Question reference: S4W-15630
- Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 12 June 2013
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Current status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 June 2013
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to educate health professionals about the suitability of different tests for group B streptococcal carriage.
Answer
There are no specific national educational initiatives commissioned by the Scottish Government about the suitability of different tests for group B streptococcal carriage.
Healthcare professionals will have to demonstrate knowledge, skills and competence relevant to their profession during their undergraduate and postgraduate training, including in areas of diagnosis and appropriate treatments. It is also a professional obligation that such staff participate in continuous professional development activities in order to keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date.
In the absence of specific national educational initiatives, healthcare staff are expected to follow professional guidance from their respective Royal Colleges, such as the recently revised guidance “The Prevention of Early-onset Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Disease” from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, issued in June 2012.