- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of the Scottish Health Plan, Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, how it plans to monitor the effectiveness of NHS Boards' antenatal and postnatal parent education and support programmes.
Answer
A Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland, published in 2001, requires NHS Boards to provide parent education programmes and support to parents as part of their maternity strategies. The Scottish Executive is currently conducting an audit of these strategies against the principles laid out in the framework. The Health Education Board for Scotland, the Scottish Executive Health Department and the Royal College of Midwives held a stakeholder event in November 2001 to review approaches to antenatal and parent education with midwives, health visitors and parents. A follow up event is planned in March.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of the Scottish Health Plan, Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, when it will publish guidelines to help health professionals recognise when women are experiencing domestic violence.
Answer
A Short Life Working Group has prepared draft guidance on domestic abuse for all health care workers. This guidance explains the nature and prevalence of domestic abuse and its effects on health. It identifies the signs which may suggest abuse, establishes the principles which should inform practice and gives guidance on appropriate support and advice. The Short Life Working Group is currently consulting widely on the draft document, which is expected to be published in April 2002.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of the Scottish Health Plan, Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, when it plans to ban tobacco advertising.
Answer
The Executive is committed to achieving a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion in Scotland which is both effective and enforceable. We do not rule out Scottish legislation at some point, but consider that UK wide action would enable a much more comprehensive ban to be delivered. The UK Government is committed to legislate to effect a ban during the lifetime of the current Westminster Parliament and we have been pressing hard and consistently for this to be done as soon as possible. We are following with interest the progress in the House of Lords of the Lord Clement-Jones Bill to ban tobacco advertising and promotion.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of the Scottish Health Plan, Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, how many rapid access chest pain clinics there were, or will be, in (a) 2000-01, (b) 2001-02 and (c) 2002-03.
Answer
We are currently seeking this information from NHS trusts and will reply to the member as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of the Scottish Health Plan, Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, when the audit document to help all agencies identify their role in the care and custody of people with mental health problems will be published.
Answer
The promised planning and audit document was published on 12 February 2001 and sent to all relevant agencies. A copy is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 12345).
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of the Scottish Health Plan, Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, when it plans to introduce schemes to recognise and value staff commitment through long service awards and good service awards.
Answer
The Scottish Partnership Forum Partnership Information Network (PIN) Board has set up a Guideline Development Group to produce a PIN Guideline on Long and Good Service Awards. The group's membership comprises of health service managers and nominations from trade union and the professions. The group will deliver a draft document for consultation in the summer and issue during autumn.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of the Scottish Health Plan, Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, what the current maximum wait is from urgent referral to treatment for children's cancers and acute leukaemia.
Answer
There are currently no formal waiting times for children with cancer, nor for people diagnosed with leukaemia. The diagnosis of leukaemia, particularly in children, is usually a clinical emergency warranting immediate admission for urgent treatment. For those cases not requiring immediate emergency admission, treatment is mostly commenced within one week of diagnosis.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 31 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of the Scottish Health Plan, Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, when it will issue guidance on the education of children who are too ill to attend school.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's Guidance on Education of Children Absent from School Through Ill-Health was issued on 19 December 2001, copies of which are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 18538).
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 29 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure effective treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Answer
Strategies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis are primarily a matter for NHS Boards. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), which is funded by the Scottish Executive Health Department, produced a clinical guideline on the Management of Early Rheumatoid Arthritis in December 2000, which will have informed clinicians of the best practice for diagnosis and management of the condition.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 29 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of the Scottish Health Plan, Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, how it plans to ensure that the NHS and local authorities identify improved processes and share good practice across Scotland to reduce unacceptable delays in discharging patients from hospital to more appropriate care and what action it has taken to achieve this to date.
Answer
An expert group, led by NHS Chief Executive Trevor Jones, has been looking in detail at delayed discharge and the reasons for it. Next month I will announce an Action Plan based on the work of this group, and including the sharing of good practice, to help drive down the delayed discharge figures.
