Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-27759

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing on 3 March 2020 (Official Report, c. 78), which members of the Expert Women’s Health Group have specific experience and expertise in dealing with the issues regarding pregnancy and pre-eclampsia, and whether it will publish the agenda and minutes of the meeting that took place on 5 February 2020 and routinely make public future agendas and minutes.

A full list of members of the Women’s Health Group can be found on the Women’s Health Plan page of the Scottish Government website using the following link: https://www.gov.scot/groups/womens-health-plan-womens-health-group/ Those members who are obstetricians have specific experience and expertise in dealing with pre-eclampsia. Papers including approved minutes of meetings will also be published on the website.

Question reference: S5W-27726

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many ambulances have been out of use, for example because of requiring repair, since 2007, also broken down by (a) quarter and (b) percentage of the total number of ambulances.

Question reference: S5W-27660

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many places have been available for people to study (a) childcare and (b) adult social care in each year since 1999.

The number of places which have been made available to study childcare and adult social care qualifications is not held centrally. The Scottish Social Services Council gathers data on the provision and uptake of Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) in Health and Social Care and Children’s Care Learning and Development in Scotland and the latest report can be found at https://data.sssc.uk.com/data-publications/20-svq-reports .

Question reference: S5W-27659

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have graduated in (a) childcare and (b) adult social care in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S5O-04275

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is making with efforts to reduce waiting times for toxicology results.

Question reference: S5W-27696

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the time period is for the confirmation of a positive case of the coronavirus, COVID-19, following initial testing.

Question reference: S5W-27697

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how long it takes for samples of suspected cases of the coronavirus, COVID-19, in Scotland to be sent to the Public Health England laboratory in London for confirmatory tests.

Question reference: S5W-27679

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to carry out a pilot study into medical techniques that recapture anaesthetic vapour, similar to that being undertaken in NHS England.

For clarity, recapturing anaesthetic vapour is an engineering solution, not a medical technique.

NHS Scotland currently has no plans to pilot an engineering solution that recaptures anaesthetic vapour in Scotland, though we remain open to new ideas being tested in other countries. However, NHS Scotland anaesthetist teams are proactive in this area and since 2012, Health Facilities Scotland estimate that they have reduced emissions in anaesthetic gases by more than one third. This has been achieved through the combination of the use of low-flow anaesthesia techniques, and using oxygen / air as a primary carrier for anaesthetic agents rather than Nitrogen oxides.

Question reference: S5W-27668

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of MRSA have been reported in each year since 1999, broken down by hospital.

Health Protection Scotland has published quarterly data on both healthcare associated and community associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemias (SABs) at Board level since October 2017. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) are not reported on individually due to small numbers of MRSA cases, but are part of the overall SAB data. The most recent quarterly report, published in January 2020, can be found on the Health Protection Scotland website here .

Mandatory reporting of MRSA infections commenced across Scotland in 2003. Historic data is available from the Health Protection Scotland archive here , however any data published before October 2017 does not specify whether infections were healthcare or community associated.

Since 2007, rates of MRSA infections have reduced significantly. In their latest Healthcare Associated Infection Annual Report (May 2019), Health Protection Scotland reported a decreasing year on year trend in Scotland’s MRSA infection rate between 2014 and 2018.

Question reference: S5W-27663

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time has been to see a dermatologist in each year since 2007, broken down by NHS board.

The average waiting time to see a dermatologist is available for new outpatients and inpatient/day cases quarterly, since December 2012 and NHS Board on ISD’s website. Please find the following link to the NHS Waiting Times Stage of Treatment publication where the data files are available:

https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/healthcare-resources/waiting-times/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/ .

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