Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-11713

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 4 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the use of transient elastography in community settings to improve the early diagnosis of liver disease.

Transient elastography, commonly measured with a FibroScan, is currently used in several NHS Boards throughout Scotland to assess liver disease in hospital settings.

However its use in community settings is less well established. Local trials of its use in the community to assess those at high risk of liver disease have been initiated.

As we strive to deliver evidence-based policy, we await a more full evaluation of the data before considering the next steps. Experience so far has shown it to be feasible to introduce this technology in primary care and community settings and this could improve early detection of liver disease. Early detection of those with unrecognised advanced liver disease provides greater opportunity to prevent liver-related illness and deaths.

Question reference: S6W-11354

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the current waiting time is for a paediatric audiology appointment in NHS Highland.

Question reference: S6W-11353

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time has been for children to receive hospital treatment from audiology services in NHS Highland, following a GP or other referral, in each year since 2014.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) receives monthly data from most NHS Boards on the number of patients covered by the 18 weeks Referral to Treatment (RTT) standard seen within each specialty, including audiology. Due to the aggregate nature of this data collection, the requested detail on average length of wait and age are not available.

However, Table 1 shows the total number of patients seen and the number that waited over 18 weeks to be seen for audiology services across NHS Scotland, from January 2014 to December 2021 – the latest complete calendar year. This includes all patients reported as seen on the 18-week RTT pathway for audiology. Please note, almost all patients on this pathway are not admitted for treatment and their journey ends after seeing an audiologist in an outpatient setting.

Due to the complexities of 18 week RTT local data collection and reporting, the length of wait cannot be accurately measured by the Board of treatment for all patients. The impact of which for audiology is reflected in the number of unknown waits reported in the following table.

Table 1: Total patients seen and number of patients that waited over 18 weeks, January 2014 – December 2021, NHS Scotland, Audiology.

Calendar Year

Total Number Seen

Number seen within 18 weeks

Number seen after 18 weeks

Unknown

2014

103,960

95,527

7,891

542

2015

107,894

99,882

7,499

513

2016

107,742

94,918

93,140

170

2017

94,918

82,647

12,218

53

2018

93,140

74,373

18,731

36

2019

92,673

71,274

21,341

58

2020*

47,793

31,677

16,052

64

2021*

60,750

47,164

13,543

43

Source: PHS 18 Weeks RTT Database

* There is missing data for these years, as NHS Grampian have been unable to submit data since February 2020, NHS Ayrshire and Arran have not submitted data since April 2020 and NHS Tayside have been unable to submit data since May 2021. This should be taken into consideration when interpreting the data.

Question reference: S6O-01466

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support the workforce skills that are needed to pursue a transition towards a fossil fuel-free future.

Question reference: S6F-01341

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2022

To ask the First Minister what further steps the Scottish Government will take to support tenants facing the cost of living crisis.

Question reference: S6W-09860

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 16 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to (a) raise the profile of social work and (b) improve the public understanding of the role and impact of social workers in Scotland.

The Social Work Strategic Forum commissioned a research project in 2016 into the public perception of social services in Scotland. Overall, the research findings suggested a good level of support for social services in Scotland and a reasonable level of literacy among respondents about what social services do. The findings also suggested that the public has a much more positive view of social services than social service workers and institutions perceive. Overall, people in Scotland are positive about social services’ impact on society and believe these services perform an important public role.

The Scottish Social Services Awards have been held annually since 2017 (except in 2020 due to COVID-19) and provide an opportunity to recognise the social work and social care workforce, raise the profile of the sector, demonstrate that it is valued and highlight the commitment and innovative approaches of those who work within it.

Under current arrangements, the Scottish Government sets the overall strategic framework for social work delivery. The majority of social workers are employed by councils with terms and conditions set by individual employers, resulting in local variations in pay and grading. There is no single national body which has oversight and leads social workers’ professional development, education, improvement, data and workforce planning.

The recently published National Care Service (Scotland) Bill will establish a new National Social Work Agency, which will support and invest in the social work profession by providing national leadership, and overseeing and supporting social work in a range of areas, including: workforce planning, improvement and social work terms and conditions. In establishing the National Social Work Agency, the Scottish Government will work with frontline social workers, their representative bodies and the wider social work and social care sector to raise the profile of the sector and promote understanding of the role of social workers.

Question reference: S6W-09453

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the reasons were for the decision to cease separate publication of waiting times to access audiology services after May 2014, and whether the renewed publication of waiting times for audiology services, for both adults and children, will be considered as part of the review of audiology services in Scotland announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.

Audiology Waiting Times have not been published since 27 May 2014, following an agreement between the Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland that this was no longer required. Audiology services are currently measured as part of the 18 Weeks Referral to Treatment (RTT) standard. For more information on this standard, and to view the latest publication, please see the 18 Weeks RTT page . Please note that this publication does not go down to specialty level and shows the performance of NHSScotland and the Health Boards for all specialties only. This information can also be found at ISD Audiology Waiting Times website .

In January 2022 the Cabinet Secretary of Health and Social Care announced an Independent Review of Audiology would be established to examine hearing services provided to both children and adults in Health Boards across Scotland, to ensure public confidence in the quality and effectiveness of current service provision. The group will provide recommendations for a national plan for improvement of the service and its specific remit will be published by the Chair via its Terms of Reference in due course.

Question reference: S6W-09454

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time has been for (a) adults and (b) children to receive hospital treatment from audiology services, following a GP or other referral, in each NHS board in each year since 2014.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) receives monthly data from most NHS Boards on the number of patients covered by the 18 weeks Referral to Treatment (RTT) standard seen within each specialty, including audiology. Due to the aggregate nature of this data collection, the requested detail on average length of wait and age are not available.

However, the following table shows the total number of patients seen and the number that waited over 18 weeks to be seen for audiology services across NHS Scotland, from January 2014 to December 2021 – the latest complete calendar year. This includes all patients reported as seen on the 18-week Referral to Treatment (RTT) pathway for audiology.

Total patients seen and number of patients that waited over 18 weeks, January 2014 – December 2021, NHS Scotland, Audiology

Calendar Year

Total Number Seen

Number seen within 18 weeks

Number seen after 18 weeks

Unknown

2014

103,960

95,527

7,891

542

2015

107,894

998,82

7,499

513

2016

107,742

94,918

93,140

170

2017

94,918

82,647

12,218

53

2018

93,140

74,373

18,731

36

2019

92,673

71,274

21,341

58

2020*

47,793

31,677

16,052

64

2021*

60,750

47,164

13,543

43

Source: PHS 18 Weeks RTT Database

Note:

* Due to the complexities of 18 weeks RTT local data collection and reporting, the length of wait cannot be accurately measured by the Board of treatment for all patients.

* There is missing data for these years, as NHS Grampian have been unable to submit data since February 2020, NHS Ayrshire and Arran have not submitted data since April 2020 and NHS Tayside have been unable to submit data since May 2021. This should be taken into consideration when interpreting the data.

Question reference: S6W-09134

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported findings of the Royal College of Nursing report, Employment Survey Report 2021: Workforce diversity and employment experiences, including that white nurses are twice as likely to get promoted as black and Asian staff.

There is no place for racism and we recognise that structural and institutional barriers continue to exist in the NHS.

The NHS ethnic minority forum is working with the Scottish Government to drive change. Work is underway to develop anti-racist resources and targeted interventions to support minority ethnic staff and help them progress in their careers.

A refreshed Fair Work action plan will be published later this year, including a focus on minority ethnic employment. A new ethnicity pay gap strategy will also set out our approach for employers in addressing racial inequality in workplaces.

Question reference: S6W-09193

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address any workforce shortages in (a) liver nurse specialists and (b) hepatologists.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a high quality healthcare service to the people of Scotland, including those with liver disease. To support NHS Scotland ensure it has the workforce capacity to deliver those services, we published the National Health and Social Care Workforce Strategy on 11 March 2022, which outlines our ambitions for recovery, growth and transformation of our workforce. Workforce projections for Health and Social Care will be published later this year. These will incorporate evidence from local Three Year Workforce Plans.

We will support Health Boards with their recruitment needs as set out in their plans directly through investment in international recruitment.

NHS Scotland's staffing levels are at a record high, and have now increased for ten consecutive years. We have also funded record numbers of healthcare education places this academic year.

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