- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS treatment centres have the facilities to treat people with age-related macular degeneration with photodynamic therapy.
Answer
At present services are providedfrom hospitals in North and South Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. There are facilities in other areas and work is in handto develop and extend the service in Scotland for the future.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review how NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS) issues guidance relevant to Scotland following a National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) appraisal, given that NICE guidance provides the NHS implications of cost and further research for England and Wales and there is no further publication offered by NHS QIS giving such costs for Scotland.
Answer
The processes for issuing guidancewere reviewed with NHSScotland in 2002. It was agreed that separate work on theresource implications for Scotland of NICE technology appraisal guidance was notan effective or efficient use of public resources, and led to delay in issuing NICEguidance in Scotland. As with all its work NHS QIS will, however, keep thisunder review.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the incorporation of the Health Technology Board for Scotland into NHS Quality Improvement Scotland has affected the target of achieving 25 health technology assessments by December 2006.
Answer
One of the main reasons for establishingNHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) was to coordinate work on clinical effectivenessand quality improvement more effectively. This has resulted in the forward workplans of all the predecessor organisations being reviewed to ensure that NHS QISresources are used to best effect on behalf of patients. Health technology appraisalsremain an important part of NHS QIS portfolio of activities, and are being targetedon areas where they have the potential to contribute most to improvement in patientcare.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to ensure that all NHS boards make budget allocations so that there is no "postcode" treatment for patients with age-related macular degeneration.
Answer
A national planning exercisehas been initiated to plan the service for Scotland and ensure equitable access.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the delay in implementing the National Institute of Clinical Excellence's Technology Appraisal No.68 in September 2003 on guidance on the use of photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration will extend to Scotland.
Answer
Patients in Scotland forwhom treatment is recommended in the National Institute for Clinical Excellence(NICE) guidance have access to treatment now. Work is in hand at a Scotland levelto strengthen the current pattern of service and improve access and response times.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will instruct NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to issue separate publications on National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidance that show clearly the implications to the NHS in Scotland of costs and recommendations for further research.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to S2W-7994 on 18 May 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the privately-funded photodynamic therapy treatment centres for age-related macular degeneration will carry out NHS work.
Answer
Information on privately – fundedtreatment centres is not available centrally.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what information can be made available about the monitoring of the performance of NHS boards in providing photodynamic therapy for patients with age-related macular degeneration.
Answer
Work is under way to developa Scotland-wide photodynamic therapy service and monitoring arrangements to ensurea fair and equitable service is delivered to meet clinical need. NHS boards areinvolved in this process. The Scottish Executive Health Department will continue to monitor the provisionof the service.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many retinal specialists there are who are expert in administrating photodynamic therapy for patients with age-related macular degeneration, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
There are eight such specialistsin Scotland who are employed by NHS Boards as below:
Argyll and Clyde, 1
Grampian, 2
Greater Glasgow, 2
Lanarkshire, 1
Lothian, 2.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many pensioner households live on an annual income of (a) less than £10,000, (b) £10,001 to £15,000 and (c) 15,001 to £20,000 expressed also as a percentage of the total number of such households.
Answer
The following table presents the results from the 2002-03 Family Resources Survey on the proportion and number of pensioner households with annual net income in each income band.
Table: Annual Net Household Income1 for All Pensioner Households 2002-03
Column Percentages, Pensioner Households
| | Pensioner Households (Percentage) | Pensioner Households (Numbers) |
| Less than £10,000 | 44 | 280,000 |
| £10,001 to £15,000 | 28 | 180,000 |
| £15,001 to £20,000 | 14 | 90,000 |
| Over £20,000 | 14 | 90,000 |
| Total | 100 | 640,000 |
Source: Family Resources Survey
Note:
1. Includes wages and salaries, self employment income, pensions income, all state benefits, payable tax credits, and investment income, net of income tax, National Insurance, council tax, contributions to occupational pensions and maintenance payments.
