primary care to redesign anddevelop diabetes services.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 17 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 2 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Your Local Care: A survey of diabetes services in primary care organisations, what steps will be taken to bring access to specialist obstetrics services for pregnant women with diabetes or those who develop gestational diabetes up to and beyond the 90% level in England.
Answer
The Scottish Audit ofPregnancies in Women with Diabetes reports that all consultant-led maternity units in Scotlandprovide ante-natal care for women with diabetes through multi-disciplinaryclinics led by designated obstetricians and physicians. The Dr Foster report YourLocal Care was based on incomplete data and many of its conclusions aremisleading.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 27 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that Care Commission reports are readily accessible to the public.
Answer
Yes.Providers of regulated services are expected to make inspection reportsavailable, and they can also be obtained from the Care Commission on request.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 10 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 24 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Social Work Services Inspectorate has any power to enforce the findings of its reports against either individuals or local authorities.
Answer
The Social Work (Scotland)Act 1968 sets out the statutory basis on which local authorities are requiredto deliver social work services in their area. Recommendations from inspectionreports are incorporated in the statutory guidance, and by operation of section5(1) of the act, local authorities are under a duty to perform their functionsin accordance with such guidance.
The act also empowersScottish ministers to issue directions to local authorities concerning themanner in which they exercise their social work functions. Under section 5(1A)of the act, local authorities are under a duty to comply with such directions.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 10 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 24 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current police station at Peebles can be made compliant with access requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and what additional funding is being made available to Lothian and Borders Police for the purposes of compliance with the act.
Answer
Compliance with the act is amatter for Lothian and Borders Police. The Executive provides all police authoritieswith both recurrent funding and consents for capital expenditure, and eitherbudget may be used for the purposes of making adjustments to buildings inaccordance with the Disability Discrimination Act.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Association of Community Hospitals currently receives funding from the Chief Medical Officer and, if not, whether it will provide funding to enable the association to continue.
Answer
The Scottish Association ofCommunity Hospitals does not currently receive funding from the Chief MedicalOfficer. Proposals by the association for national funding would be givenappropriate consideration.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it will introduce to assist NHS trusts to adequately review follow-up arrangements for out-patient appointments and discharge policies, as referred to in the Audit Scotland report, Outpatients Count.
Answer
The White Paper
Partnershipfor Care sets out plans for a programme of service redesign to help ensure morestreamlined access to services and more effective and timely communicationswith patients.
The Centre for Change andInnovation is driving the implementation of the Outpatient Action Plan, whichI launched on 13 June 2003. The plan includes a requirement for NHS boards and truststo review follow-up and discharge policies, which should help reduce anyunnecessary visits to specialist clinics. In addition, the centre willfacilitate the spread of good practice and the promotion of knowledge transfer througha series of good practice events, to help improve out-patient services acrossNHSScotland.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to investigate the reasons behind Did Not Attend (DNA) rates in each NHS board area in light of DNA rates costing approximately #20 million, as identified in the Audit Scotland report, Outpatient Count - Results of a census on outpatient activity.
Answer
The Audit Scotland Report
OutpatientCount – Results of a census on outpatient activity recommends that NHS trustsshould examine the causes of DNA rates in their respective clinics and takeaction to reduce these.
The Executive believes thatthe best way to reduce the number of patients who fail to attend NHSappointments is through more effective and timely communications with patientsand more streamlined access to services. The White Paper Partnership forCare sets out plans for a programme of service redesign that will supportthese objectives. On 13 June 2003, I launched the out-patient action plan, whichincludes a commitment to piloting new arrangements for booking out-patientappointments. Pilot sites will be launched this month and their impact on DNArates monitored.
