- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 10 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there is no third-sector representation on the ministerial working group on chronic pain.
Answer
As part of its remit, the ministerial steering group (MSG) on chronic pain provides advice, direction and governance support to the National Chronic Pain Improvement Group (NCPIG) based on a report produced specifically for the MSG following each meeting of the national group. Additionally, the chair of the NCPIG is a member of the MSG. As the NCPIG includes representation from four third sector organisations, it is expected that their members would feed in to the strategic discussions taking place at the MSG via these two methods.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 10 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how it will drive a shared recognition, commitment and coordination between the structures for mental health and early years services.
Answer
We are currently engaging with a number of stakeholders about the next Mental Health Strategy which will be produced this year, and informed by further engagement with interested parties. The importance of the links between mental health and early years services is a theme that is being developed as part of this engagement.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 10 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will place the promotion of infant mental health and the needs of the most vulnerable infants at the heart of the revised National Mental Health Strategy for Scotland.
Answer
We are currently engaging with a number of stakeholders about the next Mental Health Strategy which will be produced in 2016, and informed by further engagement with interested parties. The importance of the links between mental health and early years services is a theme that is being developed as part of this engagement.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2016
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what the pupil to teacher ratio is in special schools, and how this compares with 2008.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2016
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 9 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains its position that treating chronic pain is a priority and, if so, whether all NHS boards must have local or integrated joint board delivery plans.
Answer
Chronic pain remains a ministerial priority, and the Scottish Government expects all NHS boards and Integration Joint Boards to deliver chronic pain management services that are appropriate to the needs of their local population, taking into account national guidance, local service requirements and priorities for investment.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 9 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what the pathway is for patients who are (a) admitted and (b) not admitted to a residential unit for aftercare.
Answer
Wherever possible we want older people to be discharged back home, with appropriate care and support, if needed. Partnerships are now taking a discharge to assess approach. This involves an initial risk assessment in hospital, followed up by a more comprehensive assessment in the comfort of the person's own home. This has proved extremely successful in the Glasgow area, and other partnerships are now following suit.
Many patients can benefit from further time to recover, before any decisions about long-term care are made. In these cases, the multi-disciplinary team will assess whether the patient would benefit from a period of step-down care in a community setting, such as a care home, or community hospital. This gives the patient an opportunity to recover in a more homely setting. No patient should be admitted to long term residential care directly from an acute setting.
For some patients the only option will be long term nursing care in a care home. Anyone requiring long term residential care has the right to choose where that is provided. The Scottish Government issued revised Guidance on Choosing a Care Home on Discharge from Hospital in 2013
(www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2013_32.pdf). This guidance and underpinning directions state that the patient family or proxy should identify a preferred home(s) of choice suitable to meet the assessed needs of the patient. Where a preferred choice is not immediately available then the patient will be discharged to another suitable home to wait for their preferred choice to become available.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 8 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to negotiate a new junior doctors contract.
Answer
Unlike England we have confirmed that we will not impose this deal on our junior doctors and we will continue to service the current New Deal contract. We will continue to work with the profession and the British Medical Association to improve and shape services for the future, moving towards negotiations if and when the time is right for Scottish circumstances.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 8 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made on the impact of third sector bodies having to issue redundancy notices as they have not received confirmation of whether their annual government support will be renewed.
Answer
The Scottish Government supports the third sector to play a full role in meeting the Scottish Government’s purpose and also to make an important contribution to public service reform. A variety of funding approaches are taken, and wherever possible, the Scottish Government aims to notify organisations of the outcome of funding applications well in advance of the start of the funding year. All funding is, however, time limited, and subject to consideration of current priorities and the outcomes we are trying to achieve.
On this occasion, however, the Scottish Draft Budget was published much later than usual due to the timing of the UK Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review. As a result, there are some instances where the process for initiating the funding allocations for 2016-17 has started later. We are doing what we can to minimise any impact which this has on the valuable work which the third sector does.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 4 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason applications for 16B funding under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 have not opened for 2016-17 and organisations have not been given notice if the system has changed.
Answer
In 2016-17, commitments already made for organisations in year two or three of existing project funding are being honoured and grantees are aware of that. Over the next few months, the Scottish Government will be reviewing the annual funding scheme to consider how funding might be more closely aligned to current health support or health promotion policy priorities which contribute to the achievement of our national outcomes.
The latest information on Section 16b grant funding is available on the Scottish Government Section 16b Grant Scheme web-page, which can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Support-Social-Care/Financial-Help/16bGrants.
- Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 3 March 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what is the maximum number of hours in any (a) given week, (b) consecutive five day period and (c) period of 14 days that junior doctors will be required to work.
Answer
There are over 1,000 junior doctor rotas in place in NHS Scotland each with its own unique working pattern.
Like all NHS staff, all junior doctor hours comply fully with the limits of the Working Time Regulations. This allows for averaging of hours over a reference period which means that a working pattern can consist of long and short weeks, which together over the reference period average out at 48 hours or less per week. The Working Time Regulations also ask that there is an 11 hour rest period in each 24 hours. This limits a full shift to a maximum of 13 hours. The regulations also give a 24 hour rest period every seven days or a 48 hour rest period every 14 days.
