I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21701 on 4 March 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21607 on 27 February 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

SIGN is part of the Evidence Directorate of Healthcare Improvement Scotland and receives core funding from Healthcare Improvement Scotland. It is editorially independent from Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Scottish Government.

Any group or individual can propose or request a review of a SIGN guideline by completing a proposal form and returning it to the SIGN Executive. Guideline topics are selected on the basis of burden of disease, the existence of variation in practice, and the potential to improve outcomes. There is a defined process that SIGN follows to support proposers to develop their proposals and then selection criteria that aid the Guideline Programme Advisory Group to decide which proposals to accept for guideline development. The SIGN Council ratifies these accepted proposals.

Since starting inspections in September 2009, a total of 295 safety
and cleanliness inspections have been undertaken in hospitals by
the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate. This is broken down as
follows:

This information is not held centrally. The member may wish to consider contacting individual Health Boards to obtain this information.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of effective asset management and investment planning to ensure that the health and care estate and supporting services are fit for purpose and capable of adapting to and encouraging new models of care delivery.

Our Capital Investment Strategy (CIS) will be brought to Parliament before the end of the financial year. The CIS will take a broad overview of required investment across primary and community care facilities, acute hospital infrastructure, digital technology, and medical equipment and will set out the further steps we will take to support all boards to continue to improve and maintain their estate and asset base.

Once the Respiratory Care Action Plan is finalised we will have a better understanding of the financial challenges and opportunities lying ahead and this will inform funding decisions.

Since 1999 over 67,000 cancer patients have accessed clinical trials in Scotland, broken down by NHS Board as shown in the following tables:

Sickness Absence rates for all staff directly employed by NHSScotland are published annually for year ending 31 March. Figures for NHSScotland, and for individual health boards are available from 2002 and 2005 respectively.

This information can be found on the Workforce web page of NHS Scotland’s Information Services Division at https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2018-06-05/Sickness_Absence_M2018.xls .

The Scottish Government provides baseline funding to NHS Boards, which Boards use to best meet the healthcare needs of their resident population. Funding is not ring-fenced for prevention of and self-help for respiratory disease. It is not therefore possible to provide this proportion of the 2019-20 budget.