- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 14 August 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to ensure that NHS boards develop minimum safe staffing levels for all professions in hospital settings that provide the required skills mix and experience, along with the appropriate supervision, to ensure that patients always receive safe, high quality care.
Answer
We are fully committed to achieving the best possible healthcare outcomes for Scotland’s people through safe, high quality care. Scotland is a world leader, internationally recognised for the improvements in care and safety the Scottish Patient Safety Programme has brought about. The care delivered by our NHS workforce is of the highest quality and we have record staffing levels with staff better equipped to deliver services than ever before.
We have backed this up by our statutory requirements on NHS boards to ensure they have workforce plans in place, and by our mandatory application of an important series of evidence-based workload and workforce tools. These enable NHS boards to assess and deploy the required numbers of appropriate staff accurately and effectively, according to the clinical needs of patients rather than by fixed staffing ratios.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 14 August 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it (a) has introduced and (b) is planning to introduce to reduce the level of absenteeism through ill-health in NHS Scotland.
Answer
Our staff are at the heart of our NHS. The welfare of NHS staff is critically important with every health board required to have policies in place and to comply with national policies on managing health at work.
The Staff Governance Standard for NHSScotland commits all boards to providing a continuously improving and safe working environment promoting the health and wellbeing of staff, patients and the wider community. Through our monitoring arrangements, we are ensuring that boards have policies and actions in place to support staff.
We are currently in the process of updating the Partnership Information Network (PIN) policy for Managing Health at Work. This is in consultation with boards.
We are currently in the process of updating the Managing Health at Work PIN policy that will be researched and prepared on a partnership basis involving NHSScotland employers, trade unions, professional organizations and the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 August 2015
To ask the Scottish Government whether it or any of its agencies has a contract with Scottish Provincial Press to deliver marketing or other publications and, if so, whether it will list those agencies and contracts.
Answer
Neither the Scottish Government nor its agencies have a contract with the Scottish Provincial Press to deliver marketing or other publications.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 4 August 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for the (a) development and (b) delivery of rural and remote pathways to address any inequality in out of hospital cardiac arrest outcomes by improving ambulance response times in rural areas.
Answer
The Scottish Ambulance Service continually works to improve ambulance response times in all parts of the country. In acknowledgement of the time critical nature of cardiac arrest response and the clearly defined elements of the ‘chain of survival’, the service is working with a range of partner agencies, community responder groups and projects to optimise the chain of survival in all parts of the country. Some of these pathways are currently under development such as the Sandpiper Wildcat project, which will create a network of trained cardiac responders across the north east of Scotland. In rural Grampian there are emerging pilot projects between the Scottish Ambulance Service and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. In other remote and rural areas the service works closely with BASICS responders and our network of Community First Responders in Scotland.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 4 August 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to research the costs of its plans relating to improving outcomes for people experiencing out of hospital cardiac arrest and how these improvements could be achieved without incurring additional cost.
Answer
The Scottish Government published Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Strategy for Scotland in March 2015. We continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders to deliver the aims of the strategy and improve outcomes for people experiencing out of hospital cardiac arrest.
In the context of a complex, multi-organisational system, it is difficult to calculate the net additional costs of improving out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) given that it is not clear at this stage what proportion of the proposed improvements might be absorbed through different and more effective use of existing resources. Or what efficiencies might be achieved through better co-ordination amongst stakeholders.
Since announcing in October 2014 that an OHCA strategy would be produced, the government has committed over £300,000 to support delivery. Statutory organisations, including the Scottish Ambulance Service and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and third sector organisations, including Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and the British Heart Foundation have also invested significant resources.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 4 August 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to put in place pathways and protocols that promote consistent best practice for the ambulance transportation of out of hospital cardiac arrest patients that reflects local geography and circumstances.
Answer
There are already established emergency care pathways in place for patients who experience out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). These pathways involve support from Ambulance Control Centres to help initiate bystander CPR, rapid response by the Scottish Ambulance Service and a range of emergency co-responders, for example Community First Responders and BASICS responders, resuscitation and rapid transfer to the nearest Emergency Department.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 4 August 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a law to protect people giving CPR from legal action when providing help in an emergency.
Answer
The government currently has no such plans.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 4 August 2015
To ask the Scottish Government how it will encourage owners, purchasers and suppliers of public access defibrillators to ensure that they are regularly serviced, maintained and registered with the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Answer
As part of the implementation of the Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy, the government is working with stakeholders to consider how to maximise the value of public access defibrillators.
The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) encourages all those considering purchasing a Public Access Defibrillator to contact the service beforehand – information can be found on the SAS website (www.scottishambulance.com) – in order that communities can be provided with information of the service protocol. The Memorandum of Understanding defines the responsibilities of the two parties in the provision of an Automated External Defibrillator until the arrival of the statutory ambulance response. It also provides information on the registration and maintenance of devices.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 4 August 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to implement further CPR training in (a) schools, (b) workplaces and (c) volunteer groups.
Answer
The government acknowledges and welcomes the work of third sector groups, business, public sector organisations and others in providing CPR training.
As part of the implementation of the Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy, the government is working with stakeholder organisations to develop ideas and initiatives to increase CPR training. In addition, a report is in preparation on how public attitudes and behaviour can be influenced in order to increase rates of bystander CPR. This report will inform our approach to increasing CPR training rates.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 4 August 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of people who are CPR trained or undergoing training and what plans it has to increase the amount of information that it collects.
Answer
The Institute for Social Marketing, School of Health Sciences, University of Stirling has been commissioned to undertake a survey to provide baseline information on the number of people trained. In addition, we are working with the British Heart Foundation and other third sector organisations to explore options for measuring the number of people who undergo CPR training.