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: S5W-27068

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that all health and social care staff are aware of the extension of free personal care to under 65s (Frank's law).

Guidance on Free Personal Care was renewed to include the extension of free personal care and this was sent in December 2018 to COSLA, Chief Officers and Chief Finance Officers of Health and Social Care Partnerships, Chief Executives, Chief Finance Officers and Chief Social Work Officers of Local Authorities, Social Work Scotland’s Self-directed Support Practice Forum and the Social Work Scotland Adult Social Care Committee.

COSLA and representatives of local authorities and Social Work Scotland were closely involved as part of a working group in the development of this guidance.

https://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/publications/cc2018_03.pdf .

COSLA produce national guidance for non-residential care which local authorities use to guide the development of their own local charging policies. This was updated in April 2019 to include the extension of free personal care.

Question reference: S5W-27244

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards use the Medinet system, and how much each NHS board has spent on the Medinet system in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S5W-27224

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much it will cost to change the domain name on NHS staff email addresses from "nhs.net" to "nhs.scot"; what its position is on the cost effectiveness of this project, and what the timetable is for its completion.

The move from nhs.net to nhs.scot is part of the ongoing Office 365 transformation programme that will ensure staff can work more collaboratively and effectively across NHSScotland and, in the future, with Local Authority social care. The nhs.net domain name is owned by NHS Digital (England). Strategic decisions, taken by NHS Digital (England), on the future of the nhs.net email platform have meant that NHS Scotland has to migrate onto a different domain name and a different email system.

The nhs.scot domain name was purchased in 2015 with a current yearly renewal cost of £44.77 (plus VAT). The migration of NHSScotland Boards from nhs.net to nhs.scot with the additional benefits accrued is expected to be completed by September 2020 at a cost of £2.5million.

Question reference: S5W-27157

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 19 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there is no statutory time limit for chronic pain patients to receive return treatment, and whether it will consider setting one.

Question reference: S5O-04150

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding the future rebuild of the Edinburgh Cancer Centre.

Question reference: S5W-27199

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response to reports of supply difficulties with the FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring system for people with type 1 diabetes; what discussions it has had with the manufacturer regarding this, and what action NHS boards are taking to manage supplies.

The manufacturer of FreeStyle Libre, Abbott, have chosen to also be the exclusive distributer for their product, therefore any healthcare professional experiencing difficulties in obtaining this product must contact Abbot directly. The manufacturer have indicated that sensors are likely to be out of stock until end of February 2020.

We expect all NHS Boards to advise patients on having a regular finger pricking routine and also ensure that they have enough test strips as a safety measure in the event of a device malfunction or a supply issue.

Anyone seeking advice on FreeStyle Libre should speak to their diabetes team as they are best placed to provide specific advice and support based on individual circumstances and clinical needs.

Question reference: S5W-27062

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26660 by Michael Matheson on 19 December 2019, when work on the installation of the sensors will (a) commence and (b) be completed, and how much this will cost.

The safety of road users is our number one priority.

The procurement process for installation of the ice sensors and ancillary equipment is currently underway and we hope to be in a position to award the contract shortly, after which the sensors will be installed as soon as possible. Costings will be confirmed following completion of the procurement process.

In the meantime, robust procedures are in place to deal with issues relating to ice accumulation.

Question reference: S5W-27060

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 5 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what actions are being taken to improve NHS staff (a) safety and (b) welfare in the workplace.

The Ministerial Short Life Working Group, I convened following the Sturrock Review is examining wellbeing, support services and how behaviours and values fit together. Specifically this group has been tasked with developing a framework to support cultural improvement. This will contribute to the implementation of practical strategies on staff welfare and wellbeing, to ensure staff have access to appropriate services.

This includes examining how behaviours and values fit together, our approach to recruitment and retention, staff-governance monitoring, iMatter, the development of a new Dignity at Work tool and the provision of wellbeing and support services.

Our policies and the Healthy Working Lives initiative ensure that we provide a healthy working environment and support individuals to improve their own health and wellbeing.

The Managing Health at Work policy is being reviewed as part of the Once for Scotland process, to provide a more consistent approach to health and wellbeing at work.

The NHS Scotland Staff Governance Standard requires health boards to demonstrate that staff are provided with a continuously improving and safe working environment and that they promote the health and wellbeing of staff.

Health boards routinely use a variety of mechanisms to monitor the health and wellbeing of their workforce including stress audits. Services are also provided for staff to access discrete support, including through staff helplines and counselling services.

We are committed to protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of staff in our NHS, and our managing health at work policies help deliver that commitment.

Question reference: S5W-27121

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to carry out a review of non-residential social care for people with Parkinson’s disease and other long-term conditions.

We are currently working with people who use social care support, unpaid carers, COSLA and the social services sector to take forward a shared programme of reform for adult social care in Scotland. This covers all parts of the population who have a need for social care support now, or that may do in future. It covers both care homes and care and support in people’s own homes and communities.

The programme will support positive change in a range of different areas. This includes how care and support is planned and bought at a local level; the consistency of support for people across Scotland; co-operation between statutory provision and community and voluntary support; and the spreading of successful ways of providing person-centred care and support across the country. A specific focus of the programme will be looking at how adult social care is funded and paid for into the future. This will include considering approaches to charging.

Question reference: S5W-27054

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether GPs will be provided with tinnitus awareness training to be better informed about the range of support available to people who present with tinnitus.

While the RCGP curriculum makes reference to the treatment options available for tinnitus within the ‘Ear, Nose & Throat and Speech & Hearing’ section, it acknowledges that patients with ENT symptoms may prove difficult to manage e.g. tinnitus, facial pain, unsteadiness, hearing loss.

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) will signpost health professionals to a resource recently developed by Action on Hearing Loss Northern Ireland and the British Tinnitus Association, and will also actively look at whether a separate Scottish module should be developed.

All medical professionals, including GPs, have a professional obligation to undertake continuous professional development to remain up-to-date and meet GMC requirements to retain their license to practice. CPD opportunities and information are provided by the RCGP and NES.