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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: S6W-22471

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has taken to support and assist children and their families who may have been adversely affected by any poor-quality infant auditory brainstem response (ABR) assessment, as described in the report of the Independent Review of Audiology in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-22441

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action has been taken to support people with (a) chest, heart and stroke conditions and (b) long COVID.

Care and support for people with chest, heart and stroke conditions or long COVID is being provided across the full range of services being delivered by our NHS. This includes local primary care teams, community-based rehabilitation services and referrals for further investigation delivered in secondary care settings where needed.

The Scottish Respiratory Advisory Committee identified three initial priorities for implementation of the Respiratory Care Action Plan (2021) which were; child to adult transitions, access to data and pulmonary rehabilitation. The child to adult transitions sub-group has produced recommendations which will be shared shortly. We have recently commissioned Public Health Scotland to begin scoping work to develop a respiratory audit programme, and we are working closely with services across Scotland to deliver improvements in pulmonary rehab.

We are making progress on delivery of our Heart Disease Action Plan (2021) and have recently completed a scoping exercise with cardiac rehabilitation services to identify priority areas for improvement.

Since publication of the Stroke Improvement Plan in June, the Scottish Government has appointed a Consultant Stroke Physician as Clinical Lead for Stroke to lead on its implementation. We are developing a bundle of rehabilitation measures for inclusion in the Scottish Stroke Care Audit and are also developing measures of patient experience of rehabilitation.

We have established a £10 million long COVID Support Fund to support NHS boards to increase the capacity of existing services, develop these into more clearly defined local pathways and provide a more co-ordinated experience for people living with long COVID. We made an initial £3 million available from the fund over 2022-23, and a further £3 million is being made available from the fund over this financial year.

Question reference: S6W-22468

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of concerns about the quality of auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing outlined in the report of the Independent Review of Audiology in Scotland, what action it has taken to conduct a wider audit of the assessment of infant ABR cases referred from the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening programme.

Question reference: S6W-22470

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of concerns about the lack of external peer review of auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing outlined in the report of the Independent Review of Audiology in Scotland, what action it has taken to establish a national external peer review scheme for audiologists who conduct ABR assessment of infants.

Question reference: S6W-22424

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on funding for drug and alcohol services, in light of the reported level of alcohol-related deaths in the period since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funding allocated to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) is for both alcohol and drug treatment services. In 2022-23, £106.8 million was made available to ADPs, increasing to £112.9 million in 2023-24. This funding is used to ensure that local services meet the needs of people who experience alcohol and drugs harms.

On 7 September 2023 I supported a Member’s Debate Motion calling for investment in alcohol services - outlining the Government’s plan to reduce harm from alcohol misuse. The plan includes measures to improve access to treatment and support, including through stabilisation and crisis management, expansion in local assertive outreach services and increasing the availability of residential rehabilitation placements. The plan also includes working with partners and stakeholders to implement alcohol treatment standards – building on the forthcoming UK-wide Clinical Alcohol Treatment Guidelines which are currently out for public consultation until 8 December 2023.

Question reference: S6W-22469

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of concerns about the quality and consistency of current auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing outlined in the report of the Independent Review of Audiology in Scotland, what action it has taken to commission Scotland-wide training of audiologists in conducting ABR assessment of infants.

The Scottish Government is considering all of the recommendations made as part of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland.

Although it is NHS Boards who are responsible for ensuring staff receive the appropriate training and ongoing development to be able to undertake their role safely and effectively, in response to the concerns highlighted by the Independent Review the Scottish Government has provided Health Boards with £26,000 to support further training in auditory brainstem response (ABR) assessment for staff working in paediatric audiology services.

Question reference: S6W-22440

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has taken to mitigate any fears patients may have of having another significant health event after being diagnosed with a heart, chest or stroke condition or long COVID.

Scotland’s national health information service, NHS Inform aims to provide the people of Scotland with accurate and relevant information to help them make informed decisions about their own health and the health of the people they care for.

NHS Inform provides health information for people living with long COVID, chest, heart and stroke conditions, including advice on management of common symptoms, health-related anxiety and when to seek further information from healthcare professionals.

Question reference: S6W-22447

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Kidney Care UK publication, Home Dialysis Energy Reimbursement in Scotland, what support is available to people with chronic kidney disease who undertake home dialysis and experience higher energy bills as a result of their treatment.

Question reference: S6W-22450

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of any savings to hospitals that transfer patients undergoing high energy use intensity treatment in hospital to home treatment, such as home dialysis for people with chronic kidney disease.

Question reference: S6W-22449

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of energy costs are reimbursed to patients with chronic kidney disease who undergo NHS dialysis treatment at home.