- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what targets are in place to reduce the (a) prevalence of cardiovascular disease and (b) number of acute coronary syndrome events.
Answer
The Heart Disease Improvement Plan, published in August 2014, sets out the aims and priorities for improved prevention, treatment and care of heart disease in Scotland. There are six key priorities and key actions needed to deliver improvement. There are no specific targets as the Plan is overseen by the National Advisory Committee on Heart Disease, supported by the Scottish Government and its clinical advisors using quality improvement methodology. The Scottish Health Survey however, monitors health in Scotland and is an important tool in measuring progress of the Plan. Coronary Heart Disease mortality has decreased by over 40% over last ten years which shows that our strategy for tackling heart disease is delivering real improvements for patients.
To further support the Plan, the Scottish Government has recently contracted to be part of the UK National Cardiac Audit Programme. This will allow Scottish data on performance in secondary and tertiary cardiac care to be audited and benchmarked.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what services (a) it and (b) its agencies have used from the US-based organisation, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, in each year since 2007; how much each service has cost, and how much has been paid in travel and subsistence expenses to the officials dealing with these.
Answer
The Scottish Government has a strategic partnership with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) based in the USA. This current framework contract has been in place since 2018 and covers all public services in Scotland and relates to quality improvement work. The previous partnership was from 2013 to 2018. Prior to 2013, individual public sector organisations contracted directly with the IHI under separate arrangements, the details of which are not held centrally.
Prior to the introduction of the first framework contract, the Scottish Government paid for quality improvement support from IHI in relation to the Early Years Collaborative.
The costs incurred by the Scottish Government with IHI under this framework contract each calendar year since 2013 are as follows:
2012 | £46,800.00 | Early Years collaborative support |
2013 | £171,846.95 | |
2014 | £792,540.31 | |
2015 | £359,700.76 | |
2016 | £286,398.31 | |
2017 | £291,206.53 | |
2018 | £295,428.57 | |
TOTAL | £2,243,921.43 | |
Costs incurred by agencies are an operational matter for the relevant Chief Executive.
Information on expenses incurred by officials is not held in the format requested.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS operations have been cancelled in each of the last 12 months due to a lack of sterilised surgical equipment.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not centrally hold specific figures on cancelled operations due to lack of sterile equipment, however we do collect information on planned cancelled operations based on "capacity or non-clinical reason" by hospital. This data is a collection of:
- No beds available, general ward, ICU, HDU.
- Staff not available, staff are ill, not available due to an emergency operation taking clinical priority.
- Equipment not available, equipment dirty.
- Theatre session overran therefore patient cancelled.
Please note that this category does not provide a breakdown of each specific reason. Mr Briggs can obtain this information by sending a request to individual health boards.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to undertake an audit of care for (a) cardiology and (b) lipidology services.
Answer
Scotland has now formally contracted to be part of the UK National Cardiac Audit Programme. This will allow Scottish data on performance in secondary and tertiary cardiac care to be audited and benchmarked to support a quality improvement approach to data collection. This will cover acute treatment of heart attacks, implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators, cardiac surgery, management of adult congenital heart disease and, in due course, follow-up of heart attack patients and management of heart failure. We anticipate being able to move forward with this soon.
We do not have plans to audit lipid services. The National Advisory Committee for Heart Disease (NACHD) are considering how a national Familial Hypercholesterolemia strategy may be developed and taken forward. Any potential audit of lipid services will be included as part of these discussions.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 16 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve (a) respite and (b) residential care options for people with neurological conditions, and what action it can take to ensure that they are not placed in older people's care homes if it is considered that other options would be preferable.
Answer
Integration Authorities have been established to ensure a greater emphasis on community-based and more joined-up and anticipatory care which will benefit a wide range of people including people with neurological conditions.
Further to this we have developed a draft National Action Plan on Neurological Condition, which is currently open for public consultation. We want to ensure that people living with neurological conditions have consistent access to the best possible care and support. This plan sets out a vision for driving improvement in the care, treatment and support available to people living with neurological conditions – and their carers - in Scotland.
Within the draft plan are a number of commitments to support Integration Authorities to improve services and support for people with neurological conditions, including respite care.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 January 2019
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 17 January 2019
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to a letter reportedly signed by all stroke clinicians in Scotland calling for the urgent introduction of a thrombectomy service.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 17 January 2019
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to develop national standards to support people with chronic pain, and what steps it is taking to establish a chronic pain waiting time action plan.
Answer
Current guidelines on the treatment of chronic pain will be taken from authorative professional sources such as the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN)
SIGN will be carrying out a scoping exercise this year to look into whether SIGN 136: Management of Chronic Pain should be updated.
The Waiting Times Improvement Plan which was launched in October 2018 will ensure that all patients have swift and safe access to the full range of services from NHSScotland. The Plan will direct investment of more than £850 million to substantially and sustainably improve waiting times in the face of rising demand for services. Officials are working with all territorial Health Boards to ensure that they have appropriate plans in place to support the implementation of the Improvement Plan.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Aileen Campbell on 10 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid to third sector organisations to deliver services in each year since 1999.
Answer
Scottish Government expenditure is allocated across portfolios to various sectors, including the third sector, to improve a wide range of outcomes. Spending is not all specifically classified as to whether or not it is allocated to third-sector organisations to deliver services. Consequently the summary figures requested are not available.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 9 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people have a cholesterol level (a) between 5 and 6.5 and (b) above 6.5 mmol/l, broken down by (i) local authority and (ii) NHS board area.
Answer
In 2008-2011, 46% of adults aged 16 or over had a cholesterol level of between 5 and 6.5 mmol/l and 12% had a cholesterol level of above 6.5 mmol/l. These estimate come from analysis of blood samples taken as part of the Scottish Health Survey until 2011. The survey does not provide estimates of cholesterol at health board or local authority level and has not included a blood sample since 2011.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 9 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government how much it will provide each year to support the implementation of the Neurological Conditions National Action Plan 2019-24; whether the local implementation leads referred to in the plan will be new posts, and whether it will make annual progress reports on the plan.
Answer
The draft National Action Plan on Neurological Conditions is currently open for public consultation until 8 February 2019. After considering feedback, we will publish a final plan this year.
