Robert Dowds
Question:674. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the work of the Office for Older People in the past year [44694/12]
View answerTuesday, 16 October 2012
Questions (674)
Written answers
In addition to a wide range of work in supporting the Minister in respect of parliamentary and other duties the work of the Office for Older People over the last year or so included:
- To oversee and evaluate implementation of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009 and to support and monitor the HSE in administering the Scheme in accordance with the law and within budgetary constraints
- Review and revision of the Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People Regulations 2009
- Preparatory work to inform the development of a National Dementia Strategy
- Publication of a national policy on restraint in nursing homes
- To monitor and evaluate the delivery of community based services
- To monitor and evaluate implementation of palliative care policy, including paediatric palliative care policy.
- To progress analysis of strategic planning for residential and community based care for older people
- To ensure that appropriate outcomes for core and additional funding provided for older people & palliative care are achieved, together with ongoing monitoring of the funding and activity
- Lead Ireland’s participation in the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations 2012
- Develop the National Carers Strategy
- Develop the National Positive Ageing Strategy
- Oversee the implementation of policy on elder abuse
- Oversee the State’s funding arrangements and participation in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)
- Development of policy on long stay charges (including amending regulations in 2011)
- Monitoring of, and liaison with, the HSE on their implementation of regulations on long stay charges
- Management of long stay and disability litigation·
- Liaison and administrative support to the National Oversight Committee on the implementation of the Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006
- Ongoing facilitation of the work of the Health Repayment Scheme and the related Appeals Office in their determination of any outstanding claims and appeals.
Progress for the Office in relation to 2012 will be reviewed in early 2013.