- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether women who have had mastectomy surgery on the understanding that reconstructive cosmetic surgery would be available after an appropriate healing time will have access to this surgery and whether any patients awaiting such surgery have been placed on deferred waiting lists or have been refused the surgery.
Answer
Yes, such patients will have access to breast reconstruction surgery. Decisions on the nature and timing of hospital treatment, including breast reconstruction surgery, are matters for the clinical judgement of the relevant consultant, in discussion with the patient, subject to the application of national maximum waiting times.Information on cases placed on deferred waiting lists is collected centrally at specialty level only. No information is collected centrally on cases where a clinician may have declined to undertake surgery for any reason. Consequently information in the form requested is not available.The National Waiting Times Unit is currently working with North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust on the development and implementation of an action plan to tackle the longest waits for breast reconstruction surgery.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address the increase in the prescription of Ritalin to children in the last five years.
Answer
The decision on whether or not to prescribe a drug for a patient is always a matter for the clinical judgement of the patient's doctor, informed by advice and guidance about the drug. In the case of methylphenidate hydrochloride for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), this would include the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network Guideline 52 on ADHD and the advice issued by the National institute for Clinical Excellence in October 2000.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 14 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of payment fees for police surgeons to (a) attend to victims of crime and (b) compile forensic evidence.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally. Police surgeons volunteer their services and are remunerated in accordance with local arrangements made with the respective police authorities and joint police boards.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase the provision of secondary dental services, orthodontics and oral surgery at the Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline, in order to reduce waiting times elsewhere in Scotland.
Answer
The planning and provision of secondary dental services, orthodontics and oral surgery at the Queen Margaret Hospital are matters for NHS Fife.The National Waiting Times Unit is working with NHSScotland to ensure better and more effective use is made of NHS capacity for the benefit of patients across Scotland. A key priority for the unit is to help reduce lengthy waits for out-patient appointments and for hospital treatment in all specialties, including secondary dental services.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 14 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to increase the prior approval limit for dental treatment of #270 in order to bring it in line with the limit for the rest of the United Kingdom at #375.
Answer
The Executive has no current plans to increase the prior approval limit in Scotland.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 14 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the recommended waiting time is for medical examinations of victims of crime, including rape.
Answer
Current guidance states that the police should arrange for a medical examination of a victim of crime with all possible speed. The provision of police surgeons is an operational matter for chief constables.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the National Waiting Times Unit will monitor waiting times and lists for dental treatment and recommend actions.
Answer
Most dental treatment is provided in the community by General Dental Practitioners. The National Waiting Times Unit has no plans to monitor waiting times for access to such services. However, the unit is working with NHSScotland to reduce lengthy waits for out-patient appointments and for hospital treatment in all specialties, including secondary dental services.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to ensure that people with schi'ophrenia in (a) Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross and (b) the Western Isles have access to new and more effective drugs, given that these areas have among the lowest percentage shares of atypical antipsychotic prescriptions.
Answer
On 25 July 2002, the Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) issued a comment on the NICE Guidance on the use of atypical antipsychotic drugs for schizophrenia, advising that the NICE Guidance is as valid for Scotland as for England and Wales. The guidance recommends that the newer (atypical) antipsychotics should be considered alongside the older, existing medicines as one of the options of first choice to treat people with newly diagnosed schizophrenia. NHS Scotland is expected to take account of advice and evidence from the HTBS and ensure that recommended drugs or treatments are made available to meet clinical need.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 8 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been given to (a) Alcoholics Anonymous and (b) Narcotics Anonymous in each of the last five years.
Answer
The Executive has provided no funding to Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous in the last five years.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 8 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been given to voluntary and other organisations to support and advise people with drug and alcohol problems in each of the last five years.
Answer
Details of the core funding provided by the Executive in each of the last five years to voluntary and other organisations to support and advise people with drug and alcohol problems are as follows:
| | 1998-99(£ million) | 1999-2000(£ million) | 2000-01(£ million) | 2001-02(£ million) | 2002-03(£ million) |
| Scotland Against Drugs | 0.97 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Scottish Drugs Forum | 0.153 | 0.156 | 0.164 | 0.187 | 0.290 |
| Alcohol Focus Scotland | 0.155 | 0.161 | 0.165 | 0.165 | 0.175 |
| Crew 2000 | 0.025 | 0.026 | 0.026 | 0.027 | 0.027 |
Local agencies supporting people with drug and alcohol problems receive funding from a variety of sources, details of which are not held centrally. These include NHS boards, local authorities, Social Inclusion Partnerships, the Changing Children's Services Fund, the Rural Challenge Fund and the New Futures Fund.
