- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 11 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will make available for research into squirrel pox virus disease.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has alreadymade funding of £25,000 available through its Biodiversity Action Grants Schemeto Red Squirrel South Scotland (RSSS), together with an additional award of £10,000for them to monitor the local populations of red squirrels in Dumfries and Galloway,and the Borders areas, and to examine and implement contingency measures to keepthe squirrel pox virus out of Scotland.
The Scottish Executive is consideringthe need for further funding into research for the prevention/containment of thesquirrel pox virus should it enter Scotland. Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotlandwill be closely consulted in this process.
The Executive have supplied the following corrected answer:
Rhona Brankin: The ScottishExecutive has already made funding of £15,000 available through itsBiodiversity Action Grants Scheme to Red Squirrel South Scotland (RSSS),together with an additional award of £10,000 for them to monitor the localpopulations of red squirrels in Dumfries and Galloway, and the Borders areas,and to examine and implement contingency measures to keep the squirrel poxvirus out of Scotland.
The Scottish Executive isconsidering the need for further funding into research for theprevention/containment of the squirrel pox virus should it enter Scotland.Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland will be closelyconsulted in this process.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether service training in respect of allergies is in place for clinical staff within the NHS.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-20043 on 2 November 2005. 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/wa.search.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 10 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place for the discharge of a person with a depressive illness from a psychiatric hospital to a care home and whether funding is available.
Answer
Decisions about discharging someone from NHS care and how their continuing care needs might best be met should be taken following an appropriate multi-disciplinary assessment of the patient’s health, social care and housing needs in consultation with the patient’s relatives and carers.
The NHS will pay for care where someone meets the eligibility criteria for continuing NHS inpatient care outlined in NHS MEL (1996) 22 and if not eligible then the local authority also has a duty under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to assess the needs of and arrange for the provision of appropriate services. Residents placed by local authorities would normally be liable to contribute to their care home fees although those with assets of under £19,500 would qualify for means-tested local authority funding. Those with higher capital may be eligible for free personal and nursing care support if they are aged 65 and over.
Both NHS MEL (1996) 22 and the Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland require that the individual is only discharged when an agreed care plan, support and accommodation are in place, available and properly resourced.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive when details of the tariff system for the NHS will be announced and what decisions have so far been taken on the matter.
Answer
The Scottish Executive issued detailed guidance to NHS boards on 1 November 2005 regarding the implementation of tariffs to 2005-06 cross boundary flows between NHS boards, i.e. activity carried out by host NHS boards on behalf of patients who reside in other NHS boards areas in Scotland.
The guidance explains that tariffs will be phased in from the current financial year, 2005-06, to a selection of specific procedures (cardiac surgery and orthopaedics). The range of procedures to which the tariff will apply will be increased progressively over the next two financial years until it covers all tariff-based cross boundary flows. The introduction of tariffs will create an incentive for efficiency by encouraging benchmarking between boards and improve the accuracy of financial data by ensuring better recording of both costing and activity data.
NHS boards have been asked to agree financial flows for tariff based activity using the national tariff by the end of November 2005. Further guidance will be issued to NHS boards by the end of December regarding the increased application of tariffs for 2006-07.
A Tariff Reference Group with representation from NHS boards, the Health Department, and the Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS National Services Scotland, has been set up to assist with developing the tariff and will continue to monitor progress on implementation and explore options for the further development of the tariff.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 3 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding and strategic decisions will be taken on the upgrading of the East Coast main line between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, in light of the Executive¿s new powers to provide funding and specify where resources are targeted by Network Rail.
Answer
We are developing a rail strategy for Scotland which will determine where our future strategic and funding priorities will be. The rail strategy will feed into the National Transport Strategy which will be published in summer 2006.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 October 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government in respect of EU Directive 2004/40/EC on physical agents (electromagnetic fields) which seeks to define safe levels for equipment operators' exposure to electromagnetic fields.
Answer
EU Directive 2004/40/EC deals with exposure of workers to electromagnetic fields which is a matter reserved to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE is aware of concerns that adoption of the exposure limits defined in the directive might restrict work activities, particularly in medical scanning. The Scottish Executive Health Department is therefore liaising with the HSE and with other relevant departments and agencies regarding the substance of these concerns and any necessary actions.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 October 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that the proposed exposure limits referred to in EU Directive 2004/40/EC on physical agents (electromagnetic fields) could threaten the ability of the medical community to diagnose and treat patients effectively and have adverse consequences, such as limiting the ability of nurses and parents to comfort children during scans.
Answer
The Scottish Executive Health Department is aware of these concerns and is liaising on relevant issues with the Health and Safety Executive and other relevant UK departments and agencies.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 October 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS boards are meeting the recommended response time of 60 minutes to administer thrombolytics for those suffering heart attacks and what strategies are in place to help meet this response time in rural areas.
Answer
Following an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), treatment with thrombolytic drugs can reduce heart muscle damage and offer a better chance of survival. The benefits of thrombolysis are much greater if the treatment is administered as soon as possible after the onset of symptoms, particularly within the first hour. Data on door to needle time is not currently collected centrally, but it will be once the Scottish Clinical Information CHD system is in place and collecting data in the new year.
Recently, there have been developments in pre-hospital thrombolysis – which of course can be administered more quickly and renders thrombolytic treatment after arrival at hospital unnecessary. Following successful trials in Angus in 2003-04, the Scottish Ambulance Service has begun to roll out the use of thrombolytic therapy by paramedics across Scotland. This will significantly reduce the average call to needle time, particularly in remote and rural areas.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 October 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been provided for NHS Scotland publications in each of the last six years.
Answer
It is not possible tocollate these figures from the accounting system since expenditure onpublications and consultations is met from a variety of programme lines and anumber of suppliers are involved.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 October 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive when all pending decisions regarding the future of acute hospital accident and emergency and maternity services in Western Isles Hospital, Caithness General Hospital, Belford Hospital, Perth Royal Infirmary, Forth Park Hospital, Queen Margaret Hospital, Stirling Royal Infirmary, the Vale of Leven Hospital, Falkirk Royal Infirmary, Monklands Hospital, Stobhill Hospital, the Western Infirmary, the Victoria Infirmary, Wishaw General Hospital, Hairmyres Hospital, Ayr Hospital and the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy will be made and whether the final approval by the Minister for Health and Community Care of these decisions will be given for all at the same time before the Executive comments on the Kerr report and, if not, on what date it expects to be able to take a ministerial decision on these services.
Answer
NHS boards are responsiblefor determining the future pattern of accident and emergency and maternityservices in their areas in the context of their own service strategies,provided these strategies are consistent with national policy and guidance.
Boards must consult publiclyand seek ministerial approval for any proposals that involve significantservice change. I have made it clear that proposals for service change mustalso be consistent with the national framework set out in Professor Kerr’sreport Building a Health Service Fit for the Future. The Executive is atpresent finalising its detailed response to the report and will publish itshortly. We do not expect NHS boards to approve any new plans for servicechange until they have tested their proposals against it. The only exceptionswould be where I am advised that there is an imminent risk to sustaining clinicalsafety.
Local strategies involving accidentand emergency and/or maternity services at a number of the hospitals listed inyour question have already been subject to consultation and have received ministerialapproval where appropriate. Service proposals at some others are still subjectto consultation and Ministerial approval. The timing of final decisions onthese is likely to be different depending on NHS boards’ consideration of theExecutive’s response to the Kerr report and the timing of their consultationsand their submission of proposals for Ministerial approval.
