- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any evidence of the Common Services Agency overpaying or underpaying dentists, opticians, doctors and pharmacists.
Answer
In making payments to over 8,000 primary care contractors each month it is inevitable that occasional errors or estimates will result in over or underpayments. Normally such items are corrected immediately following payment. Other than this there is no evidence of over or underpayments for opticians or doctors.For dentists, the recently introduced Commitment Payment is currently calculated on an estimated basis and as a result of this a number of dentists may have been temporarily over or underpaid by a small amount. Commitment payments comprise less that 2% of total payments to dentists. For pharmacists, delays resulting from the commissioning of the new computer system mean that all contractors are paid estimates, which will be more or less than the correct payment. However, all over or underpayments are currently being corrected within three months.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 19 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to include biomedical scientists in the scope of the pay review body mechanism.
Answer
The issue of extended coverage of the Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine Pay Review Body (NPRB) is being considered in discussions on Agenda for Change: Modernising the NHS Pay System.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 19 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the reported instruction by the Scottish Executive's Head of New Media and Presentation that NHSiS staff should not give out information, photographs or reactions to researchers from the Sunday Times Good Hospital Guide would comply with the requirements of its proposed Freedom of Information Bill.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-12481.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 19 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how Local Health Care Co-operatives will be consulted on the allocation of NHS resources.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-13891.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 19 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS staff will be allocated to assist with home births where this is the preferred option chosen by parents.
Answer
Women have the right to choose how and where they give birth, having been given the information to allow them to make informed decisions by balancing risks.Maternity Services, in line with the Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland, should provide a fully integrated childbirth service responsive to the needs of mothers and their new-born babies.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 19 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change will encourage and bring about innovation and the delivery of better health care by Local Health Care Co-operatives.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-13891.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 19 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many positron emission tomography scanners are currently in use in the NHSiS.
Answer
There is one Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner sited in the Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen which is used for research purposes, for example in hip replacement and assessing how bones heal.The use of PET scanning in cancer will be one of the first assessments undertaken by the Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) during the coming year.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 19 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how Local Health Care Co-operatives will be supported in promoting and advising on disease prevention and health promotion.
Answer
Many LHCCs already carry out extensive health promotion activities. We wish to build on this work. We will set out the next steps in the development of LHCCs, over the next few months, following the submission of the LHCC Best Practice Group's report. The new unified health boards will also have a key role to play in developing primary care services and strengthening the role of LHCCs. In addition, I announced on 12 March as part of the Review of the Contribution of Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors to improving the Public's Health that each LHCC will receive funding for a Public Health Practitioner to lead and co-ordinate better health in the country.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 16 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what alternative methods and funding are proposed for anxiety management of dental patients given that all dental general anaesthesia will end outside hospitals by January 2002.
Answer
General anaesthesia for NHS dental treatment will be available only in a hospital setting from 1 April 2001.The main alternative means of treating dentally anxious patients is sedation. The Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education receives funding from the Executive to run courses on sedation for general dental practitioners.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 16 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether in future some training for undergraduate dentists will be carried out in individual dental practices.
Answer
Dental schools in both Scotland and the rest of the UK see considerable educational benefit to undergraduate dentists visiting and working in a range of primary care dental services. Outreach education has already been established within the community dental service by Glasgow Dental School and Dundee Dental School are exploring how this could be extended to the General Dental Services through piloting such a development this year within Tayside. If this is successful Dundee will make recommendations on how such schemes could be used more widely in the education and training of both dental students and students of dental hygiene throughout Scotland.
