- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 9 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has prepared for local authorities on the application of eligibility criteria that may lead to a reduction in services without first assessing individual needs.
Answer
The Scottish Government issued guidance to local authorities on National Eligibility Criteria and Waiting Times for the Personal and Nursing Care of Older People on 28 September 2009.
This guidance delivers on the recommendation arising from Lord Sutherland''s Review of Free Personal and Nursing Care for older people. If a local authority chooses to apply the eligibility criteria framework set out within the guidance to all community care groups, that is a matter solely for that council and is not tied to the agreement between the Scottish Government and council leaders on free personal and nursing care. Councils have been given no encouragement from the Scottish Government to apply the eligibility criteria framework to other community care groups.
The guidance makes it clear that if someone appears to be in need of community care services they should receive a care needs assessment. Local authorities are encouraged to set a low threshold for access to a care needs assessment.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 9 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30932 by Shona Robison on 1 February 2010, whether it is yet in a position to announce the chair and membership of the expert group examining infertility services.
Answer
We have recently identified a chair for the new National Group on Infertility. Final membership of the group will be agreed with the chair, and we will shortly announce details publicly.
The first meeting will take place in April.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what screening programmes are available for adults with a clear family history of cardiac conditions.
Answer
Our Keep Well and Well North Programmes identify those at highest risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes, using the ASSIGN cardiovascular risk calculator which takes account of family history as a factor in assessing someone''s risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Our Better Heart Disease and Stroke Care Action Plan contains a range of actions related to inherited cardiac conditions.
We have also supported the Familial Arrhythmia Network Scotland (FANS), which is developing cascade screening for families who have been affected by sudden cardiac death, whether through inherited arrhythmias or as a result of conditions such as hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. FANS is developing close links with the Scottish Muscle Network, in order to better identify families at risk of sudden cardiac death as a result of inherited neuromuscular conditions.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the (a) enforcement activities and (b) regulating for improvement role of the Care Commission.
Answer
In line with the Corporate Governance arrangements set out in the government''s guidance for sponsoring public bodies I meet the Care Commission''s Convener and Chief Executive regularly to discuss performance and key issues and policies. Officials also meet the commission''s executive management team quarterly.
The Care Commission''s Corporate Plan which sets out its objectives and details its key performance indicators (KPIs) is approved by Scottish ministers. There are KPIs relating to inspection activity and enforcement. The commission submits to my officials a monitoring report setting out how it has performed against the KPIs. This report is carefully scrutinised and any concerns about performance are raised with the Care Commission''s Executive Team.
The corporate governance arrangements also include discussions on the commission''s regulatory activities in order to ensure that Scotland''s care services continue to improve. The Commission strives to deliver improvement in a number of ways. These include more targeted inspections and a focus on people who use services and their carers, as well as increased participation from users and their carers in the regulation of care services.
More information about enforcement activities and regulating for improvement and how they operate can be obtained from the Care Commission''s website www.carecommission.com or by contacting the chief executive:
Mrs Jacquie Roberts
Chief Executive
Care Commission
Compass House
Riverside Drive
DUNDEE DD1 4NY
T: 01382 207100
E: [email protected].
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review Care Commission enforcement activity to ensure that capacity building of the social care provider market is not adversely affected by regulation.
Answer
The Care Commission''s enforcement powers are an important part of its regulatory role to ensure that people who use care services receive good quality care. The powers of enforcement are set out in the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001. It is an operational matter for the commission to determine when to use these powers.
The commission regulates about 15,000 services. In 2008-09, it issued 134 enforcement notices against 84 services. In deciding what to do when a care service is not providing care which meets the requirements of the legislation and the National Care Standards, the commission takes account of all the relevant circumstances, and each case is considered on its own merits.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the complaints procedure used by the Care Commission.
Answer
There is a statutory requirement on the Care Commission to establish a complaints procedure to deal with complaints about care service provision and complaints about how the commission undertakes its work. The procedure and any variations to it require the consent of Scottish ministers. The complaints procedure which currently applies was approved by Scottish ministers in 2004. How that procedure is applied is an operational matter for the Care Commission.
Complaints are an important part of regulating for improvement in the quality of care services. More information about the complaints procedure and how it operates can be obtained from the Care Commission''s website www.carecommission.com or by contacting the chief executive:
Mrs Jacquie Roberts
Chief Executive
Care Commission
Compass House
Riverside Drive
DUNDEE
DD1 4NY
T: 01382 207100
E: [email protected].
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Care Commission Quality Assessment Framework takes account of the (a) size of a service, (b) number of service users, (c) number of care episodes delivered and (d) number of complaints made and, if not, whether this will be reviewed.
Answer
The method used to regulate care services is an operational matter for the Care Commission. It is for the commission to evaluate and review its own inspection methodology. As part of the corporate arrangements for public bodies, officials regularly discuss with the commission its regulatory activities, including its approach to inspections.
If you would like more information about how the commission regulates care services you can contact the chief executive:
Mrs Jacquie Roberts
Chief Executive
Care Commission
Compass House
Riverside Drive
DUNDEE
DD1 4NY
T: 01382 207100
E: [email protected].
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to (a) promote the use of modern communication technologies in social care provision and (b) support voluntary and private sector social care providers in the uptake and involvement in the use of modern technologies.
Answer
The Scottish Government''s Joint Improvement Team is supporting the development of Telecare services in Scotland. All 32 health and social care partnerships are pursuing and developing local telecare services. Additional funding of £4 million is being made available for the financial year 2010-11 to enable partnerships to promote and encourage a consistent and mainstreamed approach to telehealthcare technologies across Scotland.
As part of the eCare Programme, Local Data Sharing Partnerships are upgrading their social care systems to allow them to interact on a multi-agency basis with partners across health, education, the police, and other public sector agencies. Greater emphasis is also being placed on the involvement of the third sector in the technology supporting Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) requirements, which involves private and voluntary sectors.
These developments will facilitate closer working arrangements with local private and voluntary sector social care service providers in order to support the independence and well-being of an increasingly large number of potential service users.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30936 by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 January 2010, whether the proportionate funding will be based on the number of people affected by thalidomide in Scotland or an amount calculated under the Barnett Formula.
Answer
Following discussions with the Thalidomide Trust the Scottish Government has committed £3.4 million to assist the survivors of Thalidomide. This funding is proportionate to the funding committed by the UK, Welsh and Irish Governments, and is based on the 55 thalidomiders living in Scotland.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 March 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether electrocardiographs are routinely interpreted by junior doctors without reference to senior doctors.
Answer
It is generally accepted that junior doctors who are experienced at interpreting electrocardiographs (ECGs) may do so without referring to more senior doctors.
Doctors who are less confident or experienced in interpreting cardiographs may, at any point, ask a more senior doctor for advice.
