- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 25 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when non-urgent elective operations will resume in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 25 January 2023
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02569 by Kevin Stewart on 9 September 2021, how many short-term mobility aids have been issued by each health and social care partnership since March 2022.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not currently hold this information.
Following the publication of Guidance on the provision of wheelchairs on short term loan in March 2021 ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/guidance-provision-wheelchairs-short-term-loan/ ) Scottish Government officials engaged with individual Health and Social Care Partnerships to initially gauge what progress had been made in implementing the guidance. However, due to the pressures of the pandemic, a full review was not carried out as planned.
That engagement established that there were nine services who were providing a short term wheelchair loan service in house. These were Fife, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire and NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde – Acute division.
Following a public consultation we plan to issue revised guidance on the provision of equipment and adaptations. Alongside short term wheelchair provision, this guidance includes extensive advice on the effective and timely provision of community equipment and housing adaptations. Accompanying the guidance is a range of good practice guides and self evaluation tools, which we will support services to utilise and evaluate how they are performing against the Key Actions contained in the guidance.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect primary care services, in light of reports showing the workforce and demand pressures on general practice.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2023
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11516 by Kevin Stewart on 9 November 2022, when work to determine the implications of VAT on the National Care Service and associated Care Boards will be complete, and when any decisions based on this work will be made.
Answer
After competitive tender, a contract was awarded to Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP to obtain expert independent advice on the implications of VAT on the NCS and associated Care Boards. This work is ongoing. We are also engaging with HMT. No decisions have been made at this point and a full understanding of the impact of all options will be considered after the co-design process has been completed. The co-design will involve COSLA and Local Authorities as well as people accessing care and support and care workers.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to S6W-12102 by Kevin Stewart on 16 November 2022, what the current COVID-19 priorities are for which funding is being recouped from Integration Joint Boards.
Answer
Current COVID-19 priorities include Test and Protect, vaccinations and PPE provisions.
In line with the Test and Protect transition plan, testing remains in place to support patient treatment and care, protect those in highest risk settings, monitor prevalence and the risk of new variants, and respond to outbreaks.
Covid-19 and extended flu vaccination programmes also continue to provide protection for at-risk cohorts and to help control the spread of the virus. Vaccination programmes may also require acceleration depending on Covid-19 prevalence.
Similarly, PPE provision continues to be informed by infection prevention and control guidance. NHS NSS currently hold sufficient pandemic PPE stock to supply NHS Scotland well into 2023-24 based on current usage rates. Social Care PPE provision continues to be available in case of emergency PPE being required and for unpaid carers and personal assistants.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to S6W-12102 by Kevin Stewart on 16 November 2022, how it is spending any surplus COVID-19 reserves recouped from Integration Joint Boards.
Answer
There have been a number of significant changes to Public Health policies in relation to Covid over the summer, resulting in the profile of Covid spend reducing significantly compared to when funding was provided to IJBs.
In response to this, surplus Covid reserves will be redistributed across the sector to meet current Covid priorities, including Test and Protect and PPE provisions.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 12 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) funding and (b) support it will provide to Hourglass Scotland, whose 24/7 service is reported to be at risk of closure in March 2023 should no further grant be made available.
Answer
With regard to funding, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12704 on 12 December 2022 on the Parliament website, the search facility for which can be found on https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers Given that there are currently no open sources of Scottish Government funding, it will not be able to provide funding to Hourglass at this current time.
Hourglass Scotland are valued members of the Older people's Strategic Action Forum (OPSAF). We will ask our fund manager Inspiring Scotland to work with Hourglass to help them identify alternative funding options, such as those detailed in the answer to S6W- 12704.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 12 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what funding avenues it has explored for Hourglass Scotland services, following the organisation's last meeting with the Minister for Equalities and Older People.
Answer
Following the last meeting with Hourglass Scotland, officials have explored relevant funding across the Scottish Government. Currently there are no suitable Scottish Government funding options that are open for bids. There may be alternative funding opportunities available via the live database Scotland - News - Grants Online. This database includes a range of funding opportunities from charitable trusts/foundations, churches, councils etc. as well as large grants for family support organisations. One of these is the Robertson Trust which offers large grants for charities including those dealing with trauma. Another grant that Hourglass may want to apply for, is the Hugh Fraser Foundation, which will open for bids in February 2023 for the current round and is open to any charity.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £108.729 million allocated to Digital Health Care in its 2022-23 budget, which was announced on 9 December 2021, has been (a) allocated and (b) spent to date, broken down by expenditure.
Answer
The original published budget for Digital Health and Care was £112.9 million, not £108.729 million. See https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2022-23/pages/5/ . Since the budget was published in December 2021 there has been a Scottish Government wide Emergency Budget Review and the agreed corporate savings from this exercise have resulted in a budget of £99.6 million being allocated to Digital Health and Care in 2022-23.
This budget provides funding for the delivery of ‘ Care in the Digital Age’ , with individual activities as set out in the accompanying Delivery Plan . Funds that are allocated are based on need, and final confirmation of spend will be included as part of the Scottish Government provisional outturn.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will be supporting any trials of Evusheld in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office invests through NHS Research Scotland in research infrastructure in Health Boards that allows them to host and participate in clinical research studies and trials. Health Boards make individual decisions about participating in the trials that are offered to them, subject to the trials that are already being supported within each Health Board, and the research expertise and capacity available to take on additional trials. Scottish Health Boards are continuing to participate in a number of trials of medicines for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 disease, providing opportunities for their patient populations to enrol in these studies, although none currently include Evusheld. Should a trial sponsor organisation approach Scottish Health Boards about participating in a trial of Evusheld, participation would be considered by Health Boards with participation subject to the research expertise and capacity available.
