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-12324

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve morale among GPs and to tackle any workload pressures that they face.

Question reference: S5W-12329

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Audit Scotland's finding that some integration authorities submitted late financial information to NHS boards for the 2016-17 accounts process and that this could not be included in the draft accounts.

All Boards were able to obtain the necessary financial information from the relevant integration authorities for inclusion in the final accounts. All Boards received an unqualified audit opinion for the 2016-17 annual accounts.

It is important to note that 2016-17 was the first full year that integration authorities were fully operational. Areas for improvement are being identified and addressed as part of the approach to be taken by relevant bodies for subsequent years.

Question reference: S5W-12325

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve morale among nurses and to tackle any workload pressures that they face.

The welfare of NHS staff is critically important, every health board is required to have policies in place and to comply with national policies on managing health at work, which includes activity to support staff wellbeing.

Scotland has led the UK in the development of nursing and midwifery workload and workforce planning tools. A Nation with Ambition – the Government’s Programme for Scotland 2017-18, published on 7 September 2017, published our commitment to introduce Safe Staffing legislation, enshrining our world leading workforce planning tools in law, commencing with the nursing and midwifery professions.

The Nursing 2030 Vision, launched by the Chief Nursing Officer earlier this year, sets a direction for nursing through to 2030. It recognises that when nurses are happy and valued, patient outcomes improve and services flourish. The Vision prioritises activity to support nurses’ health and wellbeing.

Question reference: S5W-12304

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government in light of Audit Scotland describing their approach as "unsustainable", whether it will ask NHS boards to focus on recurring savings, and not non-recurring savings.

As part of the existing approach to planning and identifying savings, NHS Boards focus on delivering recurring savings.

To ensure that public resources are used as effectively as possible and to help meet increasing demand and deliver reform, the Scottish Government has established a Sustainability and Value Programme to maximise the benefit from efficiency and productivity savings.

This Programme supports NHS Boards in identifying recurring savings which are then retained for local reinvestment. Savings plans are continually developed throughout the year, to deliver better services, better care and better value.

Question reference: S5W-12345

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Audit Scotland's comments that the "Scottish Government and health boards have not planned effectively for the long term" and that responsibility for health planning is "confused".

Question reference: S5W-12348

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Audit Scotland's comment that a new GP contract is "critical to delivering more care in the community".

Question reference: S5W-12336

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in developing a financial framework to illustrate how moving healthcare from acute settings into communities will be funded.

Question reference: S5W-12339

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that increasing the supply of community services does not affect the supply of acute services.

Integration Authorities' strategic commissioning plans set out how they intend to deliver care appropriate to people's needs in their localities, including any plans to shift provision of care from institutional to community settings. Strategic commissioning plans are accompanied by annual financial statements setting out spending intentions for the year to come. The main driver for hospital use is emergency admissions, of which many can be prevented by better services in the community. Using their budgets and through their strategic commissioning plans, Integration Authorities have control of the budgets across the unscheduled care pathway including commissioning responsibilities for three quarters of all emergency admissions, enabling them to redirect resources from acute to community-based provision, improving both the quality and sustainability of care.

Question reference: S5W-12342

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comment by Audit Scotland that there is a "potential funding gap" in the estimated £2 billion required for NHS boards’ capital programmes.

Question reference: S5W-12311

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports hospitals in dealing with increasing demand for (a) outpatient appointments and (b) planned inpatient and day-case treatment.