- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 3 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether appropriate guidelines and procedures are now in place to ensure early identification, assessment, diagnosis and access to early interventions for pre-school and primary school-age children with an autistic spectrum disorder.
Answer
Guidance on special educational needs, including autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), is contained in the
Manual of Good Practice for all staff and professionals involved with children and young people with special educational needs (SEN),
Effective Provision for Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) and Circular 4/96: Children and Young People with SEN - Assessment and Recording and the framework document
Moving Forward! Additional Support for Learning. In addition, proposals for changes to the current system for the assessment and recording of children with SEN were published for consultation in the draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) Bill on 17 January 2003. Copies of these documents are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre.Since April 1999, the Executive's Special Educational Needs Innovation Grants programme has awarded a total of £12.7 million to voluntary organisations to pilot projects related to special educational needs, including ASD. For example, the National Autistic Society has produced a training pack for local authorities in developing good practice and is reviewing current training provision for ASD to develop a targeted national training framework while the Scottish Society for Autism is providing an ASD education advisory service.I also refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-62 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 3 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that GPs and primary care professionals are aware of the possible indicators that a patient may have an autistic spectrum disorder.
Answer
Highland NHS Board is piloting a pro-forma for the assessment of suspected autistic spectrum disorder in children, for use by a range of community paediatricians. This is one of a range of initiatives across Scotland that aim to improve assessment and diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorders.A reference group was set up in June 2002, to advise ministers as work progresses on implementation of the Public Health Institute of Scotland's Autistic Spectrum Disorders Needs Assessment Report. The group is focusing on assessment and diagnosis as a priority, and it will take account of a range of research knowledge and good practice before recommending further action to ensure primary care and other professionals are aware of the possible indicators of autistic spectrum disorders.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 3 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the retention of auxiliary fire stations in the Highlands and Islands and, if so, what support is planned for them.
Answer
I refer the member to the answers given to questions S2W-2 today and S2W-3 on 20 May 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 3 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what commitment it has to the future inclusion of voluntary firefighters in the firefighter service in the Highlands and Islands.
Answer
I refer the member to the answers given to questions S2W-2 today and S2W-3 on 20 May 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 20 May 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that potential tourists are given the full details of all tourism providers, including telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, on the VisitScotland website.
Answer
While this is an operational matter for visitscotland.com, I understand that the full contact details of tourism businesses that have subscribed to visitscotland.com are included on its website.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 25 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards offer career pathway packages to qualified nurses.
Answer
The development of career packages is a matter for NHS boards and trusts to consider as part of their local recruitment and retention strategies. All trusts have continuing professional development funding (CPD) for nurses and midwives which they use for a variety of purposes. An additional £1.75 million CPD funding was given to NHS trusts in 2002, to be used for priorities decided in conjunction with front-line nursing and midwifery staff. In terms of career development, most NHS trusts also have discrete development programmes for newly qualified nurses and midwives, again designed around local requirements.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 24 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospital-acquired infections there have been in each hospital in each of the last five years.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 24 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many women have (a) received and (b) been refused fertility treatment in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally. Only the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) holds information, UK-wide, to minimise the possibility of patient identification.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 20 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have received a daily dose in excess of (a) 500 mls, (b) 300 mls, (c) 200 mls and (d) 110 mls of methadone in each of the last five years, broken down by hospital, and what the clinical rationale and research base are for each level of dosage.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.There is a great deal of international and national research to support the use of methadone as an effective treatment for opiate misuse. Dosages of methadone and the duration of treatment are matters for individual patients and their health professionals.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many graduate nurses have entered the one-year guarantee scheme and how many have subsequently gained full-time employment.
Answer
The one-year guarantee scheme administered by NHS Education for Scotland was set up to find a place in the NHS for newly qualified nurses and midwives who had failed to find a post through the normal recruitment process. Twenty-two nurses and midwives entered the scheme and were referred to NHS trusts with appropriate vacancies. Had the newly qualified nurses and midwives failed to find employment they would have re-entered the scheme but none have done so.
