- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a screening system for chlamydia in young women in response to recent research carried out by the University of Edinburgh which found that 8% of women under 20 were infected.
Answer
The UK National Screening Committee (on which the Executive is represented) is due to consider the final Report of the evaluation of a chlamydia screening pilot project in England in summer 2001. On the basis of the conclusions reached by the evaluation, the Committee will make a recommendation on the merits or otherwise of a national screening programme for chlamydia. The research by Edinburgh University will also help inform decisions about the introduction of such a programme in Scotland.The national health demonstration project, Healthy Respect, will pilot chlamydia testing in a range of settings to help achieve its headline targets to increase the reported cases of chlamydia amongst young people by 2003 through raised awareness. The will be followed by the long term target of a 50% decrease in reported prevalence by 2010.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 1 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that GPs conduct an annual health check on all people over the age of 75.
Answer
The statutory terms of service for general practitioners require that each patient over the age of 75 is invited each year to participate in a consultation. Any breach of the terms of service is a matter for the relevant Primary Care Trust or Island Health Board.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 1 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans for a review of primary care, in particular general practice.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has embarked on a wide range of initiatives in primary care. These include the development of LHCCs, the launch of NHS24, Personal Medical Services schemes and an action plan for primary care dental services. Plans have also been announced in Caring for Scotland the Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery for Scotland to pilot the WHO Family Health Nursing model as a way of strengthening primary care services in remote and rural areas. Malcolm Chisholm and I have recently met with the leaders of all the professional groups involved in primary care including general medical practice. The Executive recognises the valuable work of general medical practitioners throughout Scotland in the delivery of primary care. There are no plans for a separate review of general medical practice in Scotland. The Executive is, however, committed to bringing forward proposals for the development of LHCCs in the coming months.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 1 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the recommendation in the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network publication Hypertension in Older People that all people over 75 who have an annual health check should have a blood pressure check is implemented.
Answer
The objective of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of clinical care for patients in Scotland by developing, publishing and disseminating guidelines which identify and promote good clinical practice on the basis of the best evidence we have. SIGN guidelines are distributed widely and all doctors are expected to comply with Good Practice advice.Under the statutory terms of service for general practitioners, a GP is required to invite each patient aged 75 and over for an annual health check. The purpose of the consultation is to assess whether the GP needs to render personal medical services to the patient. Although any action is determined by the clinical judgement of the GP, it is likely that this will involve measuring a patient's blood pressure.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 1 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made or will make to Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the higher incidence of multiple sclerosis in Scotland, regarding the implications for multiple sclerosis sufferers of any delay by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in assessing drugs and technologies for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
Answer
Regular meetings take place between the Scottish Executive, the Department of Health, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the Health Technology Board for Scotland. Progress on the assessment of technologies for the treatment of multiple sclerosis is reviewed at these meetings.The recent decision to develop a new economic model for the assessment of beta interferon is part of a process to ensure that the advice to be made available later this year is the product of the most objective and scientifically robust methodology possible.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 27 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all health boards provide access to anti-retroviral therapy for those tested as HIV positive.
Answer
Answer expected on 27 March 2001
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 29 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address the issue of mismatch between expenditure on new and replacement medical equipment and depreciation of such equipment as highlighted in the Audit Scotland Performance Audit, Equipped to care: Managing medical equipment in the NHS in Scotland.
Answer
Answer expected on 29 March 2001
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 26 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14135 by Mr Jim Wallace on 27 March 2001, what policies the Scottish Prison has developed to reduce the potential for HIV transmission in prisons and when these policies were or will be implemented.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:In 1993, the use of sterilising tablets was introduced into Scottish prisons to reduce the potential for the transmission of blood borne viral infections. Earlier this year, the Scottish Prison Service built on its policy by making methadone prescribing more widely available within Scottish prisons.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that health board and local authority spending on mental health services reflects local needs.
Answer
The impact of local spending decisions are reviewed from the individual to the strategic perspectives through the work of the visiting Mental Health and Well Being Support Group, the Scottish Health Advisory Service and others in the reviewer network field. This process combined with the ongoing performance management function of the Scottish Executive provides a broad-based review of local spend decisions and the difference they make to users of services.This approach recognises that money alone is not the solution and, as stated in Our National Health: a plan for action a plan for change, resources must be put to best use through efficient working and improved work practices so that sustained and real improvements can be made in the care and support delivered.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 26 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will encourage the use of reusable nappies in order to reduce the volume of disposable nappies sent to landfill sites in household waste.
Answer
The Scottish Executive encourages waste minimisation which forms a key objective of the National Waste Strategy: Scotland. The Waste Minimisation Act (1998) gives local authorities the powers to address the minimisation of waste in their area. This provides them with the opportunity to play a more active role in promoting and financing local waste minimisation initiatives such as reusable nappy schemes.
