- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the 90-week wait for an appointment for a hearing test being experienced by Dr Symms from the Melrose area, what action it is taking to address the length of time taken for such appointments and whether additional funding will be made available to reduce such waiting times.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-2920. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available in the health and community care section of its Draft Budget 2003-04 to reduce waiting times for first appointments for hearing tests with ear, nose and throat departments.
Answer
NHS boards receive an allocation to meet health care needs of their resident population. It is for boards to decide how best to utilise this funding to meet national and local priorities.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2315 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 September 2003 where the provisional median time for an audiology appointment in the Borders NHS Board area is given as 34 days in 2003, why Dr Peter Symms of Brotherstone, near Melrose, has been advised that the waiting time for such an appointment is 90 weeks and what action it will take to address this issue.
Answer
The figures provided in the answerto question S2W-2315 on 11 September 2003, were the median waiting times for a firstout-patient appointment at a consultant-led clinic in the specialty of ear,nose and throat . Information on waiting times for an audiology appointment is notavailable as data is collected centrally at specialty level only.
I understand from NHS Bordersthat the waiting time for an audiology appointment quoted to Dr Symms was incorrect.They have now written to Dr Symms to advise that the anticipated wait is 48 weeks.
The board is currently developingan audiology modernisation plan and finalising its bid for funding from the AudiologyModernisation Funds which were announced earlier this year. It is also in the processof reallocating some work to increase the time available for trained audiologiststo undertake hearing aid assessments and expects these actions to lead to reductionsin waiting times early in the New Year.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are waiting for a first appointment for hearing tests with ear, nose and throat departments as at 31 August 2003, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
The information requested isnot available. Data on out-patient waiting, by specialty, are collected centrallyafter patients have been seen at a consultant-led clinic, and is therefore retrospective.
Partnership for Care, which was published in February 2003, includes a commitmentto improve the management of out-patient waiting by recording for the first timethe number of referrals received for a service and the waiting time for patientswho have not been seen at a clinic. Work on this commitment is being taken forwardby the National Waiting Times Unit, in conjunction with NHSScotland and InformationStatistics Division Scotland.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 8 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm its contribution of approximately #110 million as indicated in the estimate of expense and funding statement lodged with the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Bill.
Answer
The Executive has already awardedup to £2.1 million to the Waverley Railway Partnership to progress this projectto parliamentary bill stage.
The Executive is committed tosupporting construction of the Borders rail line and we await submission of thedetailed business case.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 7 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to ensure that places on nursing diploma programmes match demand, as referred to in table 2.5 of the report by the Royal College of Nursing More Nurses, working differently: A review of the UK nursing labour market in 2002.
Answer
Pre-registration nursing diplomaeducation is provided by seven higher education institutions (HEIs) in Scotland, undercontract with the Scottish Executive Health Department. An annual student nurse intake planningexercise, based on the future workforce requirements of NHSScotland, influencesthe number of students that the Scottish Executive Health Department funds throughthese contracts.
Competition for student placesremains buoyant but, as with any higher education course, not all applicants meetthe necessary requirements. The nature of nursing means that applicants must beassessed on the basis of their health and fitness in addition to academic requirements.Selecting the right students is one way of addressing attrition from these courses.HEIs have overall responsibility for the selection process.
In 2003-04 the student intakewill increase by an additional 525 students, through traditional and other routes,in accordance with the student nurse intake planning recommendations.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 7 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-24700 and S1W-26383 by Mr Jim Wallace on 1 May and 11 June 2002 respectively, whether an evaluation of the Renfrewshire and Paisley neighbourhood warden pilot projects has been made and, if so, where it can be accessed.
Answer
The Renfrewshireand Paisley neighbourhood warden pilot projectwill be evaluated towards the end of 2004-05 as part of the wider evaluation ofRenfrewshire’s Better Neighbourhoods Services Fund (BNSF) programme. Renfrewshire’sBNSF Annual Report, due later this year, will provide an update on progress to date.This will be available through the Parliament’s Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 September 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2F-160 by Mr Jack McConnell on 4 September 2003, how many vacancies there were for consultant (a) radiologists and (b) radiographers in each of the last four years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
Information available fromvacancy surveys conducted by ISD Scotland in each of the last four years forwhich there is information, respectively for consultant radiologists and forradiographers, is as follows.
Table 1: Number ofConsultant Radiologist Vacancies (Headcount), as at 30 September
| | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| Establishment | Vacancies | Establishment | Vacancies | Establishment | Vacancies | Establishment | Vacancies |
| Scotland | 217 | 18 | 224 | 19 | 223 | 20 | 235 | 25 |
| Argyll and Clyde | 13 | - | 13 | - | 15 | 2 | 15 | 2 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 11 | 1 | 12 | - | 13 | 1 | 15 | 4 |
| Borders | 5 | - | 5 | - | 5 | - | 5 | 1 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 4 | 1 | 4 | - | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Fife | 12 | 4 | 17 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 4 |
| Forth Valley | 9 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 2 |
| Grampian | 22 | 2 | 22 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 22 | - |
| Greater Glasgow | 47 | 1 | 48 | - | 50 | 2 | 57 | 5 |
| Highland | 7 | - | 7 | - | 6 | - | 11 | 2 |
| Lanarkshire | 21 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 24 | 3 | 21 | 1 |
| Lothian | 40 | 1 | 41 | 1 | 41 | 2 | 41 | 2 |
| Orkney | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Shetland | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tayside | 25 | 2 | 24 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 25 | - |
| Western Isles | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Golden Jubilee Nat Hospital | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Source: ISD M (4), ISD Scotland.
Notes:
1. Table 1 includes honoraryappointments.
2. Comprises clinicalradiology and nuclear medicine.
3. The vacancy figuresrelate to posts vacant at 31 March, irrespective of when the vacancy arose.
Table 2: QualifiedRadiographer Vacancies (Whole Time Equivalent), as at 31 March
| | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
| Establishment | Vacancies | Establishment | Vacancies | Establishment | Vacancies | Establishment | Vacancies |
| Scotland | 1,066.9 | 26.7 | 1,197.4 | 50.2 | 1,237.7 | 69.2 | 1,409.9 | 137.0 |
| Argyll and Clyde | 82.3 | 1.0 | 71.5 | 2.4 | 82.4 | 7.0 | 82.9 | 2.3 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 71.3 | 1.8 | 70.3 | 2.0 | 71.4 | 2.0 | 75.1 | 2.5 |
| Borders | 17.4 | 1.0 | 17.4 | - | 16.3 | 1.0 | 20.0 | 1.0 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 23.1 | 1.4 | 22.9 | 3.5 | 24.6 | 2.0 | 23.4 | 5.0 |
| Fife | 53.0 | 3.5 | 51.8 | 2.0 | 49.2 | 1.0 | 58.3 | 9.7 |
| Forth Valley | 46.7 | 2.0 | 45.8 | 1.0 | 48.8 | - | 52.2 | 1.0 |
| Grampian | 123.4 | 2.0 | 145.4 | 6.5 | 140.9 | 1.0 | 184.3 | 7.0 |
| Greater Glasgow | 202.2 | 5.0 | 306.0 | 18.3 | 333.2 | 31.4 | 396.0 | 65.7 |
| Highland | 29.0 | 1.0 | 48.8 | 1.5 | 46.9 | 0.7 | 56.0 | 3.6 |
| Lanarkshire | 95.6 | 2.0 | 100 | 3.0 | 105.3 | 4.0 | 114.0 | 10.5 |
| Lothian | 204.9 | 5.0 | 197.7 | - | 207.4 | 10.0 | 225.8 | 17.2 |
| Orkney | 2.3 | - | 3.4 | - | 2.6 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 1.0 |
| Shetland | 4.0 | 1.0 | 6.4 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 5.4 | 9.5 |
| Tayside | 106.0 | - | 103.2 | 8.0 | 98.1 | 6.5 | 96.4 | - |
| Western Isles | 5.8 | - | 6.8 | - | 5.8 | - | 6.7 | - |
| Golden Jubilee National Hospital | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.7 | 1.0 |
Source: ISD (M).
Notes:
1. Response rate: 2000(94%), 2001 (98%), 2002 (97%), 2003 (100%).
2. The vacancy figuresrelate to posts vacant at 31 March, irrespective of when the vacancy arose.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to promote the Pass Plus scheme for novice drivers.
Answer
The Executive welcomes Pass Plusas a scheme which enables new drivers to gain additional experience and positivedriving skills that might otherwise take a long time to acquire. The scheme is administeredby the Driving Standards Agency, which chairs a board that promotes the scheme throughoutGreat Britain.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to reverse the increase in the number of student nurses discontinuing their course, as referred to in the report by the Royal College of Nursing, More Nurses, working differently: A review of the UK nursing labour market in 2002.
Answer
There are a number of reasonswhy student nurses leave their course, including deciding that nursing is not forthem. The Scottish Executive Health Department (SEHD) is working with highereducation institutions to reduce the drop-out rate to an agreed level and to strengthenstudent support systems. As a result, institutions are reporting improved attritionrates for each of the three-year nurse education programmes.
We have also taken steps to addressattrition by improving the financial support available to students and the Nursingand Midwifery Student Bursary has increased by 21% since 1998. In addition, theSEHD and higher education institutions are also developing proposals for distancelearning and flexible access to courses to make sure that as many of our committedstudents as possible complete their training and go on to work in NHSScotland.
