Chamber and committees

Decisions regarding the care and treatment of individual patients are always a matter of professional judgement for the clinician responsible for a patient’s care. Lactate tests are used when clinically appropriate and interpreted in the context of a patient’s clinical condition. Regarding the use of other antibiotic tests, I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-17584 on 20 July 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guideline on antenatal care for routine pregnancies advises that routine Doppler ultrasound should not be used in low-risk pregnancies. A recent Cochrane review (2015) found that there is no conclusive evidence of health benefits to mother or baby to support the use of routine Doppler ultrasound scans for low risk or unselected pregnant women. NICE continues to assess studies and evidence which are published in this area with a view to keeping advice on use of scans in pregnancy up to date. Scottish Government has no plans to offer Doppler scans to all pregnant women.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guideline on antenatal care for routine pregnancies advises that routine Doppler ultrasound should not be used in low-risk pregnancies. A recent Cochrane review (2015) found that there is no conclusive evidence of health benefits to mother or baby to support the use of routine Doppler ultrasound scans for low risk or unselected pregnant women. NICE continues to assess studies and evidence which are published in this area with a view to keeping advice on use of scans in pregnancy up to date. Scottish Government has no plans to offer Doppler scans to all pregnant women.

All women are offered two ultrasound scans during pregnancy as part of the screening programme. The first is offered between 11-13 weeks and the second, a foetal anatomy detailed scan is offered around 20 weeks. Any additional ultrasound scans offered will be based on individual risk assessment in line with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance.

Under the general medical services contract all overseas visitors are eligible to register as patients of a general practice and receive free treatment.

It is a long-standing principle that everybody in Scotland is entitled to register with a general medical practice and receive primary medical services without charge. Patients should register on a permanent or temporary basis depending upon on their length of stay in a practice area and not upon their legal status to remain in the UK. GPs are paid for this work as with any other patient.

The Scottish Government's policy is clear the waiting time for a patient's operation is measured from the time the patient and consultant agree treatment and stops when the patient's operation is undertaken. Therefore impact of rescheduling an operation will not impact a patient's actual waiting time. The Scottish Government has also made clear to NHS Boards that any patient who has an operation cancelled must have their operation rescheduled as quickly as possible and offered the next available admission date.

All overseas visitors are eligible to register as temporary or permanent patients of a general practice and receive free treatment. As such, GPs do not need to check the eligibility of overseas visitors to free NHS care and, as under the previous contract, are not able to charge a fee for services provided under a general medical services contract.

It is a long-standing principle that everybody in Scotland is entitled to register with a general medical practice and receive primary medical services without charge. Patients should register on a permanent or temporary basis depending upon on their length of stay in a practice area and not upon their legal status to remain in the UK. GPs are paid for this work as with any other patient.

The estimated uptake rate of the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination in people aged 65 and over is set out in the following table. Data is only available from 2010-11 onwards:

Police and prosecutors already have powers available to them to deal with the theft, vandalism or misuse of community defibrillators. These offences potentially put lives at risk but according to the UK Resuscitation Council, instances of Public Access Defibrillator theft and vandalism is relatively uncommon.

The general medical services contract provides resources to practices on the basis of their expected workload. As under the previous general medical services contract, Scottish Government will annually increase the level of resources to be allocated in line with increases in the registered population whether from ordinary residents or overseas visitors.

Under the new contract, practices will be required to report on numbers of Temporary Residents in 2018-19 to allow funding to be reformed and uplifted on the basis that resources will follow activity as soon as practicable and by 2020-21.