- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20798 by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 March 2009, whether NHS boards receive assurances that prescribing practices are appropriate in addition to monitoring antibiotic use.
Answer
The appropriate use of antimicrobials is an important clinical governance issue. The NHS board''s Antimicrobial Management Team (AMT), which is a sub-group of the board''s Area Drug and Therapeutics Committee, covers both primary and secondary care sectors. Their key role is the development, implementation and compliance monitoring of the board''s antimicrobial policy. The AMT feeds back to the board''s clinical governance and risk management teams.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20798 by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 March 2009, whether trend data on the prescribing of antibiotics is publicly available.
Answer
Not all the data used by NHS Board Prescribing Advisers are available publicly. For example, Prescribing Advisers have access to data through the PRescribing Information SysteM for Scotland (PRISMS), a web-based prescribing information database. Prescribing information, including antibiotics, available publicly can be found at
www.isdscotland.org/prescribing.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing proposes to make a statement to the Parliament about the prospect of a public inquiry into the outbreak of Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital.
Answer
I refer the member to answer to question S3W-20028 on 28 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20800 by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 March 2009, whether each NHS board issues guidance to GPs about prescribing antibiotics.
Answer
Each NHS board has an evidence-based primary care antimicrobial prescribing policy which provides guidance on when to prescribe antibiotics and which antibiotic should be used to treat each common infection. This policy is issued to GPs either electronically or in hard copy.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how GPs are engaged at a clinical level with the Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Task Force objectives to create a whole-system approach.
Answer
All staff have a responsibility for infection control, including GPs. Guidance developed by the HAI Task Force covers all NHS services, including the Primary Care Sector, and there is GP representation on the national HAI Task Force.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what information is given to patients in relation to the need to complete courses of antibiotics and the potential risk of Clostridium difficile in the over-65s who are vulnerable and may be admitted to hospital in the following two months.
Answer
All labels on antibiotic prescriptions should have standard labelling “ Complete the Course. Pharmacists in hospital and primary care settings also counsel patients on how to take their medicine including taking at regular intervals, requirements to take before and after food and completing the course.
Good prescribing practice for any treatment should also involve discussion with the patient of potential risks and benefits as appropriate on an individual basis.
The benefit of using an antibiotic to treat an infection in a patient over 65 years must be balanced against the potential for predisposing them to Clostridium difficile. Prescribers must weigh up these risks and decide on an individual basis what is clinically appropriate.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will receive a final report from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service on the outbreak of Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20313 on 9 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 17 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has in relation to the provision of toilet facilities for disabled people in town centres, retail shopping centres and leisure facilities.
Answer
Scottish building regulations address the provision of sanitary accommodation within new, altered, extended or converted buildings.
Standard 3.12 (sanitary facilities) of the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004, as amended, requires that Every building must be designed and constructed in such a way that sanitary facilities are provided for all occupants of, and visitors to, the building in a form that allows convenience of use and that there is no threat to the health and safety of occupants or visitors.
This standard and accompanying guidance was revised in May 2007 to include a range of measures to improve access to, and use of, these facilities and to ensure that all new buildings are better suited to meet the differing needs of occupants and visitors. A key issue, identified within guidance, is the need to provide accessible sanitary accommodation in any building where sanitary accommodation is required.
It should be noted that current building regulations are only applied to existing buildings where proposals are made to alter, extend or convert a building, or part of a building.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 17 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to review current planning regulations to include provision for toilets designed to the Changing Places standard.
Answer
Land use planning guides the future development and use of land. It is about where development should happen, where it should not and how it interacts with its surroundings. Issues relating to the internal design of buildings, including facilities such as toilets etc, are not matters that planning authorities would consider when coming to a decision on a proposed development. They are not therefore the subject of planning legislation.
Scottish building regulations address the provision of sanitary accommodation within new, altered, extended or converted buildings.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 17 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review current planning regulations, including the Building Regulations: Technical Standards Part M: Drainage And Sanitary Facilities, to include provision for toilets designed to the Changing Places standard.
Answer
There are no proposals at present to amend the accessibility standards within Scottish building regulations.
Toilet provision is addressed under Standard 3.12 (sanitary facilities) of the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004. This requires that Every building must be designed and constructed in such a way that sanitary facilities are provided for all occupants of, and visitors to, the building in a form that allows convenience of use and that there is no threat to the health and safety of occupants or visitors.
This standard and accompanying guidance was revised in May 2007 to include a range of measures to improve access to, and use of, these facilities and to ensure that all new buildings are better suited to meet the differing needs of occupants and visitors. A key issue, identified within current guidance, is the need to provide accessible sanitary accommodation in any building where such accommodation is required.
