Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-13179

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in each of the last five years, how many (a) full-time, (b) full-time specialist and (c) part-time paramedics there have been, and how many (i) paramedics left the service, including through retirement, (ii) qualified paramedics were recruited and (iii) technicians completed paramedic training.

Question reference: S5W-13082

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many level 3 ambulance technicians there are; what training they receive, and what their duties are.

There are currently 400 trainee technicians in the Scottish Ambulance Service. The main duties of technicians include:

Assessing and managing patients using appropriate techniques
Conveying patients to hospital, or another setting if necessary
Supporting paramedics to carry out interventions as required
Ensure equipment is safe, clean and in good working order

Training of ambulance technicians is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Question reference: S5W-13168

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 19 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that there is (a) a patient-centred care approach and (b) consistency in (i) clinical practice and (ii) outcomes for patients being treated for headaches.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone living in Scotland with are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

Through clinical guidelines issued by The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) ‘107 Diagnosis and management of headache in adults’ variation in practice and outcomes should be reduced. Implementation of guidelines is the responsibility of each individual NHS board. A new SIGN Guideline on the Prevention and treatment of patients with episodic and chronic migraine is currently in development.

In addition to the SIGN Guideline there are a set of clinical standards on headache that form part of the Clinical Standards for Neurological Services. These standards are currently being reviewed by Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-13169

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 19 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve services for patients with headache disorders.

Question reference: S5W-13111

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider including the experience of people (a) under 16 and (b) with low-grade brain tumours in the next Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey.

We recognise the importance of ensuring that patient experience is captured and used in a meaningful way to influence the care that NHS Scotland provides all people with cancer. The first Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey, run in 2015, surveyed a sample of adults with cancer, including those with low-grade brain tumours.

The sampling methodology for the next Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey will be discussed with a range of stakeholders throughout the development of the survey, including discussions on how best to capture the experiences of people under the age of 16.

Question reference: S5W-13112

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Clinical Review of Cancer Waiting Times will look at whether brain and central nervous system cancers should be included in future reports that measure the performance of cancer waiting times, and what its position is on including these.

The Clinical Review of Cancer Access Standards in Scotland provides an excellent opportunity to examine information on cancer waiting times that could significantly change and enhance the patient experience and will determine if any amendments or modifications are required to ensure the cancer waiting times standards best meet the needs of patients and the NHS for the future.

A wide range of views from stakeholders, patients and public have been gathered and draft recommendations are in development these include full evaluation of all (new and existing) tumour types in the Cancer Waiting Times dataset.

Question reference: S5W-13108

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how the Detect Cancer Early programme will raise awareness of less survivable cancers.

Through our Detect Cancer Early programme, we aim to increase the proportion of cancers that are detected at the earliest stages. To date the programme has focussed on the three most common cancers - breast, lung and colorectal cancers and the DCE programme board has recently commissioned an options appraisal to look at what tumours could be included in the programme in the future.

Central to the programme is our social marketing strategy and next year the programme will launch a new campaign to focus on the overall benefits of early detection for all cancers and aims to encourage anyone with any concerns about or changes to their body to visit their GP.

We are also committed to supporting GPs to be more aware of the potential signs and symptoms of cancer and updated the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer in 2014, more recently this has been supported by the development and launch of an app in 2016. These guidelines are due for review in 2018.

Question reference: S5W-13109

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of brain tumour patients have been diagnosed via an emergency admission in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S5W-13091

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many paramedics it plans to recruit in 2017-18.

Question reference: S5W-13110

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, to enable the highest number of people to participate, how it will reduce the gap between the period of cancer diagnosis and the date of the release of questionnaires for the next Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey.

The time between the period of cancer diagnosis and when questionnaire for the Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey is issued is necessary to validate the survey sample against records from the Scottish Cancer Registry, which can take up to 18 months after diagnosis to be fully verified. This is a vital step in the sampling process as it minimises the chances of sending the survey to individuals that do not have a confirmed cancer diagnosis, which could cause distress and anxiety.