- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 January 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 17 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what intensive psychiatric care facilities there are for children and young people, and what plans it has to increase provision.
Answer
The requirement for intensive psychiatric inpatient unit (IPCU) care for young people is a rare event. No dedicated IPCU beds for under 18s currently exist in Scotland so alternative arrangements are made, as appropriate to the individual situation, by clinicians on a case by case basis. These alternatives include admission to one of the regional specialist child and adolescent mental health units with tailored additional support and security, or admission to an adult IPCU with tailored additional support and clinical expertise.
Scottish Government has responded to the recommendation from the Mental Welfare Commission about the need for IPCU provision for under 18s by confirming that work on options will be taken forward as part of delivery of the Mental Health Strategy and the Child and Young Persons’ Mental Health Taskforce. In addition a National Secure CAMHS inpatient unit will be opening in 2020.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 January 2019
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what action SEPA has taken to seek regulatory compliance for the sites affected by the cessation of medical waste services by Healthcare Environmental Services Ltd.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2019
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Aileen Campbell on 9 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assess the health impacts arising from the findings of the recent Citizens Advice Scotland survey, which indicates that more than a fifth of people in Scotland have gone a day without eating because they are too poor to buy food.
Answer
The Scottish Government accepted recommendations to monitor food insecurity made by the Independent Working Group on Food Poverty in 2016. Questions from the UN Food Insecurity Experience Scale have been added to the Scottish Health Survey, and the data collected is integrated in to our National Performance Framework.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 9 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in response to new research that suggests that idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) predominantly affects women who are obese.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises that Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) mainly affects women in their 20s and 30s who have been identified as being overweight or obese, although it is not clear why.
IIH is often detected by optometrists when viewing patients’ optic discs as part of eye examinations. The Scottish Government funds universal free eye examinations for everyone in Scotland. If people (or their GP) are concerned about headaches, which is the main symptom of this condition, they can arrange an examination with an optometrist without delay. Referral for urgent review by ophthalmology can be made by the optometrist where there is suspicion of this condition.
In July 2018, following wide consultation with stakeholders, the Scottish Government published a Healthier Future: Scotland’s Diet & Healthy Weight Delivery Plan. This sets out a vision for everyone in Scotland to eat well and have a healthy weight. The plan’s third outcome makes a commitment to improve access to effective weight management services, as a way of reducing health conditions associated with excess weight. There is a strong focus on prevention while also recognising that some people need additional support to help them achieve a healthy weight.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that clinical waste is being stockpiled at NHS hospitals.
Answer
Contingency plans for the management of clinical waste have been successfully activated across all NHS boards in Scotland following the disruption to clinical waste management services provided by Healthcare Environmental Services Ltd. Although some boards have experienced a backlog of clinical waste on site, this is being cleared as part of the contingency arrangements.
NSS has prioritised the removal of orange waste bags, which must be transported to disposal sites within one week. Anatomical waste, stored appropriately in fridges and freezers within boards, has been disposed of properly. These arrangements, procured centrally by NSS, provide storage capacity to all (28) agreed priority sites, collecting and disposing of circa 300 tonnes of waste. Contracts for community services across Scotland have been initiated and NSS continue to secure specialist disposal capacity for the small quantities of higher risk products.
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring all NHS boards receive an appropriate level of waste management service.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government how many hospital deaths have been prevented since 2014 as a result of the patient safety programme.
Answer
NHS Information Services Division (ISD) of National Services Scotland produces quarterly hospital standardised mortality ratios (HSMR) for all Scottish hospitals participating in the Scottish Patient Safety Programme. The calculation takes account of patients who died within 30 days from hospital admission. This means that the HSMR also includes deaths that occur outside hospital.
Figures published on Tuesday 13 November 2018 by ISD show that HSMR at Scotland level has decreased by 11.2% since the first quarter of 2014.
The Scottish Patient Safety Programme is one of a number of factors over the last 10 years that have contributed to this reduction. ISD's report makes clear that other possible contributory factors include: reductions in underlying population-based mortality; improvements in the quality of care and treatment; increases in available medical treatments and risk factor improvements; and completeness/accuracy of hospital discharge summaries.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 8 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government which trade unions the Minister for Mental Health has met since 27 June 2018; on what dates these meetings were held, and what issues were discussed.
Answer
I have met with a range of trade union representatives in the course of my regular meetings with frontline staff. This includes meeting with the RCN to discuss matters such as workforce planning.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government for how many hours in the last year there has been no air ambulance service due to pilots being unavailable.
Answer
There has been no hours in the last year where air ambulance services in Scotland have been unavailable due to pilots not being available.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 8 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the finding in the recent Mental Health Foundation Scotland survey that (a) seven out of 10 teachers said they lack the training to help pupils with mental health problems and (b) 51% of teachers said the job had either led to them developing a mental health problem or had made an existing condition worse.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the pressures and challenges facing teachers, including those highlighted by the Mental Health Foundation Scotland. That is why we have taken action to reduce teacher workloads, clarify and simplify the curriculum framework and remove unnecessary bureaucracy.
The 2018-19 Programme for Government confirms we will provide enhanced support and professional learning materials for teachers allowing them to better support children and young people's mental health and wellbeing. We will also provide significant investment in the range of support available to our children and young people ensuring that issues are tackled early while guaranteeing faster access to specialist care for those who need it.
The Scottish Government’s ten year Mental Health Strategy emphasises the importance of prevention, early intervention and accessible services and we are working with employers across Scotland on how they can act to protect and improve mental health and support employees experiencing poor mental health.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 7 January 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the call by Breast Cancer Now for Perjeta to be made routinely available for people with secondary breast cancer.
Answer
On 10 December the Scottish Medicines Consortium announced that they had recommended Perjeta for use in NHS Scotland for the neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer. A second indication, for the treatment of metastatic (secondary) breast cancer was considered at the December meeting of the SMC and their decision will be published in January.
