- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 17 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether diamorphine prescribed for opiate addiction is more or less effective than methadone treatment.
Answer
There have been some trials outwith the UK, focussing upon chronic heroin users, which suggest that diamorphine maintenance may be beneficial for this population of drug users. In practice, it is rare for diamorphine to be prescribed in Scotland for opiate addiction as an alternative to methadone, given the strong evidence base which exists for the effectiveness of methadone maintenance. The treatment plan is based on the clinical judgement of the medical practitioner, with regard to the needs and circumstances of the individual patient. The National Treatment Agency (England and Wales) is developing new guidelines on the prescribing of diamorphine, and we are already in touch with the agency so that we can consider possible application in Scotland.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 17 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are currently given access to diamorphine as a treatment for opiate addiction (a) in total and (b) broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
While diamorphine can be administered by medical practitioners for certain conditions, prescription of the drug to treat opiate addiction requires a Home Office licence. Only one practitioner in Scotland currently holds such a licence, and he has indicated that he has not prescribed diamorphine as a treatment for opiate misuse for some time.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how it has secured the long-term future of the heart transplant unit in Glasgow and strengthened the service, as referred to by the former Minister for Health and Community Care in the debate in the Parliament on the heart transplant unit on 24 May 2000 (Official Report, c 966).
Answer
The staffing of the Scottish Heart Transplant Unit has been strengthened, in particular by the inclusion within the multi-disciplinary team of four consultant surgeons capable of performing heart transplants. The basis on which the unit was allowed to resume heart transplant operations in September 2001 was that its performance would be reviewed after two years.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it sees for the teaching of emergency life support skills in reinforcing its healthy eating and physical activity policies.
Answer
We very much support the teaching of emergency life support skills, but these do not have a specific role in reinforcing the Executive's healthy eating and physical activity policies.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the Heartstart UK Scottish schools initiative which aims to equip young people with emergency life support skills.
Answer
The Executive welcomes the Heartstart UK Scottish schools initiative and the development of emergency life support skills within the community.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 16 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all prison treatment facilities are audited and, if so, whether information from the audits is made publicly available.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:The SPS accredits intervention programmes and sites where programmes are delivered. The standards are contained within the accreditation manual. Information from individual site accreditation is published in the Annual Report of the SPS Accreditation Panel. The annual report for 2001-02 is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 16 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving to the Scottish Prison Service's addiction services to bring substance misusing prisoners into an effective treatment process.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:In line with our drug strategy, we have invested in services designed to bring substance misusing prisoners into an effective treatment process, to hold them there, and to manage effective transition to the community around release.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 16 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what changes were made to the membership of the Scottish Advisory Committee on Alcohol Misuse to ensure representation of key interests and priorities, as referred to on page 70 of the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems.
Answer
The review identified gaps in young people, service user and prison interests and we have appointed representatives from Young Scot, Alcoholics Anonymous and the Scottish Prison Service to the committee to fill these gaps.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 16 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive which relevant national strategies and plans now ensure that alcohol problems are highlighted and addressed, as referred to on page 70 of the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems.
Answer
Alcohol problems are highlighted and addressed in the national strategy and action plan to prevent suicide and in forthcoming guidance on working with children and families affected by substance misuse. Alcohol problems also remain an integral part of the Executive's on-going health improvement drive.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 16 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when the expert group to review models and approaches to providing services for people with alcohol-related brain damage will report and when the report will be made publicly available.
Answer
The expert group expect to issue a draft report on establishing numbers and characteristics of people with alcohol-related brain damage and good models of service for consultation in April 2003. A final report is due to be submitted to the Executive in May 2003. The report will be made available on the Executive's website.
