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Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s on-going programme of inspections into older people’s care in acute general hospital settings includes a focus on dementia care and utilises the dementia standards in its inspection methodology.

A 10-point National Action Plan supports implementation of the dementia standards in acute care and is supported by a national improvement programme.

The Care Inspectorate will carry out 150 dementia-focused inspections in care home for older people in 2016-17. The inspections will focus on how the dementia standards have been applied in practice.

Application of the dementia standards and the human-rights based principles behind them are also the basis for the implementation of the national dementia health and social services workforce skills and knowledge framework Promoting Excellence and the training and resources to support implementation of the national dementia post-diagnostic support Local Delivery Plan (LDP) Standard.

Under this Government, the number of NHSScotland staff has increased by over 11,000 WTE and the number of qualified nurses and midwives has increased by over 2,100 WTE.

While the Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality healthcare, the actual provision of healthcare services – including workforce planning – is the responsibility of local NHS Boards, taking into account national guidance, local service needs and priorities for investment. We expect NHS Boards to plan their facilities and workforce to deliver these services, ensuring the provision of safe, effective and high quality patient care is delivered by the right professional at the right time.

Patient safety is, and will remain, paramount. That is why we have committed to look at placing our innovative workforce planning tools on a statutory footing to ensure safe and sustainable staffing levels. Work will begin this year to engage with stakeholders to shape the consultation.

This information is not held centrally.

This information is not held centrally: it is for independently contracted general medical practices and dental surgeries to decide how best to communicate with their patients. There are no current plans to introduce a national text appointments service for GP surgeries or dentists. Decisions at practice or NHS board level allow solutions to integrate with existing processes and systems, and to be responsive to local circumstances.

The average cost to the NHS in Scotland of an attendance at an A&E outpatient consultant-led clinic in 2014-15 was £112. The average cost of an A&E attendance across NHS Lothian was £88 in 2014-15.

The Scottish Government notes the recent report by the MS Trust and recognises the vital role that specialist nurses play in providing support to those who live with multiple sclerosis (MS). That is why we have invested an extra £2.5 million in the Specialist Nursing and Care Fund on a recurring basis, which has already led to an increase in the number of MS specialist nurses across the country.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-03198 on 7 October 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Additionally, I would also like to clarify that it is the role of the Scottish Government to provide policies, frameworks and resources to NHS boards to allow them to deliver services that meet the assessed needs of their local populations. Within this context, the actual provision of healthcare services, including staffing, is the responsibility of local boards, taking into account national guidance, local service needs and priorities for investment. We expect all NHS boards to regularly review services (including levels of staffing) to ensure they continue to reflect local needs and provide the best quality healthcare services.

In Scotland NHS boards receive funding for the costs of medicines from their Scottish Government baseline funding.

I also refer the member to the answer to question S5W-03150 on 7 October 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

A number of bisphosphonate medicines are licensed and have been accepted for use in Scotland for the treatment of osteoporosis and also for the reduction of bone damage when cancer has already spread to the bone. At this time no bisphosphonate has a license to reduce the risk of cancer spreading to the bone.

Where a medicine does not have a license for a specific condition NHS boards in Scotland have guidance and procedures in place for off-label prescribing. A decision to recommend a drug off-label should be based on the clinical judgement of the prescriber concerned and must take account of safety and efficacy risks.

The work referred to in S5W-02524 and in S5W-00568 answered on 17 June 2016 is currently underway and it would not be appropriate to prejudge the outcome of this work.

In the meantime, Transport Scotland continues to assess the need for localised improvements on the A720 and has allocated over £2M for improvements on this route during 2016-17. A further £110K has already been spent on a scheme which was designed to improve lane discipline and safety at Sheriffhall Roundabout.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx