Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 March 2004
332 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of residential beds in the Eastern Regional Health Authority area; the location of same; and if his attention has been drawn to plans to increase the number of beds. [7904/04]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the provision of health services in the eastern region is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority in the first instance. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive of the authority to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply direct to him as a matter of urgency. I am aware that the authority is in the process of recruiting staff to re-open some long-stay beds which were closed due to difficulties in retaining appropriate staff. In addition, public private partnerships are also currently being piloted in the health sector. PPPs are based on the concept that better value for money for the Exchequer may be achieved through the exploitation of private sector competencies to capture innovation and the allocation of risk to the party best able to manage it. Initially, the focus will be mainly in the area of community nursing units (CNUs) for older people. It is anticipated that 17 new CNUs will be created when the initial pilot programmes are complete, providing up to a maximum of 850 new beds, nine of which will be in the Dublin area with the remainder being located in the Southern Health Board area. The services offered in these units will include assessment/rehabilitation, respite, extended care and convalescence. If the PPP pilots demonstrate success it is the intention to use PPP as a means of providing additional community nursing units in other locations throughout the country.
Under the acute hospital bed capacity initiative, my Department has also provided an additional €8.8 million to the Eastern Regional Health Authority and €3.8 million to the Southern Health Board to facilitate the discharge of patients from the acute system to a more appropriate setting, thereby freeing up acute hospital beds. My Department has been informed by the authority that in excess of 200 patients in the acute hospital system in the eastern region have been moved to more appropriate accommodation in the private nursing home sector under this initiative.
333 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will investigate the circumstances in which a person (details supplied) in Dublin 10 was refused orthodontic treatment by the South Western Area Health Board even though their own dentist and school support their application; the reason the treatment was refused; if this decision can be reversed; and the criteria used by the health board to determine eligibility for orthodontic treatment. [7905/04]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, responsibility for the provision of orthodontic treatment to eligible persons in Dublin 10 rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has therefore asked the regional chief executive to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
The aim of my Department is to develop the treatment capacity of orthodontics in a sustainable way over the longer term. Given the potential level of demand for orthodontic services, the provision of those services will continue to be based on prioritisation of cases based on treatment need, as happens under the existing guidelines. The guidelines were issued in 1985 and are intended to enable health boards to identify in a consistent way those in greatest need, and to commence timely treatment for them. Patients in category A require immediate treatment and include those with congenital abnormalities of the jaws such as cleft lip and palate, and patients with major skeletal discrepancies between the sizes of the jaws; patients in category B have less severe problems than category A patients and are placed on the orthodontic treatment waiting list. The number of cases treated is dependent on the level of resources available, in terms of qualified staff, in the area, and this is reflected in the treatment waiting list. In fact, the provision of orthodontic services is currently severely restricted due to the limited availability of trained specialist clinical staff to assess and treat patients. However, I am pleased to advise the Deputy that I have taken a number of measures to address this shortage of specialists and so increase the treatment capacity of the orthodontic service.
The grade of specialist in orthodontics has been created in the health board orthodontic service. In 2003, my Department and the health boards funded 13 dentists from various health boards for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and at three separate universities in the United Kingdom. These 13 trainees for the public orthodontic service are additional to the six dentists who commenced their training in 2001. There is thus an aggregate of 19 dentists in specialist training for orthodontics, including five from the ERHA. These measures will complement the other structural changes being introduced into the orthodontic service, including the creation of an auxiliary grade of orthodontic therapist to work in the orthodontic area.
In June 2002, my Department provided additional funding of €5 million from the treatment purchase fund to health boards specifically for the purchase of orthodontic treatment. This funding is enabling boards to provide both additional sessions for existing staff and purchase treatment from private specialist orthodontic practitioners. The ERHA received €1.815 million for the treatment of cases in this way. Finally, the chief executive officer of the Eastern Regional Health Authority has informed me that at the end of the December quarter 2003, there were 4,656 children getting orthodontic treatment from the authority.
334 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of residential beds and other facilities available for senior citizens in need of residential care in Cherry Orchard Hospital; if his attention has been drawn to plans to increase the number of beds or to otherwise develop the residential unit of this hospital; and if he will outline the procedure used to allocate these much needed beds. [7906/04]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the provision of health services in the Cherry Orchard Hospital is, in the first instance, the responsibility of the South Western Area Health Board acting under the aegis of the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive of the authority to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply direct to him as a matter of urgency.
