- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 2 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many supervisors of midwives will reach retiring age in each of the next five years.
Answer
Specific information about the numbers of supervisors of midwives about to retire is not held centrally. However, we expect Local Supervising Authority Midwifery Officers to succession plan to ensure the appropriate number of supervisors are in place if, and when, staff choose to retire. We are also committed to maximising the skills and expertise of all staff in NHS Scotland, including those in the ageing workforce. We are currently jointly funding with NHS Education for Scotland and the South East (NHS) Education Forum, research on the ageing workforce to determine what NHS Scotland can do to recruit and retain those in this section of the workforce.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 2 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that the rising birth rate and the increased workload resulting from a renewed focus on pregnant women with substance misuse problems is matched by increased numbers of midwives.
Answer
It is for NHS boards to determine the staff required in their local areas. However, we expect NHS boards to take account of local population needs and changes in service provision to ensure a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency approach to the provision of care for this vulnerable group of women.
The Nursing and Midwifery Workload and Workforce Planning Programme has been assisting NHS boards to support the implementation of Birthrate Plus and Professional Judgement tools. Following a review of this process a new tool for Maternity Services in Scotland will be developed, taking account of the experience gained from Birthrate Plus and Professional Judgement tools, and taking into account the Midwifery 2020 Programme which NHS Scotland is leading on behalf of the UK.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 2 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of awarding the contract for the National Sexual Health (NaSH) system to AxSys Technology Ltd and the cost of any ongoing related data services provided.
Answer
The costs of awarding the contract for the National Sexual Health System (NaSH) to AxSys Technology Ltd are set out in the following table:
| Development and Implementation | £557,000 ex VAT |
| Annual Support Charge | £100,260 ex VAT |
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 29 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the emergence of the 078 ribotype of Clostridium difficile, how many isolates have been detected since the Scottish Salmonella Shigella and Clostridium difficile Reference Laboratory was established, broken down by NHS (a) facility and (b) board.
Answer
The Scottish Reference Laboratory advise that a total of 583 isolates (all strains) were received and typed between 20 November 2007 and September 2008. It is not possible to provide a breakdown by facility but a breakdown by NHS board is provided in the following table:
| NHS Board | Total Number of Ribotypes |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 137 |
| Borders | 4 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 14 |
| Fife | 58 |
| Forth Valley | 14 |
| Grampian | 32 |
| Golden Jubilee | 1 |
| Greater Glasgow and Clyde | 180 |
| Highland | 21 |
| Lanarkshire | 18 |
| Lothian | 53 |
| Orkney | 0 |
| Shetland | 0 |
| Tayside | 51 |
| Total | 583 |
I also refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20033 on 29 January 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has estimated the cost of sending a prisoner to a hospital appointment and whether this varies depending on the category of prisoner.
Answer
I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:
Escorts are not paid for individually and therefore do not vary depending on the category of prisoner. Charges for the movement of prisoners are linked to the total number of escorts carried out. Details as to how the costs are structured are outlined in Schedule 4 of the contract which is published on the SPS website at www.sps.gov.uk/keydocs/contracts.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners travelled from prison to attend appointments at (a) out-patient and (b) accident and emergency departments in 2007-08.
Answer
I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
(a) The number of prisoners who have travelled from prison to attend appointments at out-patient departments from May 2007 to April 2008 is 5,683.
(b) This information is not centrally held and cannot be easily obtained.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that it is appropriate for a patient who has diarrhoea to be discharged to (a) home or (b) a household where there is a vulnerable person.
Answer
It would not be appropriate for me to comment on individual cases. Decisions on the fitness of patients to be discharged are made by clinicians on the basis of their own clinical judgement and on a case-by-case basis.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of (a) recent publications suggesting ribotype 027 may not be more toxic that other ribotypes, (b) the likelihood of ribotype 078 emerging and (c) a need to have a national and regional picture of ribotypes and antibiotic resistance, when it intends to amend the guidance of November 2007 with regard to what isolates of Clostridium difficile should be typed.
Answer
Health Protection Scotland (HPS) issued revised guidance to diagnostic laboratories in November 2008 which requires labs to provide a proportionate number of isolates of all Clostridium difficile cases received in addition to those submitted for routine typing. This exercise began on 5 January 2009 and will allow Health Protection Scotland to build a picture of ribotype distribution and antibiotic resistance in Scotland.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Scotland has estimated the cost of staff travelling to prisons to treat patients.
Answer
No estimate has been made. Travel costs for health service visits to prisons are not identified separately by NHS boards.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) nurses and allied health professionals and (b) doctors travelled to prisons to see or treat patients in 2007-08.
Answer
This information is not held centrally. A wide range of NHS health professionals, including forensic psychiatrists, physicians, specialist nurses and therapists visit prisons on a regular basis to treat patients.
