- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reopen any NHS Scotland stroke units that were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of virus outbreaks among patients and staff.
Answer
We are not currently aware of any stroke unit closures.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that NHS boards are achieving acceptable thrombolysis performance in stroke centres.
Answer
The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme team works closely with services and NHS boards to use learning from the Scottish Stroke Care Audit to support improvement across the whole stroke pathway, including timely access to thrombolysis.
For example, planning work is ongoing within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to develop a telemedicine stroke service. This aims to introduce remote specialist assessment of hyperacute stroke patients out-of-hours at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and 24/7 at Royal Alexandra Hospital to improve overall door-to-needle (DTN) times for thrombolysis.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 14 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many dental nursing student places were available in Scotland for the financial years (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold all the data requested. However for 2020-21 (and 2021-2022 for modern apprenticeships), the number of students studying towards a dental nursing qualification was:
Modern Apprenticeships;
- In 2020-21, there were 312 starts on the dental nursing framework.
- In 2021-22, there were 343 starts on the dental nursing framework.
Colleges;
- In 2020-21, there were 420 enrolments on dental services courses at Scottish colleges.
Universities;
- In 2020-21, there were 25 enrolments on dental nursing courses at Scottish universities.
2021-2022 figures for colleges and universities will not be available until January 2023.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 14 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers there to be a dental nursing shortage, and if this is the case, what specific actions it is taking to (a) address the shortage and (b) increase the number of students studying dental nursing.
Answer
Dental nursing is not a controlled subject and so the Scottish Government, via the Scottish Funding Council does not specify any intake targets for dental nursing. The Scottish Government has no oversight or control of the dental nursing workforce. Rather, we make arrangements with independent contractor dentists to provide NHS dental services and they then employ dental nurses as required.
Colleges operate independently of Government, and it is for them to decide on the shape of their curriculum, taking into account the needs of the region and communities they serve. Colleges plan their course provision in line with the economic needs of their regions, and through working closely with employers, are able to respond flexibly to the skills demands of their region.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that dental nurses, working in practices with NHS contracts, have the same terms and conditions as other NHS employees, including pension entitlements.
Answer
Where NHS dental services are provided by independent dental contractors, staff including dental nurses are employed by the practice, and not the NHS Board. Terms of service and pension arrangements are set by the practice owner(s).
Where NHS dental services are provided by the Public Dental Service, the dental team is employed by the Board on appropriate NHS terms of service.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on establishing design groups to develop a new of model care for adult dentistry, including a long-term replacement for the Statement of Dental Remuneration, as part of the implementation of its Oral Health Improvement Plan.
Answer
We are committed to engaging with the profession on a reform programme for NHS dental services. As part of that commitment we have recently issued a profession-wide survey asking for comments on a list of possible treatment items for inclusion in a future NHS model.
We have also asked for nominees for a NHS dental reform advisory group to the Chief Dental Officer. NHS Boards are currently reviewing the nominations and will put forward the nominees for each Board area in due course.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether the £50 million COVID-19 funding that was provided to support NHS dentistry, in addition to the £5 million of funding for ventilation improvements, £7.5 million for the purchase of new speed adjusting hand pieces, and £35 million of PPE, has all been allocated and spent, and, if not, how much remains unallocated or unspent to date.
Answer
Scottish Government has provided an unprecedented level of financial support throughout the pandemic to support NHS dentistry. The £50 million of COVID-19 funding was provided directly to NHS dental contractors through the financial support payments. Alongside this, practices have received £35 million of free PPE to support the provision of NHS dentistry.
In addition, £5 million of funding for ventilation improvements and £7.5 million for speed adjusting hand pieces, was made available to NHS practitioners to support recovery and help increase capacity within practices providing NHS dental services. This scope for this funding was subsequently expanded to allow practices to claim for repairs and replacement of a range of dental equipment. This funding was allocated to Health Boards and practices were advised of the process for claiming funding if they wished to submit an application.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 6 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to use an advertising campaign to encourage individual sponsors to house Ukrainian refugees.
Answer
The Scottish Government is extremely thankful for the generosity of all those who have expressed an interest in hosting people displaced by the current conflict.
Scotland is now providing a place of safety to more displaced people per head of population than any other part of the UK. The Scottish Government is providing accommodation that is safe and sustainable whilst people are waiting to be matched suitable longer term accommodation. Significant action is underway to increase the temporary accommodation capacity as well as boost the matching system to maximise the number of people who can be placed with volunteer hosts who have completed the necessary safeguarding checks.
We want Scotland to be a safe, secure home for as long as people need and thank the people of Scotland for their continued offers of support to help us in that aim. Those homes offered are still very much needed. We are keen to see more people in Scotland volunteer as hosts if they think that they can provide a welcoming home for a displaced person or family.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what approach it is taking to the monitoring of giardiasis, so-called beaver fever, in light of reports of various international examples of the disease negatively impacting public health and tourism.
Answer
We do not routinely monitor for giardiasis in beavers. A 2021 report on health screening of wild beavers found no animals testing positive in Britain for Giardia. However, NatureScot continue to collect beavers reported to have been found dead in the wild or killed as part of licensed control and conduct screening on these carcasses for a range of diseases and pathogens as an ongoing programme of disease surveillance in beavers.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that adequate public research is undertaken to quantify the risk and probability of the spread of giardiasis, so-called beaver fever, before any reintroduction of beavers into freshwater communities.
Answer
To date Giardia has not been found in any beavers in Scotland, though targeted testing has been carried out on both live animals and carcasses in Tayside as well as in Knapdale.
Although beavers can carry this parasite the EPIC report published in 2017 points to other sources of environmental contamination being equally or more likely to be a source of Giardia infection. Humans, livestock and wild animals are all potential sources of Giardia. EPIC conclude ‘the reintroduction of beavers is likely to present a very small additional risk as the number of beavers excreting these organisms will be likely to be small relative to the large number of wild, domestic and livestock animals and humans which contribute to existing public health risk’.
NatureScot continue to carry out general health screening to ensure that beavers released under licence from NatureScot are not acting as a source of disease prior to any translocations.