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Tuesday, 16 Oct 2012

Written Answers Nos. 662-673

Hospital Waiting Lists

Questions (662)

Patrick O'Donovan

Question:

662. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health the waiting time for cataract operations for persons in County Limerick; if he will request the Health Service Executive to prioritise older persons on the scale of their visual impairment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44584/12]

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Written answers

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

HSE Funding

Questions (663)

Brendan Smith

Question:

663. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health the services that have been reduced by the Health Service Executive North/East as a result of the cutback of €130 million in expenditure announced at the end of August; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44590/12]

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Written answers

The HSE has a statutory responsibility to live within the budget voted to it by the Oireachtas. Detailed cost containment plans have been in place across the health service since the beginning of the year, but an increasing demand for services has contributed in a significant way to the ongoing deficit. In order to deal with this, the HSE was required to introduce a range of additional cost reduction measures.

The range of additional measures announced at the end of August amounted to €130 million. In compiling these measures, every effort was taken to target areas that do not impact on direct client/patient services, with a view to protecting, in as much as is possible, the most essential front-line services. The €130m of cost reduction measures is in addition to other non-operational measures to be undertaken, that have been submitted to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, including cash acceleration of receipts from health insurers and once-off transfers from capital to current within the HSE and funding available within the Department of Health's own Vote. It is a priority for the HSE to minimise, to the greatest extent possible, the impact on patients and clients of any spending reductions. Therefore, more than half of the proposals focused on areas that do not have a direct patient impact such as furniture, education and training, office expenses, laptops and PCs, travel and subsistence etc.

Prior to the announcement of the €130m additional cost reduction measures at the end of August, the Louth Meath Hospital Group had already identified the need to introduce measures to reduce its deficit, including a reduction in the usage of agency and overtime. The Louth Meath Hospital Group is reconfiguring services across the hospital group in order to reduce agency staff costs, with every effort being made to ensure that service reconfiguration will have minimal impact on patients and clients. Measures have already been introduced to reduce spending in relation to overtime.

It is proposed that there will be a reduction of a maximum of €8 million on home help hours between now and the end of December. There are approximately 11 million home help hours provided annually with a budget of €195 million. It is the HSE’s intention that the impact of reductions will be minimised by ensuring that services are provided in the first instance for direct patient care.

The Home Help Service and budget allocation in HSE Cavan and Monaghan is set out in the HSE Dublin North East Service Plan 2012, and there will be no further change to the service delivery arrangements in Cavan and Monaghan to year end.

In Louth/Meath, the HSE has assured me that personal care hours for the most vulnerable clients will be prioritised and focus for reductions will be on domestic duties for less vulnerable patients. No current recipient of this service, who has an assessed need for the service, will be left without a service. The number of home help hours to be provided in Louth/Meath between now and the end of the year will be reviewed on an ongoing basis as part of prudent financial management.

My Department is working intensively with the HSE on proposals for submission to Government to address structural expenditure issues in the context of the 2013 Estimates. This includes reconfiguration of services, maximising the potential for flexibility under the Croke Park Agreement and curtailing expenditure in the Primary Care Reimbursement Service. These proposals are entirely appropriate and in keeping with the focus in the Programme for Government on reforming the way health services are funded and delivered to achieve greater productivity and more cost effective services.

Vaccination Programme

Questions (664)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

664. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the cervical cancer vaccine (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44591/12]

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Written answers

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

Health Services Staff Issues

Questions (665)

Patrick O'Donovan

Question:

665. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health if there will be recruitment by the Health Service Executive of social workers in the HSE South/HSE West or any other HSE areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44593/12]

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Written answers

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

Medical Card Applications

Questions (666)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

666. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a medical card application in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44603/12]

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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.

National Positive Ageing Strategy Publication

Questions (667, 673)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

667. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health when the positive ageing strategy will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44633/12]

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Robert Dowds

Question:

673. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the progress made toward a National Positive Ageing Strategy in 2012; and if he will provide a timeline for publication of this strategy. [44693/12]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 667 and 673 together.

The programme for Government has committed to completing and implementing the National Positive Ageing Strategy so that older people are recognised, supported and enabled to live independent full lives.

The strategy will set the strategic direction for future policies, programmes and services for older people in Ireland. It will set out a common framework for the development of operational plans by a number of Government Departments which will clearly set out each Department’s objectives relating to older people. Mechanisms designed to monitor the implementation of measures contained in operational plans will also be included in the Strategy. However, I do not envisage that the strategy will propose new service developments. Rather it will set the strategic direction for future policies, programmes and services for older people in Ireland.

A considerable amount of preparatory work has already been completed. The drafting of the strategy will proceed within the Department within the constraints of available staff and other priorities. At this stage I envisage that a draft of the strategy will be brought to Government in Q4 2012.

HSE Funding

Questions (668)

Seán Fleming

Question:

668. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the details of funding provided by his Department for the Health Service Executive in 2012 to date and amounts to be provided before the end of 2012 for domestic violence services and to be broken down between funding for support, refuge, counselling services and other funding and if this information will be broken down on a county or regional basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44647/12]

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Written answers

The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available. However I have asked the Health Service Executive to supply this information to me and I will forward it to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Health Services Provision

Questions (669)

Regina Doherty

Question:

669. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of carer hours being paid for by the Health Service Executive either directly or indirectly; the number of carer client hours that will be allocated to clients; and if the figures for the carer hours will be broken down on a county basis in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44657/12]

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Written answers

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

Hospital Charges

Questions (670)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

670. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health his views on the system of billing private patients for beds and chairs not used in the course of their procedure in hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44658/12]

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Written answers

These charges are levied in respect of each day or part of a day during which in-patient services are availed of in respect of private, semi-private and day-care accommodation in public hospitals. These rates are set out below.

-

Hospital Category

Private Accommodation

Semi-Private Accommodation

Day-care

1

HSE Regional Hospitals, Voluntary & Joint Board Teaching Hospitals

€1,046

€933

€753

2

HSE County Hospitals

Voluntary Non-Teaching Hospitals

€819

€730

€586

3

HSE District Hospitals

€260

€222

€193

The private in-patient daily charge of €75, subject to a maximum payment of €750 in any period of 12 consecutive months also applies.

Question No. 671 withdrawn.

Medical Card Drugs

Questions (672)

Billy Timmins

Question:

672. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Health the position regarding availability of drugs on a medical card in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44689/12]

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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.

Question No. 673 answered with Question No. 667.
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