- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 June 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to review the implementation of health and social care integration.
Answer
I made a commitment in Parliament on 2 May to review the progress of the Integration Authorities through the Ministerial Strategic Group for Health and Community Care (MSG), and that outputs arising from such a review would be shared with the Health and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament.
A broad range of work is already underway to track progress with integration, including a review that is currently underway by Audit Scotland, which is due for publication in November. In addition, the Scottish Government and its partners in local government, the NHS and the third and independent sectors is taking forward work to understand progress on financial and governance arrangements and impact in terms of service redesign, the balance of care and outcomes for people using services.
I provided a written update with Councillor Peter Johnston on 22 June to the Health and Sport Committee on relevant actions agreed by MSG.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2018
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 27 June 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce loneliness and isolation among older people.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 27 June 2018
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 June 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 20 June 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on implementing the recommendations of the Review on Access to New Medicines to allow people with type (a) 2 and (b) 3 of 5q spinal muscular atrophy to access the treatment, Spinraza.
Answer
I wrote to the Health and Sport Committee on 17 May to provide a further update on the Scottish Government’s progress in delivering the recommendations from the Review of Access to New Medicines. A copy to which can be found here:
http://www.parliament.scot/S5_HealthandSportCommittee/General%20Documents/Letter_to_HS_Comm_Montgomery_review_17_May.pdf
On 7 May 2018, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) published advice accepting nusinersen (Spinraza®) for restricted use for treatment of 5q spinal muscular atrophy (Type 1 SMA). The SMC were unable to recommend nusinersen (Spinraza®) for the treatment of types 2 and 3 spinal muscular atrophy because the company’s justification of the treatment’s cost in relation to its health benefits when used in types 2 and 3 was not sufficient.
I understand that the manufacturer, Biogen, have indicated their intention to make a resubmission to the Scottish Medicines Consortium.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 June 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Aileen Campbell on 20 June 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to people with all forms of spinal muscular atrophy.
Answer
It is the role of the Scottish Government to provide policies, frameworks and resources to NHS Boards. In this context, it is a matter for NHS Boards to plan, budget for, and deliver the services required to meet the assessed needs of their resident populations - within the allocations provided.
The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 makes clear that it is also the responsibility of Integration Authorities to commission and plan services and supports to meet the needs of their local population. Integration Authorities are expected to extensively engage with their local communities, when commissioning services and supports, to ensure that they best meet local need.
Additionally the Scottish Muscle Network, funded by NHS Scotland National Services Division, brings together a wide range of stakeholders across health and social care, to drive forward improvement in services and support for neuromuscular conditions.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 June 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 19 June 2018
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the diagnosis and treatment of the genetic condition, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, also known as DiGeorge syndrome, and whether it has made any assessment of studies of the condition.
Answer
Prenatal microarray is the test recommended by the Scottish Genetics Consortium for investigation of foetal anomaly. This would detect 22q11 deletion (DiGeorge Syndrome) as well as the vast majority of other significant chromosomal imbalances. Microarray is a standard test in the investigation of congenital anomalies in Scotland.
There is no specific treatment for 22q11 deletion (DiGeorge syndrome) as it can cause a variety of clinical conditions. Accordingly, treatment will depend on what conditions are affecting the patient, however, guidelines for the management of 22q11 deletion (DiGeorge syndrome) in Scotland has been published by the Scottish Paediatric & Adolescent Infection and Immunology National Managed Clinical Network (SPAIIN). These are available on the SPAIIN website: http://www.spaiin.scot.nhs.uk/di-george-review-guidelines/
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 June 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 19 June 2018
To ask the Scottish Government how its work in implementing the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases will help patients with the genetic condition, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, also known as DiGeorge syndrome.
Answer
The Scottish Government is fully committed to empowering people in terms of their health and social care. In 2014 the Scottish Implementation Plan “It’s Not Rare to Have a Rare Disease” was published.
The Rare Disease Implementation Oversight Group was created in order to monitor the progress implementation of the plan, and to ensure that the 51 Commitments in the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases are being met. On 28 February 2018, the group published the Rare Disease Scotland Progress Report. The report provides an update on the work being undertaken in Scotland, that will help improve the lives of people living with rare and genetic conditions, including DiGeorge syndrome.
The report is available on the Scottish Government website: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2018/02/8601
It also co-incides with the second progress report from the UK Rare Disease Policy Board on the UK Rare Disease Strategy: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-rare-disease-policy-board-second-progress-report
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 June 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 19 June 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to calls for the introduction of screening for the genetic condition, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, also known as DiGeorge syndrome.
Answer
The Scottish Government, like the rest of the UK, takes advice about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation from the independent expert UK National Screening Committee.
We have written to the National Screening Committee to highlight this issue for their consideration and advice. The Committee will be open for submissions to consider proposals later this year.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 June 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 19 June 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Lothian regarding the reported hot water pipe failure at the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh; what damage was caused by the incident, and what impact this will have on the opening of the facility.
Answer
The Scottish Government are in regular contact with NHS Lothian about the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh and we have been advised that the hot water pipe failure is unlikely to impact on the overall programme of works and the building remains on course to be completed in autumn 2018.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 June 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 June 2018
To ask the Scottish Government how many affordable homes have been built in each year since 2016, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The following table shows the number of affordable homes delivered in each year since 2016, broken down by local authority.
Please note that as well as new build homes, the Affordable Housing Supply Programme includes rehabilitation projects, off-the-shelf purchases and homes for low-cost home ownership from existing housing stock:
Council | 2016-17 | 2017-18 |
Aberdeenshire | 225 | 268 |
Angus | 33 | 117 |
Argyll & Bute | 142 | 92 |
City of Aberdeen | 154 | 404 |
Clackmannanshire | 72 | 117 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 123 | 83 |
Dundee | 123 | 146 |
East Ayrshire | 23 | 66 |
East Dunbartonshire | 85 | 33 |
East Lothian | 253 | 320 |
East Renfrewshire | 93 | 2 |
Edinburgh | 1109 | 925 |
Falkirk | 239 | 166 |
Fife | 609 | 964 |
Glasgow | 1368 | 1873 |
Highland | 419 | 466 |
Inverclyde | 0 | 68 |
Midlothian | 235 | 211 |
Moray | 90 | 149 |
North Ayrshire | 38 | 159 |
North Lanarkshire | 170 | 388 |
Orkney Islands | 75 | 36 |
Perth & Kinross | 245 | 451 |
Renfrewshire | 119 | 86 |
Scottish Borders | 145 | 113 |
Shetland | 28 | 38 |
South Ayrshire | 116 | 47 |
South Lanarkshire | 300 | 270 |
Stirling | 118 | 71 |
West Dunbartonshire | 89 | 33 |
West Lothian | 479 | 346 |
Western Isles | 19 | 26 |
Total | 7336 | 8534 |
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 14 June 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14562 by Shona Robison on 28 February 2018, in light of the cabinet secretary's comment that "I expect to see improvements between now and the end of March 2018", what its response is to reports that waiting times for an initial orthopaedic appointment in NHS Lothian have increased to up to 45 weeks.
Answer
I am pleased that NHSScotland saw a significant decrease in the number of patients waiting over 12 weeks for a first outpatient consultation on 31 March 2018 with a reduction of around 23% since 30 September 2017. I was however extremely disappointed that waiting times for first outpatient consultation for orthopaedic waiting times in Lothian have not reduced over the last year. My officials are urgently in detailed discussion with Lothian to produce a recovery plan to significantly reduce the waits time for patients requiring elective hospital care - including in the specialty of orthopaedics.
The Trauma and Orthopaedics ACCESS Programme are working with all Boards toward delivery of the 7 national commitments. This includes expanding the use of Muscoloskeletal Allied Health Professional community service with the aim of freeing up to 10,000 outpatient consultations per year as well as developing orthopaedic 'needs only' review aiming to reduce around 15,000 return outpatient appointments. These programmes will ensure that patients are seen by the most appropriate clinician nearer to home whilst freeing up hospital doctors time to see only those patients requiring hospital care and reduce waiting times.
On 28 May, I announced that an additional £50 million has been made available to reduce the number of patients experiencing long waits for hospital care in specialties such as orthopaedics. An initial £25 million has been issued to Boards - with Lothian receiving £3.7 million. A further £25 million will be issued later this year to help support Boards build upon improvement in services through the work Boards are doing with the Access Collaborative.
