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-09992

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-00624 by Shona Robison on 27 June 2017 (Official Report, c. 10), what its position is on whether the development of a national NHS workforce plan would have helped to prevent the closures in recent years of the children's ward at St John's Hospital to inpatients.

The National Health and Social care Workforce Plan will help to address workforce planning requirements for the NHSScotland workforce, ensuring the delivery of safe and sustainable local, regional and national clinical services. NHS Lothian continues to implement the new model of care agreed with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and we can advise that five consultants are now in post working between the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and St John’s Hospital. We have also asked the Chief Medical Officer, National Clinical Director and NHSScotland Director of Performance to support NHS Lothian to ensure the services it provides including the in-patient paediatric ward remains safe and sustainable in the long term.

Question reference: S5W-09991

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-00624 by Shona Robison on 27 June 2017 (Official Report, c. 10), on what date the children's ward at St John's Hospital will reopen to inpatients.

Question reference: S5W-09993

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-00624 by Shona Robison on 27 June 2017 (Official Report, c. 10), what its position is on whether the children's ward at St John's Hospital will not be closed to inpatients in future years.

The Scottish Government fully expects NHS Lothian to ensure services are staffed appropriately to meet their service provision responsibility and to deliver high quality and sustainable services to meet the needs of the local population, in this instance, West Lothian.

NHS Lothian is engaging with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to evaluate progress against the College’s Report of 2016 and to receive input and advice on possible future solutions. The St John’s paediatric consultants will have a central role in the consideration of possible solutions going forward.

The Scottish Government will continue to support NHS Lothian to ensure the services on offer at the in-patient paediatric ward remains safe and sustainable in the long-term. This includes the Chief Medical Officer, the National Clinical Director and the NHSScotland Director of Performance will providing support to the Board over the coming weeks.

Workforce planning arrangements in NHS Scotland are in place at national, regional and local level to ensure that the right staff are in the right place at the right time; and it is the responsibility of NHS Boards to ensure services are staffed to support the delivery of safe, effective and person-centred care.

Question reference: S5W-09990

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-00624 by Shona Robison on 27 June 2017 (Official Report, c. 10), what support is available for parents and families from West Lothian to meet additional travel and other costs in order to travel to and from the Royal Hospital for Sick Kids in Edinburgh while the children's ward at St John's Hospital is closed to inpatients.

Families in receipt of social security benefits, who are on a low income, should be entitled to help with travel costs to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children Hospital (RHSC). In that instance, when families attend the RHSC, they should request a certificate of attendance from reception in the department they are visiting. This certificate should then be taken to the Cashiers Office within the RHSC where they will be reimbursed.

The RHSC also has a Family Support Team who work with families and are able to support families to arrange travel and offer additional support.

In the event that families attend RHSC by ambulance, and had no transport to return home, then NHS Lothian would normally arrange, and pay for, a taxi for them to return home.

Question reference: S5W-09995

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-00624 by Shona Robison on 27 June 2017 (Official Report, c. 10), what the impact has been on services at the Royal Sick Kids Hospital in Edinburgh of it treating additional patients as a result of the closure of the children's ward at St John's Hospital to inpatients, and what discussions it has had with NHS Lothian regarding this.

In 2015, when the current temporary model was in operation for a 6 week period, an average of 1.7 patients per day presented at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC). This did not have a detrimental effect upon the services on offer within the RHSC. NHS Lothian has indicated that the average number of children attending from West Lothian whilst the temporary model is in place is likely to be similar.

The Board has confirmed that the first 3-days of the temporary model, resulted in a total of 5 children presenting at the RHSC.

The Scottish Government meets with the Board on a regular basis to discuss matters of importance to the people of Lothian, including paediatric services.

The out of hours model was implemented for the first time on Friday 7 July and the Scottish Government has asked NHS Lothian to monitor its impact upon the RHSC.

Question reference: S5W-09863

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the students that it expects to undertake the new graduate-level medicine course will be Scottish-domiciled, and how it will encourage Scottish-domiciled students to apply.

The Scottish Government will set the overall intake number for the new graduate level medical course. The first intake is expected to be around 40 students. In line with academic freedom, the selection and recruitment of individual students admitted to the course is a matter for the universities concerned, however.

In order to encourage Scottish domiciled students to apply, the Scottish Government will, by way of exception to the normal position for applicants who already hold a degree, pay the course fees of all successful Scottish domiciled and EU applicants.

In order to encourage retention of Scotgem graduates in NHS Scotland, it is the Scottish Government's intention that the course will have an element of bonding. Details of the bonding scheme will be announced shortly.

Question reference: S5W-09711

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 30 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that some local authorities do not provide reminders to (a) permanently blind and (b) other disabled people when their concessionary travel passes are due to expire, and whether it provides or plans to provide guidance to councils to encourage them to issue such reminders.

The Scottish Government is responsible for the management, operational delivery and policy issues relating to concessionary travel in Scotland which is delivered on the National Entitlement Card (NEC). Local authorities manage the NEC application and validation process locally and act as data controllers.

Transport Scotland issues guidance to local authorities to ensure the eligibility criteria is applied consistently across all local authorities, in accordance with current legislative requirements. Whilst Transport Scotland can encourage best practice, it is up to individual local authorities to determine an appropriate application and renewal process in their area which is fit for purpose and takes into account their own cost and resource limitations.

If there are any reports of particular issues I am happy to raise this with local authorities.

Question reference: S5O-01194

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that all diabetes patients who would benefit from continuous glucose monitoring are able to access this technology.

There is now a well-established evidence base for the benefits of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) as an aid to improve glycaemic control for a small number of people with Type 1 diabetes.

We have worked with the Scottish Diabetes Group (SDG) to develop an National Approach to support the uptake and increased provision of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM).

The National Approach along with the Scottish Government funding detailed in director's letter DL(2017)13 will ensure more people than ever before will have access to this life changing technology.

Question reference: S5W-09716

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 27 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that NHS chronic pain clinics are facing a shortage of (a) staff and (b) resources.

It is the role of the Scottish Government to provide policies, frameworks and resources to NHS boards. In this context, it is a matter for NHS Boards to plan, budget for, and deliver the services required to meet the assessed needs of their resident populations - within the allocations provided.

Scottish Government maintains regular channels of communication and support to NHS boards to ensure services provided are of the best possible standard.

Question reference: S5W-09726

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 27 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the most recent Information Service Division publication summary documents, Chronic Pain Waiting Times in NHSScotland Quarter ending 31 December 2016 and Chronic Pain Waiting Times in NHSScotland Quarter ending 31 March 2017, did not make public full data on chronic pain clinic waiting times, including the numbers of people (a) treated and (b) untreated, when this information was published previously.