- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 12 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS podiatry patients have been treated in (a) the community and (b) hospital in each of the last five years, broken down by age group.
Answer
Information on thework of Allied Health Professionals (AHP) is not collected in sufficient detailto answer this specific question on podiatry services. However, NHSScotland InformationServices Division has recently undertaken a census of AHP workload, the resultsof which are published at:
http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/data-development-dev-info.jsp?pContentID=1359&p_applic=CCC&p_service=Content.show&.The results of thecensus include figures for podiatrists and chiropodists combined.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 12 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to increase patients’ access to NHS podiatry and chiropody services.
Answer
Each NHS board isresponsible for the planning and provision of NHS podiatry services in its area,based on an assessment of local need and in accordance with local and national priorities.Access to NHS podiatry services is a matter of clinical decision in the light of the health needs of individual patients.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 12 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when the audiology waiting time figures for each NHS board will be published.
Answer
Work is taking placewith Information Services Division of National Services Scotland to gather and validatethe necessary data. Audiology waiting time information will be published in thenear future once this is completed.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 12 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to issue guidance on the minimum level of chiropody and podiatry services which should be available to patients on the NHS.
Answer
It is the responsibilityof NHS boards to determine the number and skill mix of staff needed to deliver servicesin their area. Each NHS board is responsible for the planning and provision of NHSpodiatry services in its area, based on an assessment of local need and in accordancewith local and national priorities.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 12 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has of any local and regional variations in the provision of chiropody and podiatry treatment by the NHS.
Answer
Each NHS board isresponsible for the planning and provision of NHS podiatry services in its area,based on an assessment of local need and in accordance with local and national priorities.Access to NHS podiatry services is a matter of clinical decision in the light of the health needs of individual patients.
Information on thework of Allied Health Professionals (AHP) is not collected in sufficient detailto answer this specific question on podiatry services. However, NHSScotland InformationServices Division have recently undertaken a census of AHP workload, the resultsof which are published at:
http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/data-development-dev-info.jsp?pContentID=1359&p_applic=CCC&p_service=Content.show&.The report includesfigures for podiatrists and chiropodists combined.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 12 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what national evidence-based practice protocols there are to ensure that patients requiring (a) basic foot care, including advice, and (b) podiatry care receive such services.
Answer
NHS boards are requiredto ensure that the services they provide meet the standards set for the NHS. NHSQuality Improvement Scotland has responsibility for this area and published standardsfor NHSScotland are available at
www.nhshealthquality.org.In addition podiatristsproviding NHS services are required to meet standards set by professional and regulatorybodies. The Health Professions Council provides information on existing standardsfor podiatrists at
www.hpc-uk.org/publications/standards/Standards_of_Proficiency_Chiropodists.pdf,and further information is available from the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatristsat www.feetforlife.org.Each NHS board isresponsible for the planning and provision of NHS podiatry services in its area,based on an assessment of local need and in accordance with local and national priorities.Access to NHS podiatry services is a matter of clinical decision in the light of the health needs of individual patients.
In addition, Scotland’s Free Personal Care policy provides people with supportwith daily tasks, including basic toe nail cutting which can be undertaken withoutthe intervention of an NHS health care professional.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 12 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what capacity there is in the pre-school sector for pre-school places.
Answer
Overall capacity inthe pre-school sector is not monitored on a national basis. Uptake of pre-schooleducation places is reported annually through the Pre-school and Childcare Statistics.The current high-level of uptake suggests that there are no overall problems withcapacity in the sector. The lateststatistics are available at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/09/13155926/0and in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 40411).Planning of pre-schoolservices at a local level is a matter for local authorities, who have a duty toprovide every three and four-year-old with a pre-school education place. In orderto do this effectively they must plan the provision of pre-school education to ensurethat places are available in the areas where they are needed.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 10 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many more pre-school places will be needed to meet its pledges on extended pre-school provision.
Answer
The manifesto commitmentto deliver additional pre-school education relates to the level of entitlement ratherthan the number of places. The first step of an increase for all nursery provisionto 475 hours is not based on the creation of any new places. Options for implementingthe commitment in full are being developed and impact on capacity in the sectorwill be carefully considered.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the recent announcement on the role of the private sector will have on the provision of audiology services in NHS Scotland.
Answer
The Cabinet Secretaryfor Health and Wellbeing has publicly made clear the Scottish Government’s oppositionon the use of public money to assist the private sector compete with the NHS.
The national private sector call-off contract, put in place underthe audiology modernisation project to support NHS boards in reducing waiting times,recently ended. In the meantime, the Allied Health Professionals contract, whichruns until May 2008, allows NHS boards to employ temporary locum audiologists toassist in reducing waiting times.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to respond to the recommendation in Community Care Providers Scotland’s report, Social Care and Support Services in the Voluntary Sector: Funding Survey 2007, that central government should review spending levels on social care and support in relation to (a) demand for services and (b) the effect of the introduction of a number of initiatives in recent years.
Answer
Ministers are in dialoguewith a range of stakeholders to gather evidence and views on how we can use thestrategic spending review to set plans that will enable us to fulfil our purposeand achieve our strategic objectives. Social care and support will be part of thatconsideration.
