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: S3W-20808

Asked by: Cathy Jamieson, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) adult and (b) child patients were allocated insulin pumps in the last 12 months, broken down by NHS board.

The most recent figures on insulin pumps usage available for comparison purposes are those from September 2007. They show that in the 17 months to February 2009 at least 165 people were allocated an insulin pump. Detailed figures are given in the following table.

Comparison of Insulin Pump Allocation September 2007 to February 2009

NHS Board	September 2007	February 2009
Ayrshire and Arran	2*	6
Borders	9	12
Dumfries and Galloway	6	9
Fife	33	47
Forth Valley	12	22
Grampian	22	46
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	30	47
Highland	8	15
Lanarkshire	7*	32
Lothian	79	105
Orkney	0	1
Shetland**	-	-
Tayside	42*	73
Western Isles	1	1
Scotland	251	416

Source: NHS Boards'' Diabetes Managed Clinical Networks, February 2009.

Notes:

*Estimated figure.

**NHS Shetland''s insulin pump provision is shared with NHS Grampian.

Question reference: S3W-21364

Asked by: Cathy Jamieson, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive when the protocol regarding the transfer of patient information between NHS Scotland and the NHS in the rest of the United Kingdom will be updated.

Question reference: S3W-20807

Asked by: Cathy Jamieson, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) adult and (b) child patients use insulin pumps, broken down by NHS board.

Number of people currently using an insulin pump broken down by NHS board and age group:

NHS Board	Age 0 to15 Years	Age15+	Total
Ayrshire and Arran	2	4	6
Borders	1	11	12
Dumfries and Galloway	1	8	9
Fife	7	40	47
Forth Valley	2	20	22
Grampian	8	38	46
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	13	34	47
Highland	0	15	15
Lanarkshire	0	32	32
Lothian	3	102	105
Orkney	1	0	1
Shetland*	-	-	-
Tayside	18	55	73
Western Isles	1	0	1
Total	57	359	416

Source: NHS Boards'' Diabetes Managed Clinical Networks, February 2009.

Note: *NHS Shetland''s insulin pump provision is shared with NHS Grampian.

Question reference: S3W-20810

Asked by: Cathy Jamieson, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the revised guidance on insulin pumps from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) will have on the provision of insulin pumps in (a) Scotland and (b) each NHS board in each of the next five years.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland has commissioned a Resource and Cost Impact Report on NICE Technology Assessment 151. This will give a detailed estimate of both staffing and pump cost to help NHS boards plan its implementation.

Once published, the NHS QIS report and the revised SIGN Guideline on the management of diabetes should clearly establish for NHS boards the benefits and costs of investing in insulin pumps, compared to other insulin therapies, to help them develop their insulin pump provision appropriately.

Question reference: S3W-21363

Asked by: Cathy Jamieson, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what protocol is in place regarding the transfer of patient information between NHS Scotland and the NHS in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Question reference: S3W-20829

Asked by: Cathy Jamieson, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 5 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to raise public awareness of its mortgage to shared equity scheme.

We have already taken, or will soon be taking, a series of actions to raise awareness of the Home Owners Support Fund, including the new mortgage to shared equity and the revised mortgage to rent schemes, including:

Writing to all local authorities, registered social landlords, COSLA and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations to encourage social landlords to participate in the revised mortgage to rent scheme and raise awareness among staff of the new schemes;

Arranging training with Money Advice Scotland and Citizens Advice Scotland so that advisers can make people in difficulty aware of what support is available;

Writing to all Scottish MPs and MSPs with information on the schemes and recommending they advise constituents in financial difficulty to contact independent advice as soon as they can;

Distributing information leaflets to registered social landlords, advice agencies, local authorities and others so they can help people in difficulty;

Producing new advertising for the schemes to make people aware of the Home Owners Support Fund, and

Running workshops at national housing conferences to raise awareness within the sector.

We are also raising awareness more generally through the Scottish Government website and there will be a telephone helpline so that people can access information.

Question reference: S3W-21362

Asked by: Cathy Jamieson, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive when information for patients on patient confidentiality was last updated.

Health Rights Information Scotland (HRIS) has developed a series of core NHSScotland public information leaflets about health rights, including confidentiality. There are leaflets relating to confidentiality for both adults and children.

The children''s version has been available since February 2007 and is currently being reviewed.

The adult version was last reviewed in April 2007 and is also under review.

Question reference: S3W-21361

Asked by: Cathy Jamieson, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive when its guidance on patient confidentiality was last updated.

Question reference: S3W-20516

Asked by: Cathy Jamieson, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to improve the NHS estate in light of the finding in the Audit Scotland report, Asset Management in the NHS in Scotland, that around a third of the estate will require major upgrading soon.

Question reference: S3W-20488

Asked by: Cathy Jamieson, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is provided to the families of people with dementia.

The Scottish Government recognises the impact that caring for someone with dementia can have on the carer and family. Under the GMS contract, GPs are paid to maintain a register for those with dementia and undertake an annual review assessment. These reviews are expected to address the support needs of the individual with dementia as well as the information needs of those caring for that person and the impact of caring on the carer.

Through the Scottish Enhanced Services programme, eight NHS boards have developed enhanced services for carers, including those families looking after patients with dementia. Participating GP practices in these areas provide an enhanced care package that includes better identification of carers, assessment of health and support needs and signposting or direct referral to carer support services.

We are also investing £9 million to support NHS boards in implementing their Carer Information Strategies. These strategies are supporting real improvements in carer identification, and the provision of carer information and training. This can include the provision of information and training on caring for someone with dementia. In continuing to recognise the importance respite can play for the carer and cared for, we are working closely with COSLA to deliver the concordat commitment to deliver an additional 10,000 respite weeks. And have provided an additional £4 million to enable local authorities to deliver this commitment by 2011.

NHS Health Scotland and Alzheimer Scotland have also made widely available their updated booklet coping with dementia A practical handbook for carers (Bib. number 47699) providing information and advice for people who care for someone with dementia.