Question ref. S6W-06772
Asked by: Stewart, Alexander, Mid Scotland and Fife, Date lodged: 24 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve awareness of brain tumour symptoms.
Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 March 2022
We welcomed the opportunity to participate in the first Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Day and joined the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce in raising the profile of less survivable cancers, including neurological cancers, through our video of support on twitter.
We know that the earlier cancer is detected the greater the chance of survival, this is particularly important across rapidly-advancing diseases like the less survivable cancers, which include brain tumours. Our Detect Cancer Early (DCE) Programme adopts a whole-systems approach to diagnosing and treating cancer as early as possible. This £44m programme received an additional £20m in August 2021 and is being developed and supported by a new Early Cancer Diagnosis Programme Board.
Scotland’s first three Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres (ECDC) are now live in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Dumfries and Galloway and NHS Fife. These Centres provide primary care with a new referral route for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer (including weight loss, fatigue and nausea), which do not meet Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer for specific cancer types, including brain tumours.
Question ref. S6W-06768
Asked by: Stewart, Alexander, Mid Scotland and Fife, Date lodged: 24 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of clinical nurse specialists who specialise in brain tumours, and what steps NHS Scotland is taking to ensure that all brain tumour patients have access to a named clinical nurse specialist.
Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 March 2022
Information on the number of brain tumour specialist nurses is not held centrally.
As part of the National Cancer Plan, we are providing up to £2.5 million to NHS boards to support 12 pilot programmes across Scotland to deliver a single point of contact for cancer patients. These points of contact will support patients throughout their journey to discuss questions or anxieties related to their clinical care from the point of diagnosis.
Question ref. S6W-06767
Asked by: Stewart, Alexander, Mid Scotland and Fife, Date lodged: 24 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether Healthcare Improvement Scotland is currently reviewing the use of Palforzia for children with peanut allergies; if so, what the anticipated timescale is for (a) it to produce its recommendations and (b) these to be implemented by NHS Scotland, and, if not, whether such a review will be under taken as a priority in order give children in Scotland access to this treatment, in light of it being available in England and Wales.
Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 March 2022
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has advised that it is in discussions with the manufacturer of Palforzia ® , Aimmune Therapeutics UK Limited, regarding their plans for a submission to the SMC’s appraisal process. The decision to make a submission, and the timing of that submission, are entirely for the manufacturer to make. Information on SMC timelines and submission scheduling can be found here . Once the manufacturer has provided the Palforzia ® submission to the SMC, information on the specific timelines for this assessment will be available via the search facility available on the home page of the SMC’s website here . After a submission is received and scheduled for review by the SMC, the resulting advice is e published and takes effect for NHS Scotland from the month following the review meeting.
As soon as the medicine is submitted to the SMC for appraisal, Health Boards have procedures in place using the Peer Approved Clinical System “PACS Tier Two” process which provides an opportunity for doctors, on a case by case basis for individual patients, to request the use of the medicine in advance of the SMC completing the appraisal process and issuing its advice.
Question ref. S6W-06769
Asked by: Stewart, Alexander, Mid Scotland and Fife, Date lodged: 24 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment Public Health Scotland has made of the reported backlog in the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what steps are being taken to address this.
Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 March 2022
The cancer pathology dashboard hosted on the COVID-19 wider impacts tool is Public Health Scotland’s rapid assessment of how many cancer diagnoses have been made compared to 2019 https://scotland.shinyapps.io/phs-covid-wider-impact/ .
However, we know that many Central Nervous System (CNS) tumours are not diagnosed by pathology and the Scottish Cancer Registry provides the gold standard measure of new cancer diagnoses. PHS will report on 2020 incidence in April of this year. The Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) dashboard (on the same site) is Public Health Scotland’s assessment of SACT, and CNS tumour treatment is available on that; and Public Health Scotland’s radiotherapy data is returned to NHS Digital, where they are presented on a dashboard.
Question ref. S6W-06275
Asked by: Stewart, Alexander, Mid Scotland and Fife, Date lodged: 8 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether provision has been made in the new devolved disability benefits system to allow disabled people to relocate between nations of the UK and maintain their benefit eligibility.
Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 25 February 2022
The Scottish Government has been working with counterparts at both the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland to ensure any person moving to or from Scotland who is in receipt of disability benefits can do so without disruption to their benefits.
The Disability Assistance for Children and Young People (Scotland) Regulations 2021 allow a person moving from Scotland to the rest of the UK to retain their benefit entitlement for up to 13 weeks. This is to allow time for the person moving to establish a new entitlement in the country they are settling in. We understand that the intention of other UK administrations is to mirror this arrangement.
The Scottish Government is also working with DWP to ensure anyone coming to Scotland from the rest of the UK will have the Scottish equivalent of their existing benefit awarded automatically, without a need to apply. However, it is our understanding that the DWP and the Department for Communities will require anyone moving from Scotland to these administrations to submit a new application before they can be considered for award of the equivalent disability benefit in the rest of the UK.
Question ref. S6W-05654
Asked by: Stewart, Alexander, Mid Scotland and Fife, Date lodged: 11 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00396 by Maree Todd on 16 June 2021, for what reasons it has not met its previous commitment to launch the Nicotine Vapour Products (NVPs) public consultation in Autumn 2021.
Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 19 January 2022
The Scottish Government has taken the opportunity to liaise with a short-life working group and update the consultation in line with the most recent emerging evidence. We have also taken on board requests not to launch the consultation in the run-up to Christmas which is the busiest trading period and may not allow retailers the full opportunity to share their views.
The document is now in its final stages of review and will be published in the coming weeks.
Question ref. S6W-05653
Asked by: Stewart, Alexander, Mid Scotland and Fife, Date lodged: 11 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00396 by Maree Todd on 16 June 2021, when the Nicotine Vapour Products (NVPs) public consultation will be launched.
Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 19 January 2022
We plan to launch the consultation into proposed further restrictions on the advertising and promotion of Nicotine Vapour Products in the coming weeks.
Following requests not to consult during the Christmas and New Year period – one of the busiest for the retail sector – the Scottish Government has taken the opportunity to review and update the document to take into account, the most recent emerging evidence. This review is now in its final stages.
Question ref. S6W-04737
Asked by: Stewart, Alexander, Mid Scotland and Fife, Date lodged: 29 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether there are provisions in the forthcoming smoke and heat detector legislation that will allow smoke and heat detectors in sheltered housing for older people to be linked to a warden call provider, but not to each other.
Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 13 December 2021
The new standard for fire alarms in Scottish homes requires alarms in any flat to be interlinked, so that warning will be given quickly in event of a fire, regardless of the room in which the alarm is triggered, and reduce the risk of harm. The new standard does not prevent alarms from also being linked to a warden call provider, and does not require alarms to be interlinked between flats.
Question ref. S6W-04545
Asked by: Stewart, Alexander, Mid Scotland and Fife, Date lodged: 19 November 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that future anti-smoking campaigns addressed at young people take account of any concerns that they might have regarding whether there is a link between smoking and weight gain or loss.
Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 December 2021
Stopping smoking at any time is one of the best things you can do for your health, and the health of those around you.
We work alongside YoungScot, schools and further education institutions when developing our campaigns to ensure young people are aware of the dangers of smoking and the importance of making healthy life choices.
NHS Inform has information around smoking and weight gain, 'Myths' which can be used to address individual’s concerns over this issue.
www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/stopping-smoking/when-you-stop/myths
Any future anti-smoking campaigns will address these concerns to ensure that individuals are supported to stop smoking.
Question ref. S6W-04507
Asked by: Stewart, Alexander, Mid Scotland and Fife, Date lodged: 18 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that no dental surgeries in Fife are registering new NHS patients.
Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 30 November 2021
The dental sector has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and pre-COVID levels of patient volume are not currently achievable with the current infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance. The majority of dental treatments involve the use of aerosol generating procedures which potentially has a higher risk of transmission of the virus. We are working closely with the sector to improve capacity which is why we have provided £5m funding to improve surgery ventilation and a further £7.5m has been allocated to for the purchase of new drills. These measures are intended to increase the productivity of practices, enabling them to see more patients, within the current IPC constraints.
Additionally, funding of £4.7m has been provided to NHS Boards to enable the Public Dental Service (PDS) to improve access to NHS dental care in their area, particularly for people who are unable to register with a dentist at present. Any patients who require dental treatment before they are able to register with a practice should contact the dental helpline in their Board area. Contact details for each Board can be found on the NHS Inform website at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/nhs-services/dental/dental-emergencies .