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Tuesday, 9 Oct 2012

Written Answers Nos. 671-691

Primary Care Services Provision

Questions (671)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

671. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm plans for the delivery of primary care services in Greenhills, Dublin 24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43226/12]

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Written answers

As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Hospital Services

Questions (672)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

672. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the future of St. Brigid's Hospital, Brittas, County Dublin in view of the concerns of the wider community on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43227/12]

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Written answers

As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.

Mental Health Services Provision

Questions (673)

Dan Neville

Question:

673. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the following in relation to the working group which was established by the former health board CEO group to examine the role of psychotherapy in the health service in order to assess the requirements for the future; the date on which the working group was established; the names of the members of the working group; the number and dates of meetings; and when it is expected to complete the final report [43250/12]

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Written answers

As this is a service matter the question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Health Services Provision

Questions (674)

Niall Collins

Question:

674. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health if he will assist in arranging an urgent appointment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [43257/12]

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Written answers

As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Departmental Funding

Questions (675)

Finian McGrath

Question:

675. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health the position regarding funding in respect of an organisation (details supplied) in County Dublin [43259/12]

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Written answers

As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Question No. 676 answered with Question No. 561.

Medical Card Delays

Questions (677)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

677. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding medical cards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43278/12]

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Written answers

As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

HSE Funding

Questions (678)

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

678. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health in view of the current Health Service Executive budget overrun and consequent cuts in essential services, his views on whether energy costs across the health sector, estimated by Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, at €80 million a year at least, should be reduced by up to 20% on an urgent basis; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that existing voluntary projects show the potential for such savings by implementing targeted and low-cost energy efficiency programmes; the measures he and the HSE are taking to ensure that such savings are made within the next two years instead of the cutbacks to essential services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43317/12]

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Written answers

The HSE was one of the first bodies to join the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Public Sector Partnership Programme and is actively working with SEAI in developing various energy efficiency improvement programmes. Some of these programmes have featured in the recently published - Energy Use in the Public Sector. The HSE is committed to achieving savings through improved processes used in its energy procurement, including the use of best practice and expert opinion when procuring energy.

Hospitals Building Programme

Questions (679)

John Halligan

Question:

679. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 568 of 2 October 2012 regarding the €1.5 million which was allocated for construction and development work at the Department of Psychiatry at Waterford Regional Hospital under the Acute Mental Health Services Reconfiguration Plan outlined in 2010, if he will clarify that although there has been an aesthetic improvement to the facilities in the DOP with the addition of a small garden, the reason no additional floor space or service user resources were provided with the funding; the reason the bulk of the funding allocated was spent on administration offices and tribunal offices which will not be in regular use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43322/12]

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Written answers

As this is a service matter the question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Medical Card Delays

Questions (680)

Regina Doherty

Question:

680. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has been waiting for more than 15 months for a medical card and now faces a five month wait for a MRI scan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43325/12]

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Written answers

As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Question No. 681 answered with Question No. 593.

General Practitioner Services

Questions (682)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

682. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he will publish the general practitioner to population ratios in each of the 200 priority primary care centre locations by the Health Service Executive earlier this year. [43327/12]

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Written answers

I am arranging to have the information assembled and I will forward it to the Deputy as soon as possible.

General Medical Services Scheme Administration

Questions (683)

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

683. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if a nutritional supplement (details supplied) is still covered under the General Medical Services; if there are circumstances in which this supplement is still covered and if a person in Dublin 8 is eligible; if he will provide a complete list of drugs covered via PCRS currently and those which have been removed in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43330/12]

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Written answers

As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Hospital Appointment Delays

Questions (684)

Pearse Doherty

Question:

684. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health further to parliamentary question No. 724 of 17 July 2012, the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22 had their hospital treatment rescheduled from 22 October 2012 to July 2013; his views on whether it is acceptable for a patient in urgent need of medical treatment must face a lengthy delay in receiving that treatment; if the impact of such delays on patient health and well being are taken into account when such delays are decided upon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43331/12]

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Written answers

As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Question No. 685 answered with Question No. 592.
Question No. 686 answered with Question No. 636.

Prescriptions Data

Questions (687)

Maureen O'Sullivan

Question:

687. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide statistics on the frequency of the prescription of the psychotropic drugs Ritalin and Prozac to persons under the age of 18 years; the criteria used to determine and prescribe these drugs to children and teenagers; the extent of the prescribing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43346/12]

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Written answers

Data on the frequency of prescribing of Ritalin and Prozac are not recorded by the Department or by the Health Service Executive (HSE). The HSE's Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) maintains a record of prescriptions dispensed under the Community Drugs Schemes. This data does not record the age of the person for whom the prescription was reimbursed nor the condition for which the medicine was prescribed. The PCRS is collating data on the number of prescriptions for these medicines dispensed under the Community Drugs Schemes in 2011 and it will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is received.

In the approved prescribing information, it is stated that the drugs Ritalin and Prozac can be licensed to be prescribed for the indications set out as follows. Prozac (fluoxetine) is indicated in children and adolescents aged 8 years and above for moderate to severe major depressive episode, if depression is unresponsive to psychological therapy after 4–6 sessions. Fluoxetine should be offered to a child or young person with moderate to severe depression only in combination with a concurrent psychological therapy. In children and adolescents aged 8 years and above treatment should be initiated and monitored under specialist supervision. For paediatric patients who respond to treatment, the need for continued treatment after 6 months should be reviewed. If no clinical benefit is achieved within 9 weeks, treatment should be reconsidered.

Ritalin (methylphenidate) is indicated as part of a comprehensive treatment programme for attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children aged 6 years of age and over when remedial measures alone prove insufficient. The prescribing information sets out specific criteria for diagnosis. Treatment must be initiated under the supervision of a specialist in childhood and/or adolescent behavioural disorders. Methylphenidate treatment is not indicated in all children with ADHD and the decision to use the drug must be based on a very thorough assessment of the severity and chronicity of the child’s symptoms in relation to the child’s age. The clinical indications also address the issue of long term (more than 12 months) use in children and adolescents, pre-treatment screening and on-going monitoring. In addition, methylphenidate is tightly controlled under the Misuse of Drugs legislation in recognition of its potential for abuse. These controls include that prescriptions must be handwritten, must be retained by the pharmacist who dispenses it and no instalment may be supplied later than two months after the date of the prescription.

Medical Aids and Appliances Applications

Questions (688)

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

688. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the most recent changes to the stock of occupational therapy home care aids and appliances in the Health Service Executive Dublin North East area; if he will detail the procurement process which was followed in advance of the most recent changes of suppliers; if he is satisfied that this process compiled with all the necessary protocols; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43356/12]

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Written answers

As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Medical Card Delays

Questions (689)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl

Question:

689. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Health the number of discretionary medical cards that were in place in each of the years 2010, 2011 and to date in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43444/12]

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Written answers

As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Health Services Staff Issues

Questions (690, 693)

Seán Fleming

Question:

690. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if the Health Service Executive will facilitate the transfer of parental leave to nurses who work in hospitals from their spouses who may work in other parts of the public service specifically An Garda Siochána to enable the HSE employee to take the parental leave and are there any rules preventing this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43446/12]

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Seán Fleming

Question:

693. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if the Health Service Executive will facilitate the transfer of parental leave to nurses who work in hospitals from their spouses who may work in other parts of the public service specifically An Garda Síochána so that the HSE employee can take the parental leave; if there are rules preventing this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43470/12]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 690 and 693 together.

Parental leave entitlements and their implementation are set out in the Parental Leave Acts 1998 and 2006. As both of these pieces of legislation are the responsibility of the Minister for Justice and Equality, inquiries in relation to this matter should properly be directed to that Minister. The HSE's Terms and Conditions of Employment provide that parental leave entitlements may only be transferred from one parent to another if both parents are employed by the same employer, subject to the employer's agreement.

Health Services Staff Issues

Questions (691)

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

691. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the difficulty that community midwives, excluding home birth midwives, have in accessing professional indemnity insurance; the way he intends to address this matter in view of the Programme for Government commitment to primary and community care; if he has considered the potential role of the State Claims Agency clinical indemnity scheme in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43460/12]

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Written answers

The Clinical Indemnity Scheme (CIS) covers the clinical activities of public health doctors, nurses, community midwives and other community based clinical staff providing services on behalf of the Health Services Executive (HSE). This cover includes HSE midwifery led community schemes and voluntary hospital maternity services. In relation to home births for women, professional indemnity is provided under the Clinical Indemnity Scheme. This indemnity covers self-employed community midwives who enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the HSE concerning maternity care for women who opt for home birth. The women concerned must meet the carefully established medical and other criteria set out in the Memorandum. Apart from this Scheme, the Clinical Indemnity Scheme does not provide indemnity to health care professionals who are providing private services in the community (i.e. those who are not providing services on behalf of the HSE). Healthcare professionals operating in a private capacity must purchase indemnity cover from commercial insurers and I have no plans to extend the Clinical Indemnity Scheme to these healthcare professionals. The Government remains committed to the development of Primary Care services in the community; where people will have direct access to integrated multidisciplinary teams of general practitioners, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others.

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