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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: S3W-15682

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people from the catchment area for the Vale of Leven Hospital contacted (a) the 999 service for an ambulance and (b) NHS24 in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) the first quarter of 2008-09.

The Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS 24 have provided the following tables of information. It is not possible to give an absolute definition of the catchment area for the Vale of Leven Hospital as it relates to these organisations so the tables set out the postcode sectors that have been used to capture the information.

(a) Emergency Incidents Attended by the Scottish Ambulance Service

Postcode Sector	Area	2007-08	Quarter 1 2008-09
G60-5	Bowling	307	77
G82-1	Dumbarton	498	126
G82-2	Dumbarton	455	104
G82-3	Dumbarton	478	114
G82-4	Dumbarton	573	136
G82-5	Cardross	499	98
G83-0	Alexandria	1,210	276
G83-7	Arrochar	131	42
G83-8	Luss	611	181
G83-9	Arrochar	509	133
G84-0	Roseneath	276	72
G84-7	Helensburgh	512	120
G84-8	Helensburgh	602	166
G84-9	Helensburgh	171	46
PA248	Lochgoilhead	42	13
PA258	St Catherine''s	4	1
PA268	Cairndow	17	2
PA328	Inverary	135	30
Total		7,030	1,737

(b) Calls to NHS 24

Postcode Sector	Area	2007-08	Quarter 1 2008-09
G60-5	Bowling	1,401	311
G82-1	Dumbarton	1,021	191
G82-2	Dumbarton	1,573	314
G82-3	Dumbarton	1,391	309
G82-4	Dumbarton	1,569	408
G82-5	Cardross	1,358	341
G83-0	Alexandria	2,111	530
G83-7	Arrochar	193	47
G83-8	Luss	1,727	443
G83-9	Arrochar	2,387	574
G84-0	Roseneath	819	185
G84-7	Helensburgh	1,314	319
G84-8	Helensburgh	1,250	312
G84-9	Helensburgh	1,083	259
PA248	Lochgoilhead	103	39
PA258	St Catherine''s	4	3
PA268	Cairndow	15	0
PA328	Inverary	63	27
Total		19,382	4,612

Notes:

*Cowal Peninsula has not been included as it is assumed to be within the catchment for Inverclyde Royal.

**Areas north of Tarbert (on the Loch Lomond side) are not included as these are assumed to go to Glasgow or Stirling.

***Ambulance Service systems report incidents attended rather than numbers of calls. This is, for example, because there can be duplicate calls for one incident.

Question reference: S3W-15490

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-14337 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 July 2008, whether the identification of deaths from Clostridium difficile was entirely based on information from death certificates.

Question reference: S3W-15492

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-14801 by Nicola Sturgeon on 14 July 2008, what specific statutory requirements are placed on NHS boards.

Question reference: S3W-15468

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to improve the performance of the ambulance service in Arrochar to better meet national targets for (a) category A, (b) category B and (c) urgent calls.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) continues to provide safe, efficient and effective services to patients across Scotland, including those in remote and rural areas. It is also important that patients have confidence in the ambulance service''s ability to respond to emergencies.

While this presents particular challenges in remote and rural locations, the service seeks to improve performance for all patients and remains keen to seek local solutions that meet the needs of those communities. In addition, the Scottish Ambulance Service has appointed a first responder co-ordinator in this area to develop and support first responder schemes.

Question reference: S3W-15497

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-14339 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 July 2008, on what dates from December 2007 terminal cleans occured at the Vale of Leven Hospital; in which wards, and for what reason.

The 18 full ward terminal cleans were carried out as follows:

Date	Ward	Reason
21 December 2007	Ward 6	Norovirus Outbreak
28 December 2007	Ward F	Norovirus Outbreak
7 January 2008	Ward 15	Norovirus Outbreak
10 January 2008	Ward 14	Norovirus Outbreak
16 January 2008	Ward 14	Norovirus Outbreak
24 January 2008	Ward 15	Norovirus Outbreak
11 February 2008	Ward 15	Norovirus Outbreak
25 February 2008	Ward F	Norovirus Outbreak
25 April 2008	Ward F	No subsequent confirmed diagnosis
14 May 2008	Ward 6	Preventative measure as part of management linked 027 C.diff cases at VOL and RAH
15 May 2008	Ward 3	Preventative measure as part of management linked 027 C.diff cases at VOL and RAH
26 May 2008	Ward 15	Preventative measure as part of management linked 027 C.diff cases at VOL and RAH
28 May 2008	Ward 14	Preventative measure as part of management linked 027 C.diff cases at VOL and RAH
16 June 2008	Ward 5	Preventative measure as part of management linked 027 C.diff cases at VOL and RAH
17 June 2008	Ward 3	Preventative measure as part of response to retrospective outbreak
20 June 2008	Ward F	Preventative measure as part of response to retrospective outbreak
24 June 2008	Ward 14	Preventative measure as part of response to retrospective outbreak
25 June 2008	Ward 15	Preventative measure as part of response to retrospective outbreak

In addition, within the period, there were 283 terminal cleans of single, four and six bedded areas within the hospital. These cleans would be requested for individual suspected or actual infection issues in line with best practice.

Question reference: S3W-15572

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what the accountability arrangements are for (a) Health Protection Scotland and (b) NHS Quality Improvement Scotland.

Question reference: S3W-15578

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will actively seek to learn lessons from the 32% drop in the number of cases of Clostridium difficile in England.

We are always willing to learn from other countries, and the Scottish Government has done so for many years. Our key stakeholders on the HAI Task Force are in regular contact with their counterparts around the world “ including the Department of Health “ so both they and we can learn from each other on the most effective approaches that are being taken towards tackling Clostridium difficile and other Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs). It is also the case that both the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health Directorate and the Scottish Infection Research Network (SIRN) at Glasgow University encourage and support innovative research and projects into HAI to ensure that our approach continues to evolve.

Question reference: S3W-15606

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Quality Improvement Scotland undertakes unannounced visits of hospitals to check standards.

Question reference: S3W-15603

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that scrutiny of hospitals should be conducted by a process similar to those of the Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education for care facilities and schools respectively.

NHS boards are accountable for the quality and safety of the NHS services they provide including those provided in hospitals. A range of scrutiny and performance management arrangements are in place including annual reviews by Scottish ministers held in public.

The future of scrutiny arrangements in the public sector, including the NHS, is being considered as part of the Scottish Government''s response to the Report of the Independent Review of Regulation, Audit, Inspection and Complaints Handling of Public Services in Scotland (The Crerar Review).

Question reference: S3W-15576

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how the Healthcare Associated Infection Task Force has fulfilled its remit to monitor levels of hospital-acquired infection and the efficacy of measures taken in general and specifically in relation to Clostridium difficile.

The principal measurements of the levels of healthcare associated infection (HAI) in Scotland have been the long-standing national mandatory and voluntary HAI surveillance schemes, most recently mandated by HDL(2006)38 and the National HAI Point Prevalence Survey carried out by Health Protection Scotland. The mandatory elements of surveillance currently include MRSA bacteraemias, Clostridium difficile and selected surgical site infections. I am pleased to note that MRSA bacteraemias in Scotland have shown a significant decrease since April 2006, and that orthopaedic surgery (hip and knee replacement) and caesarean section infection rates have also declined “ see http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/hai/sshaip/publications/ssi/ssi-2007.pdf.

On 11 July 2007, I announced the publication of the Scottish Point Prevalence Survey which, for the first time, provides us with a comprehensive picture of the rate of HAI in every acute Scottish hospital and in a representative sample of community hospitals. The publication of the survey led to the preparation of a three year HAI Task Force Delivery Plan, which came into affect on 1 April 2008. The Delivery Plan is being backed with £54 million of Scottish Government funding over the next three years and a second Point Prevalence Survey is scheduled for 2011. The delivery plan is available from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/03/07110818/0.

Mandatory reporting on compliance with hand hygiene and cleaning performance are regularly monitored and reviewed by the HAI Task Force so they remain fit for purpose. I am pleased to note that both these schemes have shown substantial improvements in hand hygiene and cleaning since their implementation, and these are both key areas in the prevention of Clostridium difficile as well as other HAIs.

Another key document relevant to Clostridium difficile is the Scottish Management of Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan (ScotMARAP), which I launched in March. ScotMARAP outlines the national programme for Scotland in tackling antimicrobial resistance and prudent prescribing over the next five years. The expert Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG) has been established to take this forward, and is now starting a programme of work which all the evidence suggests will have a significant effect in prevention of Clostridium difficile infections.

The HAI Task Force has also commissioned extensive staff training resources from NHS Education for Scotland, notably the Cleanliness Champions programme. This programme continues to expand, and has been used in postgraduate and undergraduate training for health professionals here and in other UK countries. In addition, the recently revised NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) HAI Standards is a key document against which all NHS boards are assessed, both in terms of their organisational structures and practical compliance with HAI policies.

In relation to Clostridium difficile specifically, I refer the member to the announcement I made on 7 August about the publication of both our new National HAI Action Plan and the HAI Action Plan specific to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Both Action Plans are available from the HAI Task Force website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/19529/2005/actionplans.

These additional plans will be fully integrated into our existing national HAI Task Force programme.