- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 25 February 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that stroke patients receive care that is supported by up-to-date stroke guidelines, in a similar way to those used across the rest of the UK; by what date all stroke patients in Scotland will receive care in line with such guidelines, and what importance it places on ensuring that stroke patients receive the care that they need in order to achieve their recovery potential.
Answer
We place a great deal of importance on ensuring that stroke patients receive the care that they need in order to achieve their recovery potential. To ensure that this is the case, we fund the Scottish Stroke Care Audit (SSCA) as part of the Stroke Improvement Programme to regularly monitor the quality of care provided by the hospitals in all Health Boards by measuring performance against the Scottish Stroke Care Standards. These standards are regularly reviewed in line with current evidence, including UK wide guidelines such as NICE.
Health Boards and stroke services are supported by the Stroke Improvement Programme to improve performance against the Scottish Stroke Standards, and as a result, continuously improve their delivery of stroke care.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 25 February 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, as it makes progress on thrombectomy provision in Scotland, whether it will provide an update on a) what plans it has to increase the rate of thrombolysis across the country (b) what the target thrombolysis rate is, and by when will this be achieved.
Answer
The Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to provide the best possible care for those who have experienced a stroke, including the provision of thrombolysis where considered clinically appropriate.
The Scottish Government continues to support the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme as key to informing and driving improvement across stroke care, including thrombolysis. The SSCA enables us to see where local areas are achieving the Scottish Stroke Care Standards, including the standard for thrombolysis and where further improvements are required. Health Boards are expected to identify aspects of their stroke services which do not meet the Scottish Standards and to work with their stroke Managed Clinical Networks to improve their standards of care locally.
Further information can be found at: https://www.strokeaudit.scot.nhs.uk/index.html
The Scottish Stroke Care Audit (SSCA) has not set specific targets for the rate of people treated with thrombolysis. There is a need to balance the benefits of any treatment with its risks and a target rate may not reflect that nuance.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 February 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 February 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage people to quit smoking during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Answer
Quitting smoking is the best thing anyone can do to improve their health.
Although NHS free smoking cessation services were initially restricted as staff were redeployed in the early days of the pandemic, they were back on stream within a few weeks – operating between 9am and 5pm each day. Support, advice and prescriptions were available from pharmacies and GP practices throughout.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 February 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 February 2021
To ask Scottish Government what assessment it has made of Scottish Health Survey 2020 data which suggests that 36% of people who smoke report smoking more during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Answer
Initial assessments of the recently published results of the Scottish Health Survey 2019 have been undertaken.
These assessments note that, although the downward trend in smoking prevalence appears to continue, these particular results are likely to underestimate the true prevalence of smoking which during the previous survey stood at 17% of Scottish adults. This is due to the response rates in deprived areas being lower than usual, even when weighted, as a result of survey restrictions during the pandemic.
Further assessment and future studies will help determine the full impact of COVID-19 on smoking behaviour.
Quitting smoking is the best thing anyone can do to improve their health.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 February 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 22 February 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether self-employed, home-working travel agents are eligible for current COVID-19 support schemes, where such agents do not pay business rates and own their own property, and what consideration it has given to introducing business support grants for this particular group.
Answer
Both the Strategic Framework Business Fund and the £5 million Travel Agent Fund are tied to having a business premises, which reflects the higher overall costs facing premises-based businesses including rent and utilities.
While self-employed, homeworking travel agents are not eligible for these support schemes, they may be eligible for other forms of support, including the UK Government Self Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS). In order to help those who are not able to access SEISS, the Scottish Government have recently relaunched the Newly Self-Employed Hardship Scheme, which makes grants of up to £4,000 available to qualifying self-employed people.
We have also recently increased our Local Authority Discretionary Fund from £30 million to £120 million. Through this fund, councils can target additional support wherever they consider it most effective in the context of their local economy and business community. As such they have the option to provide direct support for self-employed or home working travel agents in their area if they consider it necessary.
Information on available support can be found on the Find Business Support website.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 January 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 February 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are for arranging COVID-19 vaccines for patient-facing physiotherapists in the private sector and for arranging subsequent communications to them on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Government also has issued a letter on 28 January, 2020 which provides a pathway for all the Allied Health Professional (AHPs) including the patient-facing physiotherapists to be prioritised during the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination roll out programme.
The letter provides detail for Third and Independent sector frontline workers to use, to consider their eligibility for COVID-19 Vaccination, in line with JCVI prioritisation. Contact details are also provided for eligible frontline staff to use to make contact with their local health board for vaccine scheduling.
The letter was shared with the all relevant stakeholders such NHS, NSS, Health Boards, SG Chief Allied Health Officers, Allied Health Professional Secretariat, and the Royal College of Podiatry Chair for onward cascade.
You can also view the letter here: Cabinet Secretary for Commonwealth Games Sport Equalities and Pensioners Rights.dot (ccpscotland.org)
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 January 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 27 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what financial assistance is available to self-employed sports and fitness coaches whose livelihoods have been impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions.
Answer
In November 2020, the UK Government extended the Self Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) for a further six months. The grant is available to self-employed individuals who were eligible for previous funding under the scheme, although they do not need to have claimed the previous grants. The Scottish Government has set aside funding of £15 million for a second iteration of the Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund that we introduced in April 2020 in order to mitigate the financial challenges for those who are unable to access the SEISS. We are working to finalise the delivery mechanism and criteria for this fund and will publish more detail shortly.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 January 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 26 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, for what reason the DigitalBoost Development Grant website reported on its launch day on 12 January 2021 that "applications are in excess of the available budget...therefore new applications have been suspended"; by what date it will reopen for new applicants and, in light of the demand for support, whether it will increase the budget for the grants.
Answer
Applications were temporarily suspended due to strong demand which quickly exceeded the allocated budget. I am pleased to confirm that I have now doubled the available budget to £20m and, as a result, eligible businesses who had already started their applications will be able to complete the process. I am actively exploring the feasibility of developing a successor scheme for launch in the new financial year.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 December 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 14 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance and advice is available for GP practices to enable them to offer face-to-face appointments in a safe way during the current COVID-19 restrictions.
Answer
GPs practices follow the advice in Health Protection Scotland's guidance: Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance for primary care - Management of patients in primary care .
The guidance does allow for face-to-face consultations where that is clinically appropriate, but GP practices are advised to make every effort to triage all patients by telephone to avoid patients presenting at the practice unnecessarily.
Where patients need to attend, they should follow physical distancing guidelines. Physical distancing by staff of 2m should be followed in all areas of the workplace, including non-clinical areas. Where 2m physical distancing cannot be maintained, for example in direct patient contacts, the use of PPE in accordance with guidance will reduce the risk of exposure. Other considerations might include measures such as staggering staff breaks, and toilet use to limit the density of staff in specific areas are required. The use of Perspex (or similar) screens should also be considered to reduce risk in non-clinical encounters.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 23 December 2020
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce coronary heart disease mortality rates across all NHS boards.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 23 December 2020
