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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-31057

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication in The Lancet of research showing the benefit of the Cytosponge TFF3 test in diagnosing Barrett’s oesophagus early and in savings on endoscopies, and in light of the reported backlog in endoscopies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, what steps it is taking to ensure the test's widespread and rapid introduction in hospitals and primary care.

An agreement has been reached with all NHS Scotland Health Boards to progress implementation of this non-aerosol generating procedure at pace. To aid this implementation, training of nursing staff has been scheduled and Boards are now making the necessary provision for a state of readiness. The initial implementation of this will have a secondary care focus to support the recovery of endoscopy services.

Alongside the implementation of this procedure, as part of NHS Scotland’s COVID-19 response, a rapid roll-out of Colon Capsule Endoscopy (CCE) is underway, working closely with territorial Health Boards, industry partners and NSS. CCE adoption offers the opportunity to provide further capacity for bowel cancer diagnostics and supporting endoscopy services recovery. Funding has been made available to Health Boards to adopt CCE as part of the recently approved Endoscopy Recovery Plan.

Question reference: S5W-30911

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are currently working at the NHS Louisa Jordan hospital; what their job titles are, and how many staff have worked there in each month since the building work was officially completed.

The number of staff working at NHS Louisa Jordan has varied since the building work officially completed and is dependent on what activities are taking place on the site and the requirements for the continued oversight of the facility.

An organisational structure was established to support the NHS Louisa Jordan Hospital operating for its original Covid purpose. The roles in that structure reflected the corporate and clinical governance arrangements which are required within a hospital setting and are outlined in Annex A.

It should be noted however the majority of these roles were not full-time appointments with the requirements of some of the roles equating to one or two days input per week.

As well as identifying staff for these jobs, over 200 staff from across NHS Scotland have been inducted to be able to perform front line clinical roles. Plans are in place to be able to stand the NHS Louisa Jordan up for its original purpose within seven days should that be required.

A slightly reframed executive structure has been put in place to support the NHS Louisa Jordan in its current role, including the provision of elective outpatient appointments and is outlined in Annex B. That structure is supplemented as required by NHS Boards to deliver the services they provide at NHS Louisa Jordan.

In addition to NHS Staff, the facility requires support from SEC staff, G4S security and FM support through SERCO.

ANNEX A – CORPORATE AND CLINICAL GOVERNANCE ROLES AT NHS LOUISA JORDAN TO SUPPORT COVID

Chief Executive

Medical Director

Nurse Director

Communications Director

Health Facilities Director

Head of Facilities/Contracts

Programme Management Director

Workforce Director

Associate Director of Workforce

HR Business Partner

HR Manager

Health and Safety Advisor

Head of Occupational Health

Deputy Medical Director

Associate Medical Director

Chief of Medicine

Chief Pharmacist

Lead Clinician

Chief Nurse Operational/Tactical

Associate Chief Nurse

Associate Nurse Director – Quality, Safety and Professional Practice

Associate Nurse Director – Nursing/Patient Flow

Chief AHP

Pastoral Care

Quality and Safety Advisor

Infection Control Advisor

Finance Director

Clinical Operations Director

e-Health Lead

Radiography Lead

Business and Continuity Advisor

General Operations Director

Strategic Operations Manager

ANNEX B – CORPORATE AND CLINICAL GOVERNANCE ROLES AT NHS LOUISA JORDAN TO SUPPORT EDUCATION AND ELECTIVE SERVICES

Chief Executive

Medical Director

Nurse Director

Communications Director

Health Facilities Director

Head of Facilities/Contracts

Programme Management Director

Workforce Director

Associate Director of Workforce

Health and Safety Advisor

Chief Pharmacist

Chief Nurse Operational/Tactical

Chief AHP

Infection Control Advisor

Finance Director

Clinical Operations Director

e-Health Lead

Radiography Lead

Business and Continuity Advisor

General Operations Director

Question reference: S5W-30909

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when the NHS Louisa Jordan hospital will open to patients, and which procedures will take place there.

A successful pilot at the NHS Louisa Jordan has seen 400 patients receive orthopaedic and plastic surgery outpatient consultations since the start of July. Following the successful three-week project by NHS Lanarkshire, plans are now in place to expand the services offered at the hospital in August and increase the number of patients it can receive daily from health boards across Scotland. The new services to be offered include key diagnostics such as X-rays, CT scanning and ultrasounds, as well as speciality dermatology appointments .

Question reference: S5F-04303

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 August 2020

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-30907

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 18 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what additional resources it will make available to the NHS to ensure the safe distribution of the flu vaccine in 2020.

As part of their planning, NHS Boards have been asked to record and submit to Scottish Government additional delivery costs that they encounter in adapting immunisation programmes to meet Covid-19 requirements (e,g. physical distancing, PPE) and expanding to new eligible groups this season. Additional resources will be provided to Boards to meet these costs.

Additional flu vaccine has been procured to meet increased uptake levels and provide sufficient stock to vaccinate newly eligible groups.

Question reference: S5F-04278

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 August 2020

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-30905

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration is has given to widening the field of people who are eligible for the flu vaccination in 2020, and, if it proposes to do so, what the criteria will be.

The seasonal flu vaccination programme helps to protect the most vulnerable and alleviate pressure on the NHS. This will be more important than ever this year, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That is why this flu season, we are extending free eligibility to social care workers who provide direct care, household members of individuals who are shielding, all those aged 55 and over, and those aged 50-54 if vaccine supplies allow.

Question reference: S5W-30906

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what protections, instructions or guidance it will issue to ensure that people who require the flu vaccine in 2020 will receive the vaccination safely if there is a second wave of COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-30913

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has done of the (a) short-, (b) medium- and (c) long-term implications to dentistry service as a result of COVID-19.

The government has been fully focused on containing the community spread of the virus during its response to the pandemic and a key part of this is within the dental setting. The delivery of dental services has been balanced since March between combatting COVID-19 and the oral health needs of patients in order to support those in need of urgent dental care and to protect both patients and dental teams from the virus.

During the lockdown patients were able to be seen for urgent dental care in one of 75 centres throughout Scotland. From 22 June dental practices began reopening and have followed a phased remobilisation plan expanding the list of treatments available to patients.

Question reference: S5W-30917

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government if a successful vaccination is found against COVID-19, what plans it has in place for its distribution.

A safe and effective COVID-19 vaccination is dependent on success in at least one of over 200 vaccine trials underway worldwide in terms of both development and manufacture. When a vaccination might be available, and considerations about delivery and prioritisation, will depend in part on which vaccine candidates are successful.

While there is no guarantee of success in any of the trials, we are planning on the basis of a vaccine becoming available. In Scotland we already deliver nearly 2 million doses of vaccine routinely every year and we have a comprehensive vaccine delivery infrastructure in place. We are working on a plan to upscale this to deliver a COVID-19 vaccine, in the event that a safe and effective vaccine does become available, and we have established the Flu Vaccines and COVID-19 Vaccinations Delivery Programme Board to oversee this work.

In doing this, we will be guided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which provides independent scientific advice on immunisation to all UK Health Departments, including on the efficacy and safety of vaccines and priority groups to be vaccinated.