Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-08243

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the suitability of the support provided for people living with arthritis.

The Scottish Government provides policies, frameworks and resources to NHS Boards to allow them to deliver services that meet the needs of their local populations.

Within this context, the actual assessment of healthcare services provided for people living with arthritis is a matter for individual NHS Boards. Additionally, access to specialist support for people with arthritis forms part of an individual’s care package, in agreement with relevant healthcare professionals.

Our Health and Social Care Delivery Plan published in December 2016 sets out our aim for Scotland to provide high quality services with a focus on prevention, early intervention and supported self-management. The plan sits alongside our National Clinical Strategy, which evidenced the need to change the way services are delivered in order to continue meet the healthcare needs of our population, setting out the framework for developing health services in Scotland for the next 10-20 years, including people living with arthritis.

Question reference: S5W-08241

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the six-monthly procurement process for hepatitis C treatments and the impact that this has on NHS services' delivery of longer-term plans for the elimination of hepatitis C as a public health concern by 2030.

National Procurement leads on the procurement of medicines on behalf of NHS Scotland. The procurement approach is being kept under active review to ensure that it continues to deliver best value as NHS Scotland works towards eliminating hepatitis C as a public health concern by 2030.

A significant market change later this year will be the entry of an additional pan-genotypic regimen; this is expected to increase competition in the market and lead to reductions in the pricing of Hepatitis C therapies. The expectation is that there will be another review of the treatment guidelines in autumn 2017. National Procurement will be re-tendering for the supply of hepatitis C medicines at the same time.

A reduction in the pricing of hepatitis C therapies is expected to facilitate the earlier treatment of diagnosed patients thus contributing to the 2030 goal.

Question reference: S5W-08240

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing longer-term funding models for NHS boards to provide more certainty for longer-term plans to identify, diagnose and treat hepatitis C in order to meet its commitment to eliminate the infection as a public health concern by 2030.

NHS Boards fund the treatment of hepatitis C from their overall baseline funding as provided by the Scottish Government. This funding is confirmed following the approval of the Scottish Government’s annual Budget Bill with spending plans outlined each year in the Draft Budget or Scottish Spending Review.

The latest Spending Review covered financial year 2017-18. NHS Boards are currently in the process of preparing 3-year financial plans as part of the annual Local Delivery Plan process. It is a matter for NHS Boards to plan for the provision of Hepatitis C treatments in line with their financial plans.

The current funding and procurement model has allowed significant progress in regards to the treatment of hepatitis C in Scotland, demonstrated by an ambitious target of 1800 initiated treatments in 2017-18 and a 22% reduction in hepatitis
C-related liver failure in 2015.

Question reference: S5W-08238

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in Scotland will need to be treated each year to meets its aim to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health concern by 2030.

The Scottish Government has a strategic target of reducing hepatitis C related liver failure (i.e. life threatening disease associated with hepatitis C) by 75% between 2015 and 2020. Modelling work undertaken by Health Protection Scotland and Glasgow Caledonian University has informed the Scottish Government Hepatitis C Treatment and Therapies Group’s annual treatment number target.

The modelling indicated that 1,500 people with moderate to severe disease needed to be treated annually during 2015 – 20 to achieve a 75% reduction in hepatitis C-related liver failure. The Scottish Government’s strategy in terms of elimination of hepatitis C as a serious public health concern is very ambitious, given that the World Health Organisation’s target is a 10% reduction in HCV-related mortality by 2020.

The treatment target for 2017-18 will be 1,800 - an increase of 300 from that for 2016-17. In the context of this strategy there are early encouraging signs that it is working. In 2015 the number of new hepatitis C-related liver failure case presentations declined by 22%. Figures for 2016 figures will be available in mid-2017.

Question reference: S5W-08244

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to (a) increase the number of consultant rheumatologists and (b) improve the availability of early arthritis clinics.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to a sustainable NHS and its workforce, which continues to deliver a consistently high quality healthcare service to the people of Scotland. That is why we have seen staffing levels in our NHS increase by over 12,000 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) to an all-time high of 139,262.0 WTE.

Our Health and Social Care Delivery Plan published in December 2016 sets out our aim for Scotland to provide high quality services with a focus on prevention, early intervention and supported self-management. The plan sits alongside our National Clinical Strategy, which evidenced the need to change the way services are delivered in order to continue meet the healthcare needs of our population, setting out the framework for developing health services in Scotland for the next 10-20 years, including people living with arthritis

Scottish Government has been working closely with clinicians as part of the Scottish Society of Rheumatology to assist them with an improvement programme for people who have arthritis. The Scottish Government has provided funding of £22,000 over three years to two Boards to enable them to carry out three improvement projects.

Question reference: S5W-08239

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) action it is taking and (b) funding has been allocated to identify people who have hepatitis C but who have not been diagnosed or who are unaware of their infection.

The Scottish Government sponsors work, being undertaken by Glasgow Caledonian University and HPS, to assess the cost effectiveness of general population screening for hepatitis C. The results of this assessment will be available by mid-2017. Further, Health Protection Scotland, together with NHS boards, is organising a symposium on hepatitis C case finding in the autumn of 2017. Its aim is to review progress in case finding and current strategy and, if appropriate, to advise the revision of strategy going forward.

The identification of people who have hepatitis C and other blood borne viruses is the task of local Health Boards. Funding and relevant objectives for this case finding are part of the NHS Outcomes Framework allocation for each Board which can be used at its discretion.

Question reference: S5W-08242

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions NHS National Procurement has had with (a) NHS boards and (b) the Hepatitis C Treatment and Therapies Group regarding elimination of the infection.

National Procurement leads on the procurement of medicines on behalf of NHS Scotland. Ensuring best value in medicine treatment costs will support NHS Scotland in eliminating hepatitis C as a public health concern by 2030. National Procurement have on-going engagement with the Hepatitis C Treatment and Therapies Group and with the NHS in Scotland more generally to ensure effective co-operation on this common objective.

Question reference: S5F-01126

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 March 2017

To ask the First Minister what progress the Scottish Government has made on its commitment to reduce the number of working hours for junior doctors.

Question reference: S5O-00819

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to reopen the Yorkhill minor injuries unit and, if so, on what date it will do so.

Question reference: S5W-07723

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been diagnosed with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) in each of the last 10 years, also broken down by NHS board area.

The information requested in relation to the number of people being diagnosed with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) in Scotland over the past ten years is not held centrally. However, the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Trust estimates that it affects approximately 1% of the population.

The NHS Choices website provides clear and accessible information on the causes, symptoms and diagnosis of hiradenitis suppurativa. This can be accessed at the following link: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hidradenitis-suppurativa/Pages/Introduction.aspx

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