- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government when the planned elements of reform to the Agenda for Change pay structure will be (a) approved by the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care and (b) implemented.
Answer
I am delighted that both Staff Side and NHS Board representatives have worked in partnership with us to undertake an extensive review of the Agenda for Review framework, which included the existing pay structure.
I am now considering the recommendations of the review alongside the wider impact of any action we take and the budget that we need to operate within.
We will continue to engage fully with our partners on all aspects of the review, including next steps.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2024
To ask the First Minister when the Scottish Government expects the remainder of the National Treatment Centres to be opened, in light of reports that NHS capital infrastructure projects have been paused.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2024
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 January 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 29 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly withdrawn funding support for the 2024-25 Mark Scott Leadership for Life Award.
Answer
Our block grant funding for this Budget is derived from the UK Government's spending decisions and has fallen by 1.2% in real terms since 2022-23 – a real terms drop of £0.5 billion. The reality is that the amount Scotland has available to spend is still largely driven by the block grant set by successive UK Governments whose constraint of public expenditure prolongs the austerity felt by public services. The Scottish Government has had to prioritise and align Justice portfolio budget decisions with the Vision for Justice. While there is significant pressure across all Scottish Government budgets in 2024/25, officials are continuing to engage portfolios across government to try and identify budgets whose objectives may be more clearly aligned to the Mark Scott Awards. We will provide an update to the Outward Bound Trust about the Mark Scott Awards when this process is complete.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether any funding for training anaesthesia
associates and physician associates is allocated from (a) the NHS Scotland
workforce training budget or (b) a separate funding stream.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not currently directly fund training for physician associates or anaesthesia associates via the Health and Social Care Portfolio. Health Boards may choose to put in place local arrangements for staff to train as an anaesthesia associate through existing UK-based course provision, in line with their local workforce and operational plans.
We are working with NHS Education for Scotland to determine whether, and to what extent, we make investment in additional domestic training provision for medical associate professionals (MAPs), in order to strengthen future workforce supply in a way that is commensurate with our commitment to take a progressive and evidence-based approach to the expansion of MAP roles across NHS Scotland.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what public awareness campaigns it has planned regarding the use of medical associate professions across NHS Scotland.
Answer
Medical Associate Professions (MAPs) are not new professions and have been practising across the UK for 20 years. They are an important and valued part of the NHS Scotland workforce.
Guidance regarding ways in which MAPs communicate and engage with patients and the wider public, was issued by the Scottish Government to all Health Boards via a Director’s Letter in 2016.
A programme of work jointly led by the Scottish Government and NHS Education for Scotland, and supported by a Programme Board consisting of partners from across the healthcare system will consider the most appropriate means of public engagement in relation to any future plans for this workforce.
In addition, as part of an ongoing programme of stakeholder engagement it is our intention to host a number of workshops throughout 2024, providing an opportunity for a wide range of key stakeholders to engage in detailed discussion regarding key elements of this work.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 17 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what metrics will be used to consider the effectiveness of its short-term let licensing policy, and, consequently, what information it has requested from local authorities as part of this.
Answer
The Scottish Government and licensing authorities have agreed a specification for the collection of data relating to short-term let licensing applications. This is available to view at Short-term lets: data collection specification - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .
Quarterly statistics relating to this information were published on 30 August and 20 November 2023, which provide trends for short-term let licensing applications and licences including types of let, types of property, and the application status. It also shows the number of any licence applications refused and indicates the reason for the refusal, including if the applicant is not a fit and proper person or the premises is judged to be unsuitable. The next publication, covering the period 1 July to 30 September 2023, is expected to be published in April 2024.
The scope of an implementation update on short-term let licensing was shared with the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee on 27 October 2023. Short term lets 27 October 2023 | Scottish Parliament Website . We will provide the Committee with further information about our progress in due course.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 January 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many women in the West Scotland region have had ovarian cancer surgery privately in each of the last five years.
Answer
This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 December 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Supreme Court judgement that the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to legislate for a referendum on Scottish independence, whether it will reallocate funding for the Constitutional Futures Division to help the charitable hospice sector address the reported £16 million deficit that it faces.
Answer
The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that everyone who needs it can access seamless, timely and high-quality palliative care. Independent hospices are highly valued and provide vital support to people and their families, as well as supporting other health and social care services and teams delivering palliative and end of life care. We fully understand the pressures that hospices are currently facing and we will strive to support the hospice sector where we can.
I convened a round table with Integration Authority Chief Officers and Hospice leaders on 5 December to discuss how we can support independent hospices, including through a draft national guidance framework to support and improve consistency of local planning and commissioning of independent hospice care.
The Constitutional Futures Division’s work on the Building a New Scotland series is delivering the mandate to give people the information they need to make an informed choice about Scotland’s constitutional future.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much Barnett consequential funding it has received for the treatment of long COVID in each financial year from 2020-21 to date.
Answer
No Barnett consequentials have been received specifically noted as relating to long COVID.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 9 January 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the accessibility of ovarian cancer surgery, in light of reports from women who have had to travel to England for treatment.
Answer
I refer the member to the response to question S6W-23824 on 9 January 2024. Improvement action has also been progressed in other areas of Scotland.
Any arrangements for NHS patients to be treated at an Independent Sector hospital would need to be made between the patient, NHS Board and their clinical team.
While a patient has the right, at any time, to exercise choice and seek private treatment, there can never be the expectation that the NHS will pay for it. The reimbursement of any costs incurred when a patient opts for private treatment is a matter for consideration by the local Health Board.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .
