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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-05999

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the possible savings to the NHS if fewer people developed conditions related to vitamin D deficiency.

The Scottish Government has not carried out this assessment. We are however aware of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) economic evaluation of Interventions to Improve the Uptake of Vitamin D Supplements in England and Wales, published in 2014. The results of this analysis are available online at https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph56/evidence/economic-evaluation-final-69290605

Question reference: S5W-05965

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01096 by John Swinney on 25 July 2016, whether it will provide the information for 2016.

Please see in the following table how many and the percentage of pupils with additional support needs in each local authority for 2016.

The information on hours of support provision is not held centrally.

	Pupils with an ASN	Percentage of pupils with an ASN
Aberdeen City	4,883	21.70%
Aberdeenshire	13,490	38.00%
Angus	1,685	11.20%
Argyll & Bute	2,208	21.40%
Clackmannanshire	1,815	27.60%

Dumfries & Galloway	5,585	29.90%
Dundee City	3,438	19.10%
East Ayrshire	3,941	24.70%
East Dunbartonshire	3,161	19.20%
East Lothian	3,031	21.50%

East Renfrewshire	3,189	19.00%
Edinburgh City	12,694	26.20%
Na h-Eileanan Siar	1,147	34.10%
Falkirk	4,075	18.80%
Fife	10,396	21.10%

Glasgow City	21,232	31.70%
Highland	11,243	36.50%
Inverclyde	2,597	26.20%
Midlothian	2,979	24.10%
Moray	3,336	27.90%

North Ayrshire	5,081	27.80%
North Lanarkshire¹	7,903	16.20%
Orkney Islands	719	26.60%
Perth & Kinross	5,837	32.40%
Renfrewshire	3,660	15.70%

Scottish Borders	4,217	29.00%
Shetland Islands	809	25.00%
South Ayrshire	1,712	12.20%
South Lanarkshire	9,874	22.50%
Stirling	3,145	25.30%

West Dunbartonshire	4,475	35.90%
West Lothian	6,565	24.50%

All local authorities	170,122	24.90%

Grant aided	207	16.70%

Scotland	170,329	24.90%

Question reference: S5W-06238

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the remit and purpose is of the Effective Prescribing Group.

The Effective Prescribing Programme (EPP) has been set up by NHS National Services Scotland, NHS Boards and the Scottish Government to facilitate and support the quality of prescribing and medicines use. The EPP was established to accelerate change through clinical leadership, removing barriers to change and adding focus and pace.

The challenge of an aging population with increasingly complex multiple long term conditions requires that the NHS finds new and innovative ways of using its resources. An important guiding principle of this is, where possible, to adopt a ‘once for Scotland’ approach, ensuring best use of resources through joint working in order to improve patient healthcare outcomes.

The Effective Prescribing Programme Board (EPPB) sits within the governance arrangements of the member organisations. The EPPB reports, via the Scottish Association of Medical Directors, to the Sustainability and Value Board which in turn reports to NHS Chief Executives. The EPPB is chaired jointly by an NHS Medical Director and a Scottish Government official. All territorial Boards are represented on the EPPB.

Question reference: S5W-06240

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) current and (b) future areas of focus are for the Effective Prescribing Group and its subgroups.

The Effective Prescribing Programme is currently focusing on: the clinical effectiveness of biological medicines; developing a clinical consensus approach to particular clinical areas; scaling up the holistic review of patients on multiple medicines; supporting the implementation of Prescribing Strategies; and Review of NHS Boards’ use of formularies to support effective use of medicines.

Future areas of focus have yet to be considered and agreed.

Question reference: S5W-06242

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements have been put in place to ensure that (a) patients, (b) clinicians and (c) the pharmaceutical industry are able to inform the decisions of the Effective Prescribing Group.

Question reference: S5W-06243

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the minutes and decisions of the Effective Prescribing Group.

Question reference: S5W-06241

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how the membership of the Effective Prescribing Group and its subgroups was decided, and what relationship it has with the (a) area drugs and therapeutics committees in Scotland and (b) Area Drugs and Therapeutics Committees Collaborative.

The membership of the Effective Prescribing Programme Board (EPPB) is determined by the organisations tasked with facilitating and supporting a ‘once for Scotland’ approach, ensuring best use of resources through joint working to quality prescribing and medicines use. Experts from each organisation were identified, suggested and recruited. There is wide experience of working within the NHS Board Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees.

The EPPB includes patient representation – two recognised public partners are invited to attend each meeting. Clinical representation on the EPPB is provided by a number of Medical Directors and Directors of Pharmacy. Each project area aims to engage effectively with the clinical community, included working with the appropriate Managed Clinical Network leads, where these exist. The Scottish Government Therapeutics Branch successfully consulted with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry regarding previous medicines management work, and the intention is to do the same for the Effective Prescribing Programme.

After each EPPB meeting a newsletter is sent to Boards summarising the position of each project and identifying areas for Boards to act and respond upon. These newsletters are not currently published publically but are designed for NHS management purposes.

Question reference: S5W-06247

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of people who attend A&E each year for emergency treatment as a result of a deterioration or crisis in their long-term condition.

Question reference: S5W-06239

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the governance arrangements are for the Effective Prescribing Group, and to whom it reports.

Question reference: S5W-06246

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Lothian regarding the future of the Southside GP surgery in Edinburgh.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, along with Scottish Government officials, met with Daniel Johnstone MSP, Health Board officials and a group of GP's from the South of Edinburgh, including representatives from the Southside GP surgery, on 17 November 2016.

Following discussions with NHS Lothian and Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership during 2016, the Southside partners decided to return their 17J contract to provide General Medical Services and the Board agreed to the practice converting to a directly managed 2C status from December 2016. The Board are currently considering options around the premises for the Southside Surgery.