- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take in conjunction with NHS Ayrshire and Arran to establish a community casualty facility within the three towns area of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston in North Ayrshire.
Answer
NHS Ayrshire and Arran is responsiblefor service change proposals and for maintaining high quality healthcare servicesfor all residents of its area, within available resources. I have made clear thatwe will reverse the previous decision on accident and emergency services at Ayr Hospital, andI outlined in my statement to the Parliament on 6 June 2007 the steps needed togive effect to this commitment.
As I said, our aim is to ensurethat these steps are taken as quickly as possible, consistent with proper considerationand good decision making, and that other elements of service development proposedby the board also move ahead as quickly as possible. I am not aware of any currentproposals by the board to establish a community casualty facility within the threetowns area.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under 14 were sent to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 2005 from Scotland.
Answer
Between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2007, fourScottish children were seen at Stoke Mandeville. As there have been no newreferrals of Scottish children to Stoke Mandeville since 1994, each of the fourchildren concerned received a short-stay review of their rehabilitation care,rather than a full initial assessment, resulting in nine admissions in totalfrom Scotland to the unit.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of sending young people under 14 years to Stoke Mandeville Hospital for treatment was in the last financial year, including the cost of flights, meals and accommodation, and how much it would have cost to provide specialist paediatric staff at the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injury Unit at the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow.
Answer
The clinical costs of such referrals in 2006-07 was £18,909. Information on the associated costs of travel, meals and accommodation is not available centrally, as it is the responsibility of the NHS board of residence of each child to fund these costs.
The most recent review of the spinal injuries service in Scotland did not suggest any extension of its services to cover those currently provided by the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville. No estimate has therefore been made of the cost associated with employing the specialist staff who would be required.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what disruption it considers is caused to the families of children sent from Scotland to Stoke Mandeville Hospital for treatment.
Answer
The Government is well awareof the difficulties families experience when a seriously ill or injured childis treated at a considerable distance from home. Everything possible is done toensure that the disruption caused is kept to a minimum. An initial assessmentat the National Spinal Injuries Centre can last up to eight weeks, but ifannual reviews are arranged, these are for a much shorter period. As much of the child’s rehabilitation as possible should be provided locally.
Children and their parentscan also benefit from referral to the centre, particularly through peer supportgained from the other children and their parents attending the centre.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used in the decision that children younger than 14, as opposed to any other age, must be sent to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire for treatment of their spinal injuries.
Answer
Since its designation as anational service in 1992, the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit hasbeen able to admit children aged 12 years or over. This may be related to themove from primary to secondary education. It may also avoid any difficultieswhich might otherwise arise later if there were a need to make a transitionfrom paediatric to adult services.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to open a paediatric spinal assessment facility or recruit specialist staff to the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injury Unit at the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow.
Answer
The Queen Elizabeth NationalSpinal Injury Unit is able to assess and manage children aged 12 or over whoare admitted with acute spinal injuries. It also offers support, through itsliaison and outreach services, to all children in Scotlandwith spinal injuries.
The evidence suggests thatthe number of children in Scotland with highly complex spinal injuries is so small thata Scottish equivalent of the National Spinal Injuries Centre at StokeMandeville would not be viable.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive why there is no spinal assessment facility in Scotland for young people under the age of 14.
Answer
Children under 12 with acutespinal injuries but no neurological damage are managed either in the RoyalHopsital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, or the Royal Hospital for Sick Childrenat Yorkhill, Glasgow, with input from the Queen Elizabeth National SpinalInjuries Unit at the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow.
Children under 12 with bothacute spinal injuries and neurological damage are managed at Yorkhill, againwith input from the National Spinal Injuries Unit.
Children aged 12 or overwith acute spinal injuries can be admitted to the Queen Elizabeth NationalSpinal Injuries Unit.
In each of these cases, anassessment can be made of whether the children would benefit from referral tothe National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital,Buckinghamshire. The centre provides not only initial assessments but can alsoundertake annual reviews, depending on the child’s progress and clinical needs.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to raise outcomes in schools with unacceptable levels of educational attainment.
Answer
We are committed to workingwith education professionals to help every child, in every school, achievetheir full potential.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition is of affordable housing.
Answer
Affordable housing is broadlydefined in
Scottish Planning Policy 3: Planning for Housing as follows“Housing of reasonable quality that is affordable to people on modest incomes. Insome places the market can provide some or all of the affordable housing that isneeded, but in other places it is necessary to make housing available at a costbelow market value, to meet an identified need.”
The main categories of affordablehousing are set out in Planning Advice Note 74, available on the Executive’swebsite at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/20796/54073.
Affordability, in terms of therents and prices paid by tenants and purchasers, varies from one location to anotherso should be determined in a way which takes account of incomes at the local level.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact its policy of inclusion is having on mainstream pupils and whether it will undertake a re-assessment of its policy and, if so, when.
Answer
The Scottish Executivecommissioned the Scottish Centre for Research in Education to evaluate theimpact of the legislation. Their report, which was published in 2006, found noevidence that mainstreaming has a negative effect on pupil attainment and that,with proper preparation and support, inclusion is beneficial for all.
We are committed to ensuringthat all children receive the support they need in our schools and we will takewhat steps are necessary to ensure we achieve this. These steps includeconsideration of an inquiry into the operation and implementation ofmainstreaming policy.
