- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 17 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to increase the availability and awareness of the meningitis B vaccine.
Answer
The Scottish Government is guided on vaccination policy by the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Following the JCVI's advice, the Scottish Government added the meningitis B (men B) vaccine, on 1 September 2015, to the routine childhood vaccination schedule at two, four and 12 months of age, making Scotland one of the first countries in the world to have a national men B vaccination programme. All infants who are now aged up to 10 months should have been offered the men B vaccine.
When any new vaccination programme is introduced, there has to be a date to determine eligibility – a decision based on the best independent clinical recommendation to ensure we can protect those children most at risk of men B. In light of the recent petition regarding men B, the Scottish Government wrote to the JCVI to ask them to consider reviewing the evidence on their current advice to determine if it should be changed. The JCVI has responded confirming that its recommendation on men B was based on the best available evidence and this remains the case. The JCVI continues to monitor all available evidence in respect of its recommendations, and advice can be updated if new information or evidence becomes available. The Scottish Government will of course consider carefully any future JCVI recommendations on men B vaccination.
To increase awareness about the men B vaccine, parents of eligible children are sent an appointment letter for the vaccines (including men B) due to be given at their routine appointment, asking them to attend with their child at their GP practice. The introduction of any new vaccination programme is always accompanied by public information materials.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 17 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how it is protecting children from meningitis B.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to protecting children against meningitis B (men B) which is why Scotland is one of the first countries in the world to have introduced a national men B vaccination programme to tackle the effects of this disease.
Since 1 September 2015 infants have been offered the men B vaccine at two, four and 12 months of age as part of the routine childhood vaccination programme. There was also a catch-up for infants aged three and four months who were attending for their routine vaccination appointments when the programme started. All infants who are now aged up to 10 months should have been offered the men B vaccine.
Vaccinating infants with men B will also provide protection for older children, adolescents and the wider population as it will help to reduce the overall prevalence and transmission of the disease (also known as herd protection).
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 March 2016
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 23 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether it complies with its social justice policy objectives for self-funding older people in residential care to pay more than local authorities for the same care.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 23 March 2016
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 16 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that mental health is given the same priority as physical health.
Answer
The National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 states that Scottish Ministers have a duty to secure improvements in the physical and mental health of the people of Scotland. The NHS has a duty to promote the improvement of health – a duty that extends equally to the areas of physical and mental health.
The critical importance attached to mental health by this government is demonstrated by the inclusion of ‘mental health’ within a ministerial title, and announcements of additional funding for mental health. Scotland was also the first nation in the UK to introduce a target to ensure faster access to psychological therapies, for all ages.
To support health boards where there have been on-going challenges in meeting mental health targets and standards, we have announced a Mental Health Improvement programme with funding of £4.8 million.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 16 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will take action to reverse the (a) 150,000 reduction in the number of part-time students, (b) 74,000 reduction in the number of students aged over 25 in further education colleges between 2008-09 and 2013-14 and (c) 20,000 reduction in the number of places for under 16s in further education colleges between 2008-09 and 2010-11 that was recorded by Audit Scotland in its report, Scotland's colleges 2015, and, if so, what.
Answer
This government’s focus is on a reformed college sector that delivers learning and training that lead to jobs. In meeting our commitment to maintain 116,000 full-time equivalent student places, that form of provision is improving the life chances of young people and generating the highly skilled workforce needed to deliver growth.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Aileen Campbell on 16 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what training and support in attachment is available to everyone caring for very young looked-after children, including foster and kinship carers, adoptive parents and residential and early years staff.
Answer
As part of our programme of work to improve permanence for looked after children the Scottish Government commissioned the Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland (CELCIS) and Scottish Attachment in Action, to map attachment training and attachment focussed practice in Scotland. A report on the findings was published in December 2012 and can be found at
https://www.celcis.org/files/4814/3817/9734/Attachment-Matters-For-All.pdf.
The Scottish Government provide funding to organisations who support those caring for looked after children such as CELCIS, the Fostering Network, Children 1st and Adoption UK who provide a wide range of training opportunities to foster and kinship carers and adoptive parents that includes training and support on attachment.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 15 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what research is being conducted in Scotland to improve practice in relation to infant mental health and how learning from this work will be disseminated.
Answer
We recognise the important role research has to play in improving services and approaches to care. The Scottish Government encourages high quality research in mental health through bodies such as the Scottish Mental Health Research Network where a number of research projects are currently supported – and the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services.
NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is currently leading on the development of an Infant Mental Health learning resource, aimed predominantly at midwives, neonatal nurses, paediatric nurses, health visitors and the wider children’s workforce. This resource is being developed by both NES staff and partners from other organisations. It focuses on infant mental health, attachment, carer-infant/child relationships. The resource aims to not only increase the knowledge of its users in understanding these concepts, and how they can help promote the development of health infant mental health and positive relationships, but also to be able to recognise developing problems and instigate appropriate responses to address them.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 15 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in developing and funding training for tier 1 and 2 staff in the use of structured tools for identification and evaluation of the parent-child relationship as outlined in Infant Mental Health: A Guide for Practitioners: A Report of the Expert Working Group on Infant Mental Health.
Answer
The Scottish Government expects NHS boards to take due cognisance of the content of all such reports. NHS boards are responsible for working with their partners to plan and provide safe, person centred and effective mental health services which meet the assessed needs of their local populations, in line with clinical guidance and Scottish Government mental health policy and legislation.
The importance of the links between mental health and early years services is a theme that is being developed as part of our ongoing engagement on the next mental health strategy.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 15 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to audit progress on establishing infant mental health as a core topic in the (a) curriculum and (b) post-qualification training of all people who work in children’s services.
Answer
NHS Education Scotland are leading on the development of an infant mental health learning resource, aimed predominantly at midwives, neonatal nurses, paediatric nurses, health visitors and the wider children's workforce which will have a positive effect.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 15 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it is providing to develop and implement effective interventions in infant mental health across Scotland.
Answer
Through NHS Education for Scotland, the Scottish Government has contributed towards funding the Psychology of Parenting Project (PoPP) with £774k awarded in 2016. PoPP is aimed at improving the availability of high-quality evidence-based parenting programmes for families with young children who have elevated levels of behaviour problems.
The Early Years Change Fund is supporting a number of programmes in 2015-16 to build the skills and capacity of early years practitioners. This includes funding NHS Education Scotland:
£84,762 to support the continued roll-out of the Solihull Approach, which aims to make basic infant mental health training more available to early years’ practitioners.
£112,358 to implement a training programme for early years’ practitioners in strength-based communication skills called ‘Connecting with Parents’. The Connecting with Parents programme aims to improve parental engagement and retention rates in evidence-based parenting programmes, including the PoPP.