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: S3W-40431

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what flexibility there is to enable ambulance staff to attend emergency calls during breaks.

Question reference: S3W-40434

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-37843 and S3W-37844 by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 December 2010, what funding is being provided to the 14 NHS boards to (a) create new chronic pain clinics and (b) improve existing clinics and to what extent boards have been expected to finance improvements from existing budgets.

NHS boards are funded to provide services such as chronic pain clinics that are required by their resident populations.

In the longer term, the issue of the range and pattern of pain management services in Scotland will be determined by the further work that is needed to take forward the service model being developed by our lead clinician for chronic pain. Once the new lead clinician is in post, he or she will work with NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to undertake a scoping exercise with NHS boards. That will assess the level of services available in each area, and compare how these relate to the agreed service model.

We have in addition been advocating a managed clinical network (MCN) approach to the development of chronic pain services. We see the existing Network in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as setting an example for other boards to follow. We provided a small amount of pump priming for the MCN and would be prepared to adopt a similar approach with other NHS boards. It is one of the core principles of all MCN developments that they should explore their potential to generate better value for money.

Question reference: S3W-40428

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the anticipated level of demand for the Life Begins at 40 pilot was for 2010-11.

Question reference: S3W-40421

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how it measures the performance of NHS24.

The performance of NHS 24 is measured continuously and in a range of ways.

The Scottish Government agrees annually a local delivery plan (LDP) with NHS 24. This sets out the key performance targets for that year and performance against these is reported externally, for example within the published NHS 24 board papers. Where they apply to NHS 24, the LDP includes national NHS HEAT targets. These LDP targets are not the only indictors of the performance of NHS 24, they also report publically on a range of service indicators. These can be found within the published NHS 24 board papers. The NHS 24 LDP for 2010/11 and can be found at:

http://www.nhs24.com/content/default.asp?page=s21_57.

As with all NHS boards, NHS 24 is subject to a public annual review, which includes the publication of a self assessment document. NHS 24 also publish an annual report and accounts. All of these documents can be found on their website.

Finally, ministers and officials across the Health Directorates and wider Scottish Government are in regular contact with NHS 24 on a range of strategic, policy and service matters and the Scottish Government receives frequent management reporting information from NHS 24 about a range of services.

Question reference: S3W-40420

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive when the NHS will become a living wage employer.

Question reference: S3W-40430

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether ambulance staff are expected to be available to attend emergencies while on scheduled breaks.

Under the terms of the UK Agenda for Change NHS pay modernisation programme staff, including ambulance crews, are entitled to a break during their shift and should not be disturbed during that period.

However, in an agreement reached in partnership with their trade unions, the Scottish Ambulance Service offer frontline operational staff the opportunity to make themselves available during their scheduled break. Staff who to choose to do so receive an annual payment as well as an additional payment each time they are called upon during their break.

It is the responsibility of the Scottish Ambulance Service to maintain operational cover and ensure continuity of service delivery to patients, while at the same time ensuring the wellbeing of staff.

Question reference: S3W-40166

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, in view of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde promising to treat children with chronic pain up to ages 16 or 18 from 2015, whether it will be in breach of (a) patients’, (b) children’s or (c) human rights if it limits inpatient services to new chronic pain patients over 13.

Question reference: S3W-40144

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what companies supply pre-cooked or fresh food to the NHS and what the value is of each contract, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S3W-40145

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 16 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is improving nutritional standards in the NHS.

A comprehensive programme for improving nutritional care in hospitals, including the quality of meals, was established in 2008 backed by £1.5 million to support the implementation of the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland Clinical Standards for Food, Fluid and Nutrition in Hospitals. The programme includes:

The publication of Food in Hospitals “ A National Catering and Nutrition Specification for Food and Fluid in Scottish Hospitals.

Development of a monitoring tool to be used by NHS boards to ensure

compliance with the Specification, incorporating the patient experience.

Publication of a Practice Development Programme and Toolkit.

Development of an Educational Framework, a web-based resource.

Funding of Nutrition Champions in each NHS board

Software which provides a database of standard recipes which have been nutritionally analysed

In recognition of the importance of nutrition for in particular, vulnerable patients, senior charge nurses play a key role in ensuring these patients, who may need assistance with eating and drinking, are given care and support to improve and maintain their nutrition where appropriate. Protected meal times ensure that patients are not interrupted unnecessarily and also allow nursing staff more time to spend with patients who need assistance to eat and drink. This work links directly with the development of Clinical Quality Indicators one of which is for food, fluid and nutrition, currently being implemented across NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S3W-40163

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers it appropriate for children over 13 with chronic pain requiring inpatient services at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children to be referred to adult pain services until such time as the new children’s hospital opens at the Southern General Hospital in 2015.