Written Answers Nos. 1395-1416
1395. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health the current funding and resource allocation for Mayo University Hospital, specifically for neurological services; what steps are being taken to ensure that access to a consultant neurologist is equally distributed across the country and Mayo patients can have local access for inpatient treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12440/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1396. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health what measures are being considered to ensure that the care received by patients does not depend on where they live, specifically for neurological services; the steps that will be taken to expedite the appointment of a consultant neurologist at Mayo University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12441/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1397. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health his plans to extend the special scheme to provide special leave with pay for eligible health sector staff in respect of long-Covid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12448/24]
View answerIn the public health sector, a temporary Special Scheme has been in place since July 2022 to provide special leave with pay for eligible staff in respect of Long Covid. Sanction to extend the Special Scheme has been granted a number of times by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP and Reform (DPENDPR), however it will conclude as planned on 31st March 2024 and DPENDPR have been clear that no further extensions will be granted. Employees impacted by the conclusion of the Special Scheme will have received an individual notification of this from their employer.Any employee of the public health sector remaining unwell after that date, may utilise the full provisions of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme which will provide further support.The sick leave scheme provides full pay for three months, followed by half pay for three months, and after that, Temporary Rehabilitative Remuneration may be applied for, which, if granted, provides up to a further 547 days of paid leave. The Critical Illness Protocol that forms part of the sick leave scheme may also provide additional supports if granted.
1398. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of delays in processing blood tests at LUH; the impact this will have on services; if steps are being taken to address the delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12450/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible
1399. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health for clarification on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12455/24]
View answerIt is open to clinicians to apply to the Minister for Health for a licence issued pursuant to Section 14 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 to treat a patient with Schedule 1 cannabis-based products.
In these situations it is inappropriate for the Department to discuss such applications with anybody other than the applicant themselves and cannot discuss the matter with the Deputy.
1400. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Meath will get an appointment at Our Lady's Hospital Navan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12465/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1401. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if an application for the permanent ill health exit package for a person (details supplied) will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12466/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1402. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health when teletherapy to treat patients with Parkinson's disease will be rolled out in other hospitals and clinics following the successful trial in Regional Hospital Tullamore in 2023. [12480/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1403. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Health the current situation regarding negotiations for public health service employees diagnosed with long Covid; if he has considered best international practice with regard to dealing with this matter both from a medical and a financial point of view for the employees diagnosed; the state of negotiations with an organisation (details supplied) regarding healthcare workers in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12481/24]
View answerIn the public health sector, a temporary Special Scheme has been in place since July 2022 for eligible staff in respect of Long Covid. This Special Scheme has been extended a number of times, most recently in October 2023, when the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP and Reform (DPENDPR) granted a final extension, permitting the Special Scheme to run until 31st March 2024. DPENDPR's sanction to extend the Special Scheme to that date was contingent on it being the final sanction that would be provided, and as such the Special Scheme will conclude on 31st March 2024.
The conclusion of the Special Scheme has been the subject of a claim from health sector staff representative bodies, and the Labour Court has recently recommended that persons with Long COVID in the health service should be supported by taking account of the availability of the range of support arrangement already in place, including the provisions of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme.
The circa 118 employees currently on the Special Scheme have been supported on full pay for close to four years to date (depending on the date they initially contracted Covid) having moved from DPENDPR’s Special Leave with Pay to the Special Scheme in July 2022. Any employee remaining unwell after the Special Scheme concludes, may utilise the full provisions of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme, and employees have received personal notification of this from their employer.
The supports available under the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme include:
• Full pay sick leave for three months.
• Followed by half pay sick leave for three months, and after that,
• Temporary Rehabilitative Remuneration, which if granted, provides up to a 547 days of paid sick leave.
• The Critical Illness Protocol may also provide further supports if granted.
1404. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health for an update on the case of a person (details); and when they can expect a hospital appointment. [12484/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1405. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health to detail the policy regarding the reuse and recycling of wheelchairs and crutches across all sectors of the health system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12485/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1406. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health how student nurses in certain circumstances (details supplied) can qualify for travel expenses while on placement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12494/24]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, following approval by Government on 13 December 2022, I was pleased to announce €9 million in additional supports for student nurses and midwives. €5.4m of this funding provides for an enhanced Travel and Subsistence Scheme for eligible students in publicly funded undergraduate nursing and midwifery courses while attending their supernumerary clinical practice placements. Supernumerary students in midwifery, general, combined children's and general, intellectual disability and psychiatric nursing all have the same entitlement.
The Department of Health Circular 4/2023 issued to the HSE on 27 February 2023, set out revised arrangements to apply. This scheme provides a targeted and more equitable approach to supporting these students and one of its key features is set out hereunder: -
supernumerary students on the undergraduate nursing/midwifery programme continue to be entitled to claim for payment of travel expenses necessarily incurred while attending placements, on the basis of receipts provided by the student and certified by the Student Allocation Liaison Officer (SALO) in the clinical partner site. Public transport should be used wherever possible. Where public transport is not available and the use of private transport is necessary to attend placements, a supernumerary student is entitled to claim for payment of these necessarily incurred travel expenses. These should be paid on the same basis as that which applies generally in the public sector.
As responsibility for the specific issue raised by the Deputy rests with the HSE, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
1407. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the areas to which funding is going, when the filled positions as denoted by the HSE staff census or by the total number of therapists and administration staff versus filled positions does not match the CHOs report for number of staff at end of month. [12499/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1408. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the reason the HSE staff census approved WTE and the CHO allocated positions varies greatly. [12500/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1409. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the reason CHOs have such a differing opinion on what is covered by GDPR and what information is entitled under freedom of information. [12501/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1410. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the reason information metrics are not centrally located. [12502/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1411. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health how the HSE can issue a staff census or accurately figure up therapeutic hours, if the numbers are not centrally located. [12503/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1412. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health his views on whether there are guidelines for each CHO to decide what people are entitled to under FOI requests. [12505/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1413. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health when a child (details supplied) can expect to receive an appointment to have orthodontic treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12514/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1414. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health the reason the HSE seeks an indemnity on vehicle insurance policies of student nurses in order for them to claim travel expenses; if all grades of HSE employees and-or students are required to seek the same indemnification in order to claim travel expenses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12516/24]
View answerAs this question relates to an operational matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
1415. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Health the current status of a project (details supplied); the current timeline of the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12538/24]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE recently ended the industrial action which commenced on 6 October 2023. As a consequence, members in these grades were not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result of the accumulated backlog, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
1416. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health when the decision was made to open the new community nursing home in Nenagh as a step-down facility for UHL patients; who made the decision to do this; and on what date this will commence. [12540/24]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE recently ended the industrial action which commenced on 6 October 2023. As a consequence, members in these grades were not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result of the accumulated backlog, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
