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: S6W-41993

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance (a) NHS 24 and (b) other NHS boards follow to ensure that repeat callers seeking medical care receive timely support.

NHS 24 operate under clear, evidence-based clinical protocols that are designed to safeguard patient safety and ensure timely access to care. These include a structured triage system, clinical decision support tools, and escalation pathways for urgent or complex cases, which apply equally to repeat callers.

The Scottish Government monitors compliance with these protocols and expects NHS 24 to adhere to them rigorously. Detailed information on specific guidance may be obtained from NHS 24.

Question reference: S6W-41996

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what is the longest recorded time a patient has spent on a trolley in a hospital corridor or emergency department in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-41998

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have spent more than (a) four, (b) eight, and (c) 12 hours on a trolley while waiting for (i) treatment and (ii) admission in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-41995

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it collects data on the number of callers who report being unable to access care after multiple attempts to contact NHS 24 or other health services.

The Scottish Government does not collect data on the number of callers who report being unable to access care after multiple attempts to contact NHS 24.

The Scottish Government continues to support NHS 24, including revising performance indicators to better reflect demand and improve service delivery. Over the past two financial years, NHS 24 has received £28.3 million in additional funding, enabling the recruitment of 22 extra clinicians and achieving its highest-ever treatment capacity.

Question reference: S6W-42000

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average and (b) longest recorded time for an NHS 24 111 callback was in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-42001

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of NHS 24 111 callbacks were completed within target times in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-41991

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the NHS 24 111 triage processes to reduce the number of patients that have been denied onward referral.

Question reference: S6W-41455

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support empty home initiatives that can contribute to addressing the challenges of the housing market as well as support the local communities affected.

Question reference: S6W-41735

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that every maternity ward properly records serious birth tears and the number of women who experience significant blood loss while giving birth.

We expect all women who experience pelvic floor trauma and post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) will have this recorded within the electronic maternity record. Rates of third- and fourth-degree tears for each Board are available on the Scottish Pregnancy, Births and Neonatal Dashboard: Scottish Pregnancy, Births and Neonatal Dashboard. Data on PPH is collected by Healthcare Improvement Scotland as part of the Scottish Patient Safety Perinatal Programme.

We have written to all NHS Boards identifying the Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury (OASI) care bundle as an approach which can be used by maternity services with a view to reducing the incidence of third- and fourth-degree tears. This will be one of several priorities for consideration by the expert members of the Scottish Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce.

Question reference: S6W-41731

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many inspections Healthcare Improvement Scotland has made of maternity units in each year since 2020-21, broken down by (a) maternity unit and (b) whether these were announced or unannounced visits.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) commenced their safe delivery of care inspection of all 18 obstetric maternity units in January this year. HIS publishes its methodology for the maternity inspection programme on its website: Safe delivery of care in maternity units inspection programme – Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

All of the inspections carried out by HIS are independent, unannounced and specific to each hospital and NHS Board. This allows for a real-time response to emerging issues and allows us to take a local approach, ensuring lessons are learned and improvements made quickly.

HIS has published inspection reports for Ninewells Hospital Dundee in May 2025 and Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in October 2025. The Scottish Government is notified when HIS inspectors begin a Safe Delivery of Care inspection at a hospital. In addition to the published reports HIS have undertaken unannounced inspections of three further maternity units, and we expect to see those reports publish in due course.