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: S3W-15683

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable and process will be for considering the future of services at the Vale of Leven Hospital, in particular the provision of emergency services.

Question reference: S3W-15681

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what services will cease, or otherwise be altered, as a consequence of the withdrawal of anaesthetic services, as recommended in Report of the independent external clinical review of anaesthetic services at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

I welcome NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde''s commitment to quickly bring forward proposals for a full range of services at the Vale of Leven Hospital. These will take account of the report of the Independent External Review of Anaesthetic Services at the Vale and will set out a long-term safe and sustainable future for the Hospital. Proposals will be subject to public consultation and will ultimately need to be submitted to me for consideration and a final decision.

Question reference: S3W-15493

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-14365 and S3W-14367 by Nicola Sturgeon on 14 July 2008, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing will now provide details of the new structure for infection control in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

A new infection control structure was introduced across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGG&C) from 1 July 2008. The current structure of the Infection Control Nursing service has been reviewed to allow a full and seamless integration of NHSGG&C into a single delivery service across the Acute Division.

The outcomes of the review are as follows;

four Sector Teams (North West, North East, South and Clyde) will be established, with a twinning arrangement between sectors where each partnership will provide cover as required in outbreak and emergency circumstances.

each team will be led by a Lead Infection Control Nurse, who will also have a Glasgow and Clyde wide responsibility in one of the following areas: cleaning, decontamination, surveillance, built environment and education/audit/research.

a Co-ordination Infection Control Doctor will work closely with the Head Nurse of Infection Control, and will also take the role as Lead Infection Control Doctor. The new structure will have five Infection Control Doctors.

in line with the four Sector Teams, there will be four Sector Infection Control Committees. The chairs of each sector committee will report to the Acute Division Infection Control Committee.

The new structure is in the process of implementation, with new organisational arrangements and line management responsibilities.

Question reference: S3W-15592

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the “full details of the outbreak” to be produced by the Outbreak Control Team, as outlined on page 12 of Independent Review of Clostridium difficile Associated Disease at the Vale of Leven Hospital from December 2007 to June 2008.

Question reference: S3W-15609

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive why the remit of the independent review of the outbreak of Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital did not specifically include consideration of the actions of Health Protection Scotland, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S3W-15580

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive why there is no current single guidance document on Clostridium difficile issued to NHS boards.

Guidance on the control of Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD) was first issued in the early 1990s by the then public health laboratory services and evidence has shown that this guidance has remained relevant.

Specific Scottish guidance on surveillance of CDAD has been available since the start of the mandatory CDAD surveillance programme in September 2006 and this was updated in October 2007.

A range of CDAD documents have been produced by Health Protection Scotland for NHS boards. These include the standard infection control precautions model policies which have been available since September 2006, with supporting education materials for hand hygiene and personal protective equipment also available, transmission-based precautions model policies, including contact precautions policy with Clostridium difficile specific hand hygiene and cleaning guidance, which was launched April 2008, the CDAD care bundle which was launched in March 2008 and a checklist for preventing and controlling CDAD was circulated for comment on 19 June 2008 to all infection control managers.

Health Protection Scotland is drafting new overarching national guidance to draw together the above publications and the Scottish Government''s HAI Task Force has been advised that a final draft will be provided to them in September 2008.

Question reference: S3W-15610

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive when the independent review team on Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital decided to invite the participation of relatives of those who had died of the infection.

Question reference: S3W-15574

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reporting structure is from the infection control nurse at the Vale of Leven Hospital through various agencies up to and including the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing.

The Vale of Leven Hospital follows the same reporting structure as NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. All Healthcare Workers (HCW''s), who suspect that an outbreak may be occurring must contact a member of the Infection Control Team (ICT).

The ICT will then take action and decide on the need for an Outbreak Control Team (OCT) based on the agreed outbreak severity. If necessary, the ICT will close the ward and inform the following; Consultant Public Health Medicine (CPHM), Occupational Health, Board Infection Control Manager, Nurse Consultant Infection Control, Bed Manager, Head of Nursing, Service General Manager, Facilities/Site Manager, Clinical Service Manager, Lead Nurse Service, General Manager Diagnostics Directorate.

The Board Infection Control Manager or Nurse Consultant Infection Control will then inform other Chief Officers and the Press Officer for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. If the outbreak has been classified as orange or above, as outlined in The Watt Report Infection Control Outbreak/Episode Risk Matrix, the Board Infection Control Manager will inform Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and Scottish Government Health Directorates (SGHD).

Should an outbreak be reported to SGHD, my officials, the Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Task Force, chaired by the Chief Nursing Officer, will inform the Chief Medical Officer and Director General of Health and Wellbeing. I am kept regularly briefed at all times.

Question reference: S3W-15605

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether annual reports from the Healthcare Associated Infection Task Force to the Chief Medical Officer and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing have information on progress in tackling healthcare-acquired infection disaggregated on an NHS board basis.

Question reference: S3W-15607

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish all the written material considered by the independent review team on Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital.