Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-25174

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on a new strategy for community hospitals.

Following the publication of the 2006 strategy Developing Community Hospitals: a strategy for Scotland, the Scottish Government has no plans to develop a new strategy for community hospitals. It is a matter for NHS boards, working with community health partnerships, and in responding to Delivering for Remote and Rural Healthcare, to review and develop community hospitals as required to meet the healthcare needs of their resident population.

Question reference: S3W-25182

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients it predicts would regain independence rather than die or become long-term dependent if (a) 10% and (b) 15% of stroke patients received thrombolysis.

Question reference: S3W-25180

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage is of patients with a transient ischemic attack (a) offered an MRI scan, (b) given appropriate carotid artery screening and (c) given aspirin.

Question reference: S3W-25181

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths would be prevented if timely access to stroke units were increased to 75% of stroke patients and when this figure will be reviewed.

This information is not available.

The updated clinical standards published by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland at the end of June include the following essential criteria:

60% of all patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of stroke are admitted to the stroke unit on the day of presentation at hospital, and remain in specialist stroke care until in-hospital rehabilitation is complete, and

90% of all patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of stroke are admitted to the stroke unit on the day of admission, or the day following presentation at hospital, and remain in specialist stroke care until in-hospital rehabilitation is complete.

NHS boards, through their stroke MCNs, are expected to meet these standards. The position is monitored annually through the Scottish Stroke Care Audit.

Question reference: S3W-25175

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding is being made available to NHS24 and primary care to employ additional staff to meet the demands associated with the influenza A (H1N1) virus.

Question reference: S3W-25172

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce the number of (a) terminations of pregnancy, (b) repeat terminations of pregnancy and (c) terminations of pregnancy beyond 10 weeks.

We are increasing access to services throughout Scotland, in line with the NHS QIS Sexual Health Services Standards. For young people in particular, we have made a commitment to ensure that a young people''s sexual health drop-in service is available either within, or near, every school in Scotland.

We are also undertaking a social marketing campaign to increase awareness and uptake of long lasting methods of contraception.

Question reference: S3W-25075

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to provide guidance on whistle-blowing in the NHS and other public services.

In the NHS, the Staff Governance Standard commits NHSScotland employers to ensuring that all staff are treated fairly and consistently and that the minimum standards as described in the Partnership Information Network (PIN) policy guidelines are met or exceeded. These guidelines are currently being reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date with current legislation and common practice.

Within the Dealing with Employee Concerns PIN all employees have a fundamental right to raise issues of concern with their manager, to be accompanied by a trade union/professional organisation representative or colleague if they so wish, and to appeal to a higher level if they feel the issue has not been resolved satisfactorily.

The PIN policy is clear that harassment and victimisation of any member of staff who raises a concern will not be tolerated and will be treated as a serious disciplinary offence which will be dealt with under the management of conduct arrangements.

If it becomes apparent that there are problems with an NHS board in relation to the implementation of the PIN policies it would be expected that the trade unions and professional organisations would raise the matter through their local partnership processes.

In local government, employment law is a reserved matter and guidance on whistle blowing can be found on the UK Government''s Directgov website www.direct.gov.uk. As independent corporate bodies it is for each local authority in Scotland to decide what guidance it provides to employees on the subject of whistle blowing.

In Scottish Government, the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 enables staff who blow the whistle about any of the instances of wrongdoing, set out in the act, to complain to an employment tribunal if they suffer any form of detriment for doing so or in the case of a dismissal.

Alongside the provisions of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, staff have the protections set out in the Civil Service Code. Paragraphs 15 -18 of the Civil Service Code specifically describes the process that should be undertaken if a member of staff is required to act in a way which conflicts with this code. The code states that the concerns of staff must be considered by their department and the department must ensure that the member of staff is not penalised for raising the concerns. This process also covers raising concerns about the actions of others.

Question reference: S3W-25003

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians of Glasgow with regard to implications for training of surgeons arising from the European working time directive.

Question reference: S3W-25005

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that junior doctors with full-time NHS contracts are not employed as locums to fill gaps in rotas.

Question reference: S3W-25004

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to ensure that junior doctors are not contracted for additional hours beyond the 48 hours allowed under the European working time directive, either as part of a core contract or under a separate contract.

Scottish Government has the role of supporting NHS boards to achieve compliance with the working time regulations (WTR). This has included issuing guidance applying to junior doctors, which reminds employers of the requirements of the working time regulations, including:

MEL 1999(1) Working Time Regulations Implementation in NHS Scotland.

HDL 2003/3 Working Time Regulations.

HEL 2004/34 Meeting the requirements of the Working Time Regulations: Doctors in Training.

CEL 14 2009 Working Time Regulation Compliance Guidance.

In addition to publishing guidance, the Scottish Government has a dedicated WTR adviser who is working with NHS boards, providing advice, support and technical help around achieving the limits of the WTR.