- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued on the use of antibiotics in the prevention and treatment of Clostridium difficile and when this guidance was first issued and last updated.
Answer
The first guidance document issued to NHS boards on the use of antibiotics in the prevention of Clostridium difficile was the
Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy and Scottish Action Plan, 2002.
The Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Task Force subsequently reviewed the implementation of the recommendations contained in the 2002 guidance and in 2005 the Scottish Medicines Consortium published Antimicrobial Prescribing Policy and Practice in Scotland.
The latest guidance to be issued to NHS boards, is the Scottish Management of Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan (ScotMARAP) which I launched in March 2008. ScotMARAP has replaced the 2002 guidance document and outlines the national programme for Scotland in tackling antimicrobial resistance and prudent prescribing over the next five years in primary and secondary care.
On 8 July 2008, CEL 30 2008, was sent to all chief executives, medical directors, and infection control manager of NHS boards and special health boards, seeking the immediate implementation of the national policies set out in ScotMARAP.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken beyond the mandatory surveillance programme for Clostridium difficile to ensure that the outcomes for all affected patients are recorded.
Answer
The
Scottish Government Health Directorates Healthcare Associated Infection - Recommendations and Actions report, published on 7 August 2008, outlines a number of recommendations and actions which will be implemented to ensure that Clostridium difficile (C-diff) and other healthcare associated infections are prevented and controlled.
One of the recommendations is to develop a Root Cause Analysis tool to enable NHS boards to investigate adverse outcomes, including death. In addition to this, further emphasis will be placed on local surveillance procedures. A standard template and guidance for local surveillance is to be developed and implemented for NHS boards to monitor and influence the infection control and prevention practices in each NHS board area.
A full list of the recommendations and actions can be accessed via the Scottish Government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/08/08120000/0.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that kinship and foster carers have short breaks from caring.
Answer
Our concordat with COSLA includes a commitment to deliver an additional 10,000 respite weeks per year by 2010-11. The kinship carers, who fall within the definition of an unpaid carer (i.e. who care on a regular and substantial basis for a child who is disabled or has long-term health problems), will be among those who benefit.
Getting it right for every child in kinship and foster care notes the importance of short-term breaks for foster and kinship carers.
It is the role of local authorities to determine how they can best support carers by providing short-term breaks.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote kinship care as the first option for children whose parents are unable to look after them and, in particular, what action it is taking to make family group conferencing or an equivalent approach available to all children and extended families where care in the extended family needs to be considered.
Answer
The joint Scottish Government - COSLA strategy
Getting it right for every child in kinship and foster care emphasises the central role of the child and their family in decisions made about their care and the right of every child to have their family and friends explored as potential carers if they need to leave the care of their parents. The action Scottish Government is taking to support kinship carers is set out in the response to the answer to question S3W-15326 on 18 August 2008. 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.parliamen.uk/webapp/wa.search.
The strategy also states that family group conferencing can provide an effective forum for many children and their family members to discuss the capacity of the family to care safely and permanently for the child. It is a matter for local authorities to work with all partners to determine which approaches are deployed locally.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to improve the status of kinship carers.
Answer
The Scottish Government has taken a range of actions to improve the status and address the needs of kinship carers. This includes:
Providing new central financial resources to local authorities to meet our joint commitment within the National Concordat to pay a weekly financial allowance to an approved kinship carer of a looked after child.
The development of guidance by the Getting it right for every child in kinship and foster care reference group on support for kinship carers.
Central funding of Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) to deliver a specialist advice and information service for all kinship carers.
Work undertaken by Scottish ministers, in conjunction with UK ministers, to discuss improvements to the UK benefits and taxation system as it effects kinship carers.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the statutory definition is of kinship.
Answer
There is currently no statutory definition of kinship.
A kinship carer of a looked after child will be defined in the updated Looked After Children (Scotland) regulations. These will be brought before Parliament in due course.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 15 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prison visiting areas are equipped with body orifice security scanner chairs.
Answer
I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
No prison visiting areas are equipped with Body Orifice Security Scanning Chairs.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 14 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, following reports of failure to deep-clean ambulances, what steps have been taken to ensure that ambulances are deep-cleaned once a week.
Answer
The Scottish Ambulance Service has national infection control policies in place, including a well defined cleaning and disinfection policy. Processes require that vehicles should have both a daily and a weekly clean and that the interior of the vehicle is wiped down after each patient. These practices are subject to regular audit and review.
As I have made clear on many occasions, standard of cleanliness in all environments across the healthcare system remains a key focus of this government.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 13 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards implementing new extended services for (a) osteoporosis, (b) heart failure and (c) peripheral vascular disease.
Answer
We are in regular dialogue with stakeholders about clinical priorities and the development of new enhanced services through the GMS contract. Further work on proposed enhanced services will proceed following the conclusion of our current consultation with the profession on the implementation of the GMS contract recommendations of the Doctors and Dentists Review Body Report 2008.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing on 4 June 2008 (Official Report c. 9260), whether the Cabinet Secretary has received and evaluated a copy of the Scottish Ambulance Service’s action plan on how to achieve elimination of single staffing and, if so, whether this plan will be made available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre along with the Executive’s response.
Answer
The Scottish Ambulance Service has submitted to the Scottish Government their proposed action plan to eliminate the rostered single manning of traditional accident and emergency ambulances. This is now being considered in detail by Scottish Government officials and decisions on the way forward will be reached in due course.
I will, as conveyed in my statement to Parliament on 4 June, return to the Chamber after the summer recess to set out my response on this issue as well as on the other areas of work identified on that day.
