- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23349 by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 March 2002, how many patients currently receive continuous positive airway pressure therapy for sleep apnoea.
Answer
As at 31 December 2003,there were 2,585 patients receiving Continuous Positive Airways Pressure (CPAP)therapy.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, with reference to page 4, paragraph 8, of the report from the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland, Evidence & Equity, published in April 1999, infertility due to cancer treatment would be an appropriate diagnosed cause.
Answer
Evidence and Equity, the report of the Expert Advisory Group onInfertility Services in Scotland (EAGISS), states that NHS funded assistedconception should be available to couples who meet all of the relevanteligibility criteria, including:
“Couples with infertilityof a diagnosed cause (of any duration) for which assisted conception representseffective treatment” (p17).
Infertility as a result ofcancer treatment would generally be considered as an appropriate diagnosedcause. However it would be for the lead consultant in each individual case todecide whether treatment would be appropriate.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the finding of the report endorsed by the British Sleep Society, Dead Tired, whether it considers that a total 20 minutes teaching per student on sleep disorders is satisfactory and, if not, what steps it will take to ensure that a greater amount of teaching time is given to such disorders.
Answer
The responsibility fordetermining the educational requirements for all medical undergraduates restswith the General Medical Council (GMC).
The GMC is the regulatorybody which determines the content of the courses and decides the standard ofexpertise to maintained.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many private sleep units there are and how many patients are registered with them.
Answer
This information is not heldcentrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been undertaken into the (a) scale (b) effects and (c) cost of sleep disorders, in light of the recommendations of the report endorsed by the British Sleep Society, Dead Tired.
Answer
No research has been commissionedby the Executive as a direct result of this report. The Chief Scientist Officeof the Scottish Executive Health Department is currently funding one Edinburgh Universityresearch project, “Screening for Sleep Apnoea/Hypoponoea Syndrome and drivingimpairment in professional drivers”.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23351 by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 March 2002, what funding was provided by NHS Lothian for sleep disorder services in (a) 2000-01, (b) 2001-02, (c) 2002-03 and (d) 2003-04 and what additional funding was provided to other NHS boards for referrals to the Sleep Centre in each year since 2001-02, broken down by board.
Answer
The table shows the fundingprovided by NHS boards in Scotland to the Sleep Centre in Edinburgh:
| NHS Boards | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 |
| Argyll and Clyde | 3,348 | 3,515 | 3,620 | 3,761 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 3,104 | 3,255 | 3,353 | 3,483 |
| Borders | 24,870 | 40,561 | 41,778 | 43,400 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 800 | 1,111 | 1,144 | 1,189 |
| Fife | 57,000 | 59,850 | 61,646 | 64,040 |
| Forth Valley | 47,293 | 50,407 | 51,919 | 53,935 |
| Grampian | 58,164 | 88,000 | 90,640 | 0* |
| Glasgow | 8,000 | 10,160 | 10,465 | 10,871 |
| Highland | 5,872 | 6,166 | 6,351 | 6,598 |
| Lanarkshire | 10,126 | 10,632 | 10,951 | 11,376 |
| Lothian | 172,420 | 266,744 | 274,746 | 285,416 |
| Orkney | 344 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shetland | 225 | 237 | 244 | 254 |
| Tayside | 62,000 | 65,100 | 67,053 | 69, 657 |
| Western Isles | 459 | 482 | 496 | 516 |
| Total | 454,025 | 606,220 | 624,406 | 554,496 |
Note: * Local provision since 2003-04.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, with reference to the report from the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland, Evidence & Equity, published in April 1999, it will review the eligibility criteria for assisted contraception.
Answer
The Scottish Programme forClinical Effectiveness in Reproductive Health (SPCERH), commissioned by theChief Medical Officer, recently held aconsensus conference to reconsider the eligibility criteria for access to NHSfunded infertility treatment. The Executive are currently reviewing the feedbackfrom the conference and are also reviewing the current level of serviceprovision across the NHS boards. If after the completion of these reviews therewas a recommendation to change the criteria then this would be subject to afull public consultation.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to introduce guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of all sleep disorders, in light of the finding of the report endorsed by the British Sleep Society, Dead Tired, that there are 84 sleep disorders.
Answer
There are no plans to takeany action directly related to this report. However, the ScottishIntercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), which is funded by the Executivethrough NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to produce good practice clinicalguidelines, published a guideline on the management of Obstructive SleepApnoea/Hypopnoea Syndrome (OSAHS) in September 2003. OSAHS is the most commonsleep disorder with a treatable medical cause, and the one which is believed tobe a factor in a significant number of traffic accidents. Copies of SIGNguidelines are available through the Parliament’s Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many dedicated diagnostic sleep beds there are and where they are located.
Answer
This information is not heldcentrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23350 by Malcolm Chisholm on 21 March 2002, how many patients are currently on the waiting list for a first appointment at the Sleep Centre in Edinburgh; how, in relation to the answer, it defines “clinical priority”, and what the average waiting time is for a first appointment for those defined as being (a) a “clinical priority” and (b) “routine”.
Answer
There are 655 patientsawaiting a first appointment, and 25 patients (whose initial referral recommendsit) awaiting a first appointment and sleep study.
“Clinical priority” refersto patients such as those who may be at risk of falling asleep whilst undertakingactivities such as driving, or operating machinery, and to patients with otherrelevant medical conditions, such as cardiac disease.
There is no waiting list for“clinical priority” patients as they are given appointments immediately. Suchpatients may wait two to six weeks to be seen at appointment. “Routine” refersto all patients without priority.
