- Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee East, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 26 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its publications previously distributed by The Stationery Office to NHS libraries post-free will continue to be post-free under the Blackwells' contract for distribution of these documents.
Answer
Blackwell’s bookshop is the official outlet for Scottish publications under the Design, Print, Publishing and Associated Services contract which was awarded to Astron on 4 August 2004. Blackwell’s do not charge postage for distributing Scottish Executive publications to customers.
- Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee East, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 26 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS budgets will be increased to accommodate any increased cost associated with receiving publications previously distributed post-free by The Stationery Office and which are now being distributed by Blackwells.
Answer
No increase in NHS budgets is necessary. Although initially Blackwells were charging for distribution of publications, this ceased on 16 December 2004. All such distribution costs incurred by NHS boards prior to 16 December 2004 are to be reimbursed.
- Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee East, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects postcode prescribing to end.
Answer
We are committed to ensuring there is no postcode prescribing in the NHS in Scotland. The Scottish Medicines Consortium provides a single national source of advice about all newly licensed medicines. SMC recommended medicines should be available across Scotland to meet clinical need. We have recently put in place new arrangements with NHS boards to strengthen further the process of planning and implementation for the introduction of significant new drugs.
- Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee East, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 24 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider (a) recommending to the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) that it reviews the guidance on the maximum caseloads for breast care nurses as part of its current update of guidance on breast cancer and (b) directing NHS boards to implement the SIGN guidance on maximum caseloads for breast care nurses.
Answer
SIGN guidelines are producedindependently of the Scottish Executive Health Department. Recommendationswithin SIGN guidelines come about after a rigorous consideration of theclinical evidence.
All boards are asked to takeaccount of SIGN guidelines when planning their services.
We are not aware that anygood quality clinical information about maximum caseloads for breast carenurses was identified in any of its deliberations.
- Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee East, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 24 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure the recruitment and retention of sufficient numbers of breast care nurses to ensure that the needs of patients are met.
Answer
The Executive remainscommitted to building the capacity of the workforce of NHSScotland and weremain on track to achieve our Partnership Agreement target of attracting12,000 nurses and midwives into NHSScotland by 2007.
Under the banner of Facingthe Future, a number of initiatives have been launched, with a focus onimproving the recruitment and retention of nursing and midwifery staff acrossNHSScotland. These include:
- Funding for Return to Practice programmes for nurses and midwives to rejoin NHSScotland;
- Promoting new role development for nurses, sponsorship of clinical leadership programmes as well as Continuing Professional Development (CPD);
- A review of nursing and midwifery workload which has identified a number of recommendations for improved workforce planning as well as to reduce the reliance on agency usage;
- A review of current nursing bank arrangements across NHSScotland;
- Widening the opportunity to access nursing training programmes, and
An on-line recruitmentwebsite for NHSScotland.
- Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee East, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 24 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support a review and update of the role of clinical nurse specialists in breast care in order to examine the new roles being undertaken by breast care nurses and the support, resources and training needed to undertake these new roles.
Answer
The requirements for, and thedevelopment of, nursing roles is primarily a matter for individual NHS boards.
The Executive are committed toproviding national leadership on workforce design, new roles and new ways of working,and workload across the health workforce. This strand of work is part of the NationalWorkforce Committee agenda.
In addition, a consultation paperon role development which includes a framework for Developing Nursing Roles hasbeen out for consultation. This draft framework provides principles that underpinnursing roles and states that adequate support, resources and training require tobe provided. We are currently reviewing the outcome of this consultation exercisehowever, NHSScotland is already finding this draft Framework useful in helping themplan and organise role development within nursing. This work has been integratedinto the work of the National Workforce Committee, Workforce Design sub-committee.
- Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee East, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applicants to the Skipton Fund who received the first stage ex gratia payment of £20,000 have subsequently received the further staged ex gratia payment of £25,000.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-12632, answered on 13 December 2004. 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/wa.search.
- Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee East, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all the documents used by the Skipton Fund in reaching decisions on ex gratia payments will be made available to appellants against a decision made by the fund.
Answer
I refer the member to the question S2W-12642 answered on 13 December 2004. 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/wa.search.
- Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee East, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many unsuccessful applicants to the Skipton Fund have requested an appeal against the decision and, of these, how many have had their appeal heard.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-12632, answered on 13 December 2004, which gives the status of applications received by the Skipton Fund as at 26 November 2004. 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/wa.search.
Patient groups have been consulted and have commented on an initial proposal for the appeals process and the membership of an independent appeals panel. The UK Health Departments are now considering arrangements for the appeals process and the appointment of the panel.
Appointments to the panel will be made through the public appointments process. Funding for the panel will come from the total budget allocated to the Skipton Fund.
Decisions on the granting of legal aid are a matter for the Scottish Legal Aid Board. The Skipton Fund will not meet any legal or other expenses incurred by an applicant.
- Asked by: Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee East, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have applied to the Skipton Fund.
Answer
The following table provides figures in relation to the number of stage I and stage II applications received by the Skipton Fund and their status as at 26 November 2004:
| | Stage 1 | Stage 2 |
| Application forms dispatched | 4,496 | 338 |
| Total completed applications received | 3,095 | 117 |
| Declined | 140 | 01 |
| Number of claims paid | 2,501 | 81 |
| Total amount paid to claimants | £50,020 ,000 | £2,025,000 |
Note: 1. A small number of stage 2 applications have been deferred because the claimants do not yet meet the criteria for payment.
