Chamber and committees

General Practice Specialty Training (GPST) is based on the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) curriculum which is the educational framework that defines and sets the standards for independent general practice The RCGP curriculum is approved by the GMC and any changes made to the curriculum require GMC approval. All components of the assessment system must be successfully completed before a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) can be awarded.

General Practice Specialty Trainees (GPST) undergo high quality training and education which enables them to fulfil and pass all requirements specified within the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) curriculum which is approved and overseen by the GMC as regulator for the profession.

GPSTs also gain considerable experience in managing and learning about child health problems in the GP practice setting where a high proportion of consultations are with children or concerning child health issues. GPSTs will also receive training in the GP out of hours setting where child consultations are common. Regular teaching on child health takes place in the practice setting and via educational release teaching. Both NHS Education for Scotland & the SG facilitate and fund additional learning opportunities for GPs; the SG is funding an enhanced Paediatric GP training fellowship initiative in NHS Grampian and will evaluate the results over 2019.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with NHS Scotland health boards, the BMA and the Royal Medical Colleges, to support a comprehensive approach to workforce recruitment and retention. We have already announced immediate work being taken forward to supplement existing recruitment activity, including the investment of over £4 million pounds, over the next three years, in priority areas, including consultant specialists, nursing and general practice. This includes the development of a dedicated international recruitment unit, based in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which is now live.

Additionally, we have worked with the BMA GP group to develop the new GP contract, backed by investment of £110 million in 2018-19, which will promote service sustainability and enhance recruitment into the profession. Furthermore, we continue to look holistically at the attractiveness of health and social care careers through a variety of measures, including developing Scotland’s first Graduate Entry Medicine Programme (ScotGEM), through the remote and rural incentive scheme, and through increases to the student nursing bursary. I remain committed to engaging proactively with stakeholders to explore how we continue to evolve this comprehensive approach.

Most intrauterine devices (IUDs) are inserted in a primary care or hospital outpatient setting and any problems arising will often be treated there rather than as a hospital inpatient. However, data are not available centrally on the number of women treated for such problems in primary care or hospital outpatient settings.

Information on the number of intrauterine devices and intrauterine systems prescribed from sexual health settings (National Sexual Health System - NaSH) and primary care settings (Prescribing Information System) is published by NSS: Information Services Division.

'The Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) Key Clinical Indicator (KCI), LARC - 2018 in the LARC' publication gives details in 'data tables' 2 and 3 of the number of prescribed IUD devices/systems respectively and shows that across the last 5 years, the total number of prescribed intrauterine devices was around 36,000. For the same period, around 111,000 intrauterine systems were prescribed. The tables are available through the following link: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Sexual-Health/Publications/

NSS: Information Services Division has also provided the following table which shows the number of hospital inpatient stays which resulted from complications related to intrauterine contraceptive devices. The number of hospital stays are too small to allow further breakdown by age-group:

Number of hospital stays with any diagnosis of mechanical complications of intrauterine contraceptive device, by health board of residence

This information is not held centrally. Historically, this condition was difficult to diagnose and assess consistently. To aid better assessment and diagnosis The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network published a guideline on the assessment and diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) on 23 January 2019. It stated that it is estimated that approximately 3.2% of babies born in the UK are affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) It is estimated that prevalence of FASD is around 2% in Scotland. With approximately 60,000 births annually in Scotland this would translate into an estimate of 1,200 babies with FASD born in Scotland every year. S5W-15530 on 17 April 2018 provided detail from the Scottish Birth Record of those recorded as having a diagnosis of “Fetal Alcohol Syndrome” in Scotland during the period 2003 to 2017. The action the Scottish Government is taking includes an increase in third sector support for families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and improved access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services set out in Programme for Government 2018. The Alcohol Framework published on 20 November 2018 sets out our priorities for preventing alcohol related harm, including a specific action on FASD.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

The research by University College London notes that further study is required in order to better understand the potential weaknesses of the midstream urine (MSU) culture as a way of diagnosing UTIs. Until an alternative test is established, those responsible for detecting UTIs should continue to consult treatment guidelines in order to determine the most appropriate solution for the patient.

Diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTIs) should take account of the clinical presentation and a detailed history. Algorithms are used to combine the results from a number of tests, including the midstream urine culture, as well as other relevant information about a patient's condition such as their age and symptoms.

Further to the answer to question S50-02865 by John Swinney - the data requested is only partially held. It is not possible to identify which individuals are not enrolled at school at the time of their death. Furthermore, it has not been possible to provide information on local authority of residence due to the potential risk of disclosure.

The Scottish Government is clear that that disrespectful conduct in our NHS is unacceptable under any circumstances. We expect board members to act in line with the values and behaviours expected of everyone in NHS Scotland.

All NHS Boards have in place a Code of Conduct which board members are required to adhere to. Complaints or allegations about breaches of the Code are investigated by the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland and then acted upon by the Standards Commission for Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S50-02929 on 28 February 2019. The answer to the oral parliamentary question in available on the Parliaments website, the Official Report can be viewed at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=11964&i=108174

The data held in the ISD Psychological Therapies database is aggregated data and type of diagnosis is not collected as part of this dataset. It is therefore not possible to provide a specific response regarding waiting times for eating disorders.

In Scotland, a range of eating disorder services are provided in line with clinical good practice across community, primary care and specialist services for children, adolescents and adults. All NHS Boards will keep such services under review and are working towards shorter waiting times, and better outcomes, for patients.

The vast majority of people with eating disorders will be treated in the community, with support provided by primary care or community mental health teams. There will also be support links to more specialist care where appropriate. For a small number of people, admission to an Inpatient Unit may be necessary, and can be clinically appropriate for those people with serious Eating Disorders.