Chamber and committees

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: S4W-11885

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 22 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the availability of access to proton therapy at hospitals is, broken down by NHS board.

Proton beam therapy is currently provided by only a small number of treatment centres in the world. Access to high energy proton beam therapy for all appropriate patients in Scotland is managed through an agreed and confirmed referral pathway, through the UK panel on proton beam therapy. 15 patients from across Scotland were referred for proton beam therapy between 2008 and 2012. Due to the small number, data cannot be provided on a board-by-board basis due to patient confidentiality.

Question reference: S4W-11879

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 22 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being taken to improve awareness of childhood cancers among parents and families.

The Scottish Government established a paediatric cancer Managed Service Network in 2011 with funding from the National Delivery Plan for Children and Young People’s Specialist Services (NDP) to ensure that children and young people with a diagnosis of cancer attain the best possible outcomes, have access to appropriate specialist services, as locally as possible that are both safe and sustainable and that the pathway of care is as equitable as possible.

Children’s cancer services were identified as a priority for investment during the development of the NDP. The NDP was published in January 2009 and £32 million was allocated to improve a number of specialist services. Over the three years of the NDP £5.4 million was allocated to paediatric cancer with £3.2 million recurring year on year from 2011.

The managed service network for children and young people with cancer provides a range of information and resources to GPs and health professionals and information for parents and families. In addition, we are working with the Teenage Cancer Trust on their schools education programme to raise awareness of cancer among children and young people. The guidance on children unable to attend school due to ill-health which contains advice on the duty to provide education to children, wherever they are, if they are unable to attend school due to ill-health is currently being reviewed with a view to new guidance being published later this year.

Question reference: S4W-11882

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 22 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what initiatives it funds to support the families of children with cancer.

Question reference: S4W-11953

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 22 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it (a) received and (b) will publish the evaluation report on the NHS board elections pilot.

The Scottish Government received the Final Report of the Statutory Evaluation into Health Board Elections and Alternative Pilots on 11 December 2012 from the London School of Economics. On 20 December 2012 the report and its supporting documents were placed in Scottish Parliament Information Centre and published on the Scottish Government website. The web links below will allow access to the documents.

1 Health Board Elections and Alternative Pilots: Final Report of the Statutory Evaluation

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/12/8580

2. Health Board Elections and Alternative Pilots: Research Findings Summary

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/12/1328

3. Health Board Elections and Alternative Pilots: Literature Review

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/12/3926

Question reference: S4W-12122

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 22 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is undertaking an investigation into allegations of bullying and harassment in the Scottish Ambulance Service and, if so, what form the investigation is taking and when the results will be published.

As I have previously stated, I want a zero tolerance approach to bullying and harassment in NHSScotland. I expect all allegations of bullying and harassment to be fully investigated in line with the Preventing and Dealing with Bullying and Harassment PIN Policy published in December 2011. I am aware that the allegations are being investigated, but cannot provide any further details at this stage.

Question reference: S4O-01702

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 January 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the inappropriate use of social unavailability codes by NHS boards to meet waiting times targets.

Question reference: S4W-11979

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce the continuation of the support grant for those affected by thalidomide.

Question reference: S4W-11996

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide continuing assistance for those affected by thalidomide for the next 10 years.

Question reference: S4W-11743

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 19 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there will be sufficient staffing to provide out of hours cover across the NHS over the 2012-13 Christmas and New Year period.

NHS boards plan the staffing levels required to meet predicted demand throughout the year. The winter presents additional challenges and the Scottish Government has a well established process in place to support NHS Scotland to prepare for the winter period.

This year’s “Preparing for Winter Guidance” was circulated to NHS board Chief Executives on 16 October 2012 and copied to a range of partners who play a critical role in supporting the delivery of NHS services over the winter period.

The guidance focuses on supporting NHS boards to make efficient utilisation of capacity and to optimise patient flow from point of admission through to point of discharge. It sets out a number of priority actions, including agreeing on staff rotas in November for the fortnight in which the two festive holiday periods occur to match projected peaks in demand. These rotas should include services that support the management of inpatient pathways, (e.g.) diagnostics, pharmacy, phlebotomy, Allied Health Professions(AHPs), Infection Protection Control Team, etc. It also asks NHS boards to ensure that appropriate medical staff is available, and that AHP rotas are structured, to facilitate the discharging of patients throughout weekends and the fortnight in which the two festive holiday periods occur in order to maximise capacity.

As part of their winter planning arrangements NHS boards conduct a primary care out-of hours self-assessment to ensure that primary care services are fully sustained over the winter period and especially around the Christmas and New Year period.

Question reference: S4W-11745

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 19 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether any consultant-led clinics will be cancelled over the 2012-13 Christmas and New Year period.