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-24058

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-22908 by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 May 2009, when it will publish the responses to the consultation on the establishment of the Care Environment Inspectorate on the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland website.

Question reference: S3W-24015

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 May 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde inpatient mental health provision is used by patients from outwith that NHS board area.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde(NHSGGC) have confirmed that in the one year period to 31 April 2009, that there were 1,184 bed days of unplanned activity into Greater Glasgow beds from other boards which comprised of 114 admissions, using the equivalent of three beds per day.

NHSGGC have stated that around 60% of this unplanned bed use relates to the neighbouring boards of NHS Ayrshire and Arran and NHS Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S3W-24016

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 May 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive to where NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde patients are referred for inpatient mental health care if there is insufficient capacity within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have confirmed that the use of acute beds beyond its own boundaries is very low. Greater Glasgow and Clyde provides 1,510 beds for acute assessment, continuing care and specialist services (1,121 of these beds are provided by Greater Glasgow hospitals).

In the 12 month period to 31 April 2009, there were five admissions to a bed outwith the Glasgow area using a total of 16 bed days. This includes both unplanned requests to other boards and presentation at accident and emergency services whilst Greater Glasgow residents are temporarily away from the Glasgow area. The number of patients from other NHS boards using hospitals in Greater Glasgow and Clyde is significantly higher.

Question reference: S3W-23993

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 May 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has published to inform and support local authorities in their plans to close or otherwise change day services for adults with learning disabilities.

In 2006 The same as you? Implementation Group published Make my day! which reported on the progress made by local partnerships and shared good practice in the modernisation of day services for adults with learning disabilities. The report set out a number of things to guide the future development of day services.

Neither The same as you? nor Make my day! advocate the closure of day services but encourage day services to modernise and focus more on education, employment and personal fulfilment.

Question reference: S3W-23877

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 May 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds are available at the new mental health in-patient facility at Gartnavel Hospital.

Question reference: S3W-23994

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 May 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with COSLA or other bodies following Audit Scotland’s 2008 recommendation that the Scottish Government and local authorities should work together to agree a national eligibility framework that defines risks and priority levels to ensure transparency in access to care for older people.

We have reached agreement with COSLA that the £40 million in additional funding from 1 April will be spent on delivering a package of measures to stabilise the free personal and nursing care policy in the immediate term. Significant progress has been made in developing with COSLA and key stakeholders a consistent eligibility framework to be operated by all councils for access to adult social care services and which will be applied across Scotland. We will be in a position to formally consult on these proposals very shortly.

Question reference: S3W-23995

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 May 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with COSLA or other bodies with regard to a national eligibility framework for all community care services provided by local authorities.

Question reference: S3W-23823

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 May 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 21 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers have retired from Strathclyde Police since July 2008, broken down by division.

Question reference: S3W-24014

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 May 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive where NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in-patient mental health facilities are located.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has confirmed that its inpatient mental health facilities are currently located at the following hospitals (excluding learning disabilities and NHS nursing homes): Stobhill Hospital (including the Rowanbank Clinic); Leverndale Hospital; the Southern General Hospital; Parkhead Hospital; Gartnavel Hospital; Dykebar Hospital; the Royal Alexandra Hospital; Ravenscraig Hospital; Inverclyde Royal Hospital, and the Vale of Leven Hospital.

Question reference: S3W-23878

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 May 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 May 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the planning assumptions are for bed numbers at the new mental health in-patient facility at Gartnavel Hospital for (a) Greater Glasgow and (b) Clyde patients.

The relevant planning assumptions as set out in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde''s Vision for the Vale document assumed a total of 60 acute adult mental health beds at Gartnavel Hospital: 48 beds for the Greater Glasgow area, and 12 beds for the Clyde area (although the board''s proposals for adult mental health in the Vision for the Vale have not yet received Ministerial approval).

As confirmed in the answer to question S3W-23876 on 21 May 2009, NHS Greater Glasgow''s 1999 mental health strategy proposed that there should be a total of 60 acute adult mental health beds at Gartnavel Hospital. As I would expect, the board has revised its planning assumptions in line with national policy and operating experience since 1999. The development of appropriate crisis and assertive outreach services throughout the country over the last 10 years has seen a significant shift in the balance of care from management of adult acute mental health problems in inpatient settings to the management of a proportion of such problems through community-based crisis teams. This has seen comparable bed levels in England reduce by 10-20% over that period. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has confirmed that the average relevant bed use throughout 2008 at Gartnavel Hospital was 49 beds. As such, Gartnavel Hospital is already operating close to the revised 48-bed plan and can be expected to appropriately reduce its bed use level as community-based services are further consolidated.

In terms of the planning assumptions for the remaining categories of mental health beds at Gartnavel Hospital, the board have confirmed that the number of Intensive Psychiatric Care Unit beds are to remain at 12: 10 for the Greater Glasgow area and two for the Clyde area. As with adult acute mental health services, the board''s assumptions are based on historically low occupancy levels, meaning the Clyde area activity can be absorbed without constraining current levels of Greater Glasgow activity.

There are no changes in the assumptions around the older people''s contingent of 45 beds at Gartnavel as the Vision for the Vale proposes that the relevant patients from the Clyde area should be treated at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.