- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 April 2020
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 21 April 2020
To ask the Scottish Government, with the school term resuming, whether it will provide an update on how it is ensuring equal access to learning, including for those with additional support needs and from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 21 April 2020
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 April 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 April 2020
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to relax the requirement for landlords to obtain an annual gas safety certificate during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer
The annual gas safety regulations are reserved to the UK Government and the Scottish Government cannot change them.
Whilst the Scottish Government recognises the importance of the annual safety checks, during the current health emergency, the Scottish Government would like to see the postponement of the annual gas safety check to ensure the spread of the Covid-19 virus is reduced, unless work is essential for the safety and security of occupiers, or for homes to be fit for human habitation.
I have written twice to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Health and Safety Executive with my views and urged them to take a pragmatic and proportionate approach by providing a temporary extension of the statutory obligations for gas safety in light of the current pandemic and restrictions that are in place across the country.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 14 April 2020
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that there has been an 11% increase in referral rates for paediatric ENT services in NHS Lothian.
Answer
The Health Board do not recognise where the figure of an 11% increase in the referral rate for Paediatric ENT services within NHS Lothian. The Board’s Annual Operational Plan for 2020/21 has been compiled with an assumption of a generic 1% annual increase, and they have advise that this is in line with their short term data.
In light of current COVID-19 position, we are working closely with Health Boards to support them to plan and prepare for the anticipated increase in demand for health and care services.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 14 April 2020
To ask the Scottish Government how many podiatrists are employed by each NHS board, and how this compares with 2010, also broken down per head of population.
Answer
The whole time equivalent numbers of podiatrists and podiatrists per 10,000 population by NHS Board, at September 2010 and December 2019, are as follows.
NHS Board | 2010 total | 2010 per 10,000 population [1] | 2019 total | 2019 per 10,000 population [2] |
Ayrshire and Arran | 57.9 | 1.6 | 43.9 | 1.2 |
Borders | 19.9 | 1.8 | 11.7 | 1.0 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 25.1 | 1.7 | 22.9 | 1.5 |
Fife | 60.5 | 1.7 | 53.6 | 1.4 |
Forth Valley | 30.3 | 1.0 | 24.6 | 0.8 |
Grampian | 60.8 | 1.1 | 49.4 | 0.8 |
Greater Glasgow and Clyde | 162.2 | 1.4 | 134.1 | 1.1 |
Highland | 37.2 | 1.2 | 32.4 | 1.0 |
Lanarkshire | 75.9 | 1.2 | 73.6 | 1.1 |
Lothian | 70.3 | 0.9 | 58.9 | 0.7 |
Orkney | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.6 | 1.6 |
Shetland | 2.6 | 1.1 | 3.6 | 1.6 |
Tayside | 50.5 | 1.2 | 47.0 | 1.1 |
Western Isles | 5.6 | 2.0 | 7.4 | 2.8 |
Podiatrists are recorded as qualified (Agenda for Change bands 5-9) podiatry professionals working within NHSScotland.
[1] National Records of Scotland (NRS) publish annual population data by NHS Board area as mid-year estimates. The 2010 podiatrists per-head of population figures have been calculated using Information Services Division Scotland Workforce data (at September 2010) and population estimates (NRS, mid-year estimate 2010).
[2] The 2019 podiatrists per-head of population figures have been calculated using the most recently available Information Services Division Scotland Workforce data (at December 2019) and population estimates (NRS, mid-year estimate 2018).
Sources:
Information Services Division, ‘NHSScotland Workforce’, 3 March 2020.
https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/NES-Publication/2020-03-03/Visualisation.asp
National Records of Scotland, ‘Mid-year population estimates: Scotland and its NHS Board areas by single year of age and sex: 1981 to 2018’, 25 April 2019.
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/mid-year-population-estimates/population-estimates-time-series-data
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 April 2020
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the equality impact assessment for its deposit return scheme, whether it plans to establish a fund to develop teaching and training resources.
Answer
Zero Waste Scotland is conducting research with disabled people and carers, and representative organisations, to understand their views on Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). The intention is for this work to inform communications regarding DRS and to be shared with any scheme administrator(s) once approved.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 April 2020
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the equality impact assessment for its deposit return scheme, what plans it has for further consultation with (a) disabled people and (b) access panels throughout the scheme's implementation phase.
Answer
Zero Waste Scotland is conducting research with disabled people and carers, and representative organisations, to understand their views on Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). The intention is for this work to inform communications regarding DRS and to be shared with any scheme administrator(s) once approved.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 April 2020
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the equality impact assessment for its deposit return scheme, whether it plans to run educational programmes to engage those at risk of being disadvantaged by the scheme.
Answer
There are no plans for the Scottish Government to establish a fund for teaching and training resources in relation to the deposit return scheme. It will be the responsibility of the businesses with responsibility for implementing DRS, including any scheme administrator(s), to ensure that the scheme is accessible and that everyone is aware of their responsibilities under it. It should be noted that it will be in the best interests of those running the scheme to ensure it is as widely understood as possible, to ensure they can meet their collection targets.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 14 April 2020
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the equality impact assessment for its deposit return scheme, how it plans to increase the accessibility of return points for (a) older people, (b) people with reduced mobility and (c) people generally.
Answer
The Regulations to establish Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), published on 16 March 2020, have taken full account of the importance of accessibility. In particular, to maximise accessibility, Scotland’s DRS will follow a ‘return-to-retail’ model, with every drinks retailer required to operate a return point unless exempted.
It is for the businesses with responsibility for implementing DRS, including retailers, to determine how best to ensure accessibility of return points to all. The Scottish Government is clear that it expects industry to comply with best practice and all applicable legislation, including the Equality Act 2010, in implementing DRS.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 6 April 2020
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported reduction in the number of podiatrists working in the NHS over the last 10 years, for what reason its Integrated Health and Social Care Workforce Plan does not include any specific support to future-proof the NHS podiatry workforce.
Answer
The National Health and Social Care Integrated Workforce Plan sets out how health and social care services will meet growing demand to ensure the right numbers of staff, with the right skills, across health and social care services.
We have published a series of case studies and scenarios alongside the Integrated Plan. For the first time, these scenarios allow us to model the numbers we will need for future years, in response to growing demand.
Podiatrists form part of the Allied Health Professional (AHP) workforce. The Integrated Plan’s scenario planning includes a profile of the Allied Health Professions workforce; the future demand for AHP services and the actions required to allow for evidence-based, predictive workforce planning in this area:
https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/
publications/publication/2019/12/national-health-social-care
-integrated-workforce-plan/documents/illustrative-scenarios/
illustrative-scenarios/govscot%3Adocument/illustrative-
scenarios.pdf
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 6 April 2020
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the numbers of people with long-term conditions such as diabetes and peripheral arterial disease, which can lead to foot and lower limb ulceration and amputation, for what reason its Integrated Health and Social Care Workforce Plan does not mention NHS podiatry services and their preventative role in (a) treating these conditions, (b) maintaining foot and lower limb health generally and (c) keeping people healthy and in work.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the important role of Allied Health Professionals such as podiatrists. A national recruitment campaign for nursing, midwifery, Allied Health Professionals and health care scientists ran from November 2019 until January 2020, to attract prospective university students into these professions and ensure a sustainable workforce is available to meet Scotland’s future requirements.
The National Health and Social Care Integrated Workforce Plan sets out how health and social care services will meet growing demand to ensure the right numbers of staff, with the right skills, across health and social care services.
We have published a series of case studies and scenarios alongside the Integrated Plan. For the first time, these scenarios allow us to model the numbers we will need for future years, in response to growing demand.
The Integrated Plan’s scenario planning includes a profile of the Allied Health Professions workforce; the future demand for AHP services and the actions required to allow for evidence-based, predictive workforce planning in this area:
https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot
/publications/publication/2019/12/national-health-social-care
-integrated-workforce-plan/documents/illustrative-scenarios/
illustrative-scenarios/govscot%3Adocument/illustrative-
scenarios.pdf .
