- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 10 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how treatment and outcomes for mental health patients are measured.
Answer
There is a range of approaches including through clinical assessment and diagnosis, evaluation of some interventions, service users and carer satisfaction questionnaires, and research through randomised controlled trails.
Application of recognised assessment tools allows outcomes progress to be reviewed and inform further treatment options.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 10 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will measure waiting times for mental health patients from GP referral to start of treatment.
Answer
The outcomes fromthe NHS Scotland National Benchmarking Project will provide us with betterinsights and inform comparisons between services. The outcomes will bepublished before the end of the year.
We are also examining a range of optionsincluding through HEAT targets to improve the benchmark information needed forbetter performance and better measure of performance. Work on a baselinemeasure is underway as part of the attention on developing psychologicaltherapies and combined with the soon to be published integrated care pathway standardsfor mental health will inform variance in care planned and care delivered.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 10 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that all people with dementia are given an accurate diagnosis followed by the appropriate care and treatment package.
Answer
Under the GMScontract GPs are paid for maintaining a register of those with dementia and forundertaking an assessment of their medical and care needs every 15 months. Thedevelopment of an integrated care pathway for people with dementia which willbe published this year will provide the supportive framework for betterplanning and delivery of care in all cases.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 10 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how people with dementia are assessed on a regular basis in order to ensure that their care and support is adjusted to meet their needs.
Answer
Under the GMScontract GPs are paid for maintaining a register of those with dementia and forundertaking an assessment of their medical and care needs every 15 months. Thisongoing assessment of needs and response will be further enhanced and informedthrough application of the integrated care pathway for people with dementia tobe published later this year.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 10 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to reduce people’s risk of developing dementia later in life.
Answer
I haveestablished a Dementia Forum to provide input and advice on all aspects of thedementia agenda including approaches to further raising awareness of thebenefits of healthy lifestyles for all aspects of physical and mental health.
Funding supportis also given to DementiaServices Development Centre and to Alzheimer Scotland for their general functions including the production of educationalmaterials and planning of events for both healthcare workers and the widerpublic on lifestyle approaches that may help reduce the incidence of dementia.There are also common messages in other published health campaigns includingsmoking cessation, reduced alcohol consumption and the links between physicalexercise and health.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 9 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to merge (a) police forces and (b) fire services.
Answer
The Government currently hasno plans to merge police forces or fire and rescue services.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 8 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when two hours of quality physical education by specialist PE teachers will be provided in schools across Scotland.
Answer
Local authoritiesare working towards a target of two hours of good quality physical educationfor each child every week by the end of the school year 2007-08. Her Majesty’s Inspectorateof Education (HMIE) have been monitoring the move towards providing two hoursPE per week and tell us informally that they are seeing a positive move towardstwo hour PE target within their inspections.
Since April 2006Learning and Teaching Scotland has seconded a PE development officer to workwith schools, education authorities and HMIE on gathering and disseminatingexamples of good practice in PE.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 3 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when free year-round access to local authority swimming pools for all children will be implemented.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3520 on 4 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 2 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address the needs of mental health patients whose care and support has been adversely affected by the industrial action taken by mental health officers employed by Highland Council.
Answer
The local healthboard and others involved took the necessary actions to ensure that the care andsupport of patients in Highland were not adversely affected by the recentwork to rule by some MHOs employed by Highland Council. The dispute was resolvedon 14 September 2007.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to alleviate overcrowding at HM Prison Porterfield in Inverness.
Answer
I have asked MikeEwart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response isas follows:
The position at Inverness is closely monitored on a daily basis and assistanceis given by other establishments as and when necessary. In November 2007 a new hallwill be opened in Perth Prison which will provide the primary relief for Inverness.
