- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 October 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 4 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland's report, Ending the exclusion: Care, treatment and support for people with mental ill health and problem substance use in Scotland.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 4 October 2022
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 6 October 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring the availability of affordable housing, including for students at Scottish universities.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 6 October 2022
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 6 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how it is responding to the report, Drug-related Deaths in Scotland in 2021, which was published on 28 July 2022.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 6 September 2022
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 30 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have used the Never Use Alone phone line, run by the charity We Are With You, since its launch, and, of those, how many have been referred to (a) drug treatment services and (b) other forms of support.
Answer
From November 2021 to 1 July 2022, and from the 3 areas used in the initial pilot (Glasgow and North and South Ayrshire), there have been:
•102 calls to the line in total - 38 were outside opening hours, 24 chose to hang up before speaking with an advisor.
•40 calls were answered
•23 of these calls resulted in a supervised consumption, (70% injected or smoked heroin, 20% injected or smoked cocaine).
•None of the calls required the intervention of emergency services
Everyone who accessed the service was offered a link to drug treatment services. All of those who used the supervised consumption element of the phone line were already engaged with drug treatment services.
Everyone who called the service was offered postal naloxone and injecting equipment provision (IEP). Postal naloxone was requested by 8% of people who called the phone line and this was provided in every case.
Referrals were also made to: mental health support (3%); homelessness/housing support (3%); other support (13%). Foodbank information was also supplied to 10% of callers .
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 30 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what advice and support the Never Use Alone phone line, run by the charity We Are With You, provides.
Answer
The Never Use Alone phone line is a number that an individual can call when they are about to use drugs alone. The staff will ask for some basic information before the person uses, including: what you want to be called; the number you are calling from, so the operator can call back if cut-off; an exact location and how emergency service could gain access; and what substance the individual is about to take. If that individual stops responding after they have taken the substance, the operator will notify emergency services of the location and possible overdose, so a medical professional can get to them as quickly as possible.
Additional information provided through the service includes: details about local drug services, including injecting equipment provision and information about accessing same-day prescribing; information about postal naloxone (provided through Scottish Families Affected by Drugs and Alcohol); and other support services such as mental health and housing. All callers are treated with respect and in a non-judgmental way.
The dedicated WAWY service co-ordinator has also conducted awareness raising, information and harm reduction sessions with a range of Alcohol and Drug Partnership services, prevention and overdose response teams, residential treatment services, homelessness services, needle exchanges and recovery cafes. These have taken place all across Glasgow, Paisley and the Ayrshires.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 29 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the 1,330 drug-related deaths recorded in 2021, in how many of these cases were toxicology results outstanding after (a) one month (b) three months (c) six months (d) nine months, (e) 12 months and (f) 15 months, broken down by (i) alcohol and drug partnership and (ii) NHS board.
Answer
All toxicology results relating to drugs-related deaths recorded in 2021 were reported within 9 months of receipt of the sample, with 2 cases being reported within one month; 1,313 cases within 1 to 3 months; 9 cases within 3 to 6 months; and one case within 6 to 9 months. There were no results outstanding after 9 months. Cases are recorded by Procurator Fiscal Area. The incidence of the cases have been mapped on to NHS Boards and Alcohol & Drugs Partnerships areas as set out in the following table.
No. of cases reported within 1 month of receipt | No. of cases reported within 3 months of receipt | No. of cases reported within 3 to 6 months of receipt | No. of cases reported within 6 to 9 months of receipt | Procurator Fiscal Area | Alcohol & Drugs Partnerships | NHS Board |
| | 29 | | | Ayr | South Ayrshire | NHS Ayrshire & Arran |
| | 1 | | | Campbeltown | Argyll & Bute | NHS Highland |
| | 32 | | | Dumbarton | West Dunbartonshire | NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde |
1 | 33 | 1 | | Dumfries | Dumfries & Galloway | NHS Dumfries & Galloway |
| | 64 | | | Dundee | Dundee City | NHS Tayside |
| | 4 | | | Dunoon | Argyll & Bute | NHS Highland |
| | 169 | 4 | 1 | Edinburgh | City of Edinburgh | NHS Lothian |
| | 81 | | | Falkirk | Falkirk | NHS Forth Valley |
| | 20 | | | Forfar | Angus | NHS Tayside |
| | 78 | | | Glasgow Central West (A) Division | Glasgow City | NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde |
| | 186 | | | Glasgow East (E) Division | Glasgow City | NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde |
| | 110 | 2 | | Glasgow South (G) Division | Glasgow City | NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde |
| | 15 | | | Greenock | Inverclyde | NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde |
| | 158 | | | Hamilton | South Lanarkshire | NHS Lanarkshire |
| | 11 | | | Jedburgh | Borders | NHS Borders |
| | 85 | | | Kirkcaldy | Fife | NHS Fife |
| | 89 | | | Kilmarnock | East Ayrshire | NHS Ayrshire & Arran |
| | 44 | | | Livingston | West Lothian | NHS Lothian |
| | 3 | 1 | | Oban | Argyll & Bute | NHS Highland |
1 | 60 | 1 | | Paisley | Renfrewshire | NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde |
| | 21 | | | Perth | Perth & Kinross | NHS Tayside |
| | 10 | | | Selkirk | Borders | NHS Borders |
| | 10 | | | Stranraer | Dumfries & Galloway | NHS Borders |
2 | 1,313 | 9 | 1 | Total |
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 May 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how it is responding to the findings of the evaluation of the Small Business Bonus Scheme that it commissioned, which was carried out by the Fraser of Allander Institute.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2022
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 18 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with the Levenmouth Rail Link, including the planned reopening date.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 18 May 2022
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 10 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to implement the reported upcoming UK Government’s Alcohol Treatment Guidance; if it does, whether this implementation will be supported by a framework of standards, and, if so, how, and against which indicators will outcomes be monitored in order to ensure improvement.
Answer
We are committed to ensuring that alcohol treatment in Scotland is consistent and of high quality. We are supporting the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, which has been leading on the development of new UK-wide clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment.
We expect the draft guidance to be published for consultation this year. We will work with our partners to ensure that it is suitable for Scotland and how the guidance could be implemented effectively and consistently across the country.
The forthcoming UK clinical guidelines will act as a platform to develop alcohol specific treatment targets. The intention would be that these would launch in 2024.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 3 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the career development of highly-skilled clinical researchers.
Answer
The Chief Scientist Office as part of the Scottish Government provides fellowship schemes to support the career development of health researchers within Scotland. Details are available from the CSO website. Fellowships – Chief Scientist Office (scot.nhs.uk)
Clinical Academic Fellowship Scheme
This scheme is for clinical professionals early in their career to obtain a PhD. The eligibility for this includes medics in training, GP’s, Nurses, Midwives, Allied Health Professionals and health care scientists.
Early Postdoctoral Scheme
An early postdoctoral scheme which will provide 3 years of funding to health researchers with less than 2 years postdoctoral research experience. This is open to both clinical and non-clinical researchers who are proposing projects within CSO’s overall remit of early translational (experimental medicine), clinical and applied health research and social care.
NES/CSO Lectureship Scheme
A joint scheme run with NHS Education Scotland (NES) for speciality medics in training who have completed a PhD. This scheme provides 50% research time while they complete their training.
NRS Career Researcher Fellowships
This scheme has been running for over 10 years and supports GP’s and NHS-funded clinical staff in developing a research career within their post. The award provides funding for protected time (2 sessions a week) to contribute to, conduct and lead clinical research.
