Written Answers Nos. 648-670
648. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Health the amount it will cost to transfer agency staff currently employed in acute hospitals to full time positions; and the savings if the same number of hours were paid to direct employees. [6753/13]
View answerThe detailed information sought by the Deputy in relation to agency staff is a matter for the HSE and, accordingly, the Deputy's enquiry has been referred to the Executive for direct reply.
650. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite a medical card application in respect of a person (details supplied) under medical grounds. [6765/13]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
651. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if a medical card will be provided on discretionary grounds to a person (details attached) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6770/13]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
652. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an application for a review of the decision to refuse their application for a medical card in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6771/13]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
653. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if a decision has been made on a medical card appeal in respect of a person (details provided) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6773/13]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
654. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (detailed supplied) in Dublin 11 will have to wait two years to see a neurologist in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, despite his experience of continuing unexplained seziures and MRI and EEG results which show an abnormality on the left side of his brain. [6805/13]
View answerIn relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy in this matter.
655. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the reason the budget for Mullingar Regional Hospital, Mullingar, County Westmeath, has been cut by 2.5% considering that the hospital reduced its expenditure by 2% last year while increasing activity by 4% (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6806/13]
View answer656. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if Mullingar Regional Hospital, County Westmeath, will receive any further allocation of funds this year under any other heading such as case mix allocations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6807/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 655 and 656 together.
In relation to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service issues they have been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
659. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he will set out the projected cumulative monthly savings in respect of each of the savings measures outlined in part C of his Department's chapter of the budget 2013 expenditure report 2013. [6839/13]
View answerDeveloping appropriate budgets is an integral part of the regional plans, and it is intended to finalise these regional plans by the end of February. The HSE is currently working closely with the Regional Directors and relevant programme directors to profile their budgets appropriately. It is not possible at this stage to provide details of how individual savings measures will be profiled across 2013, particularly in light of the fact that legislation is required for some of them.
Maximising the potential for pay savings under the Croke Park Agreement is also critical in achieving the savings target. The HSE's National Service Plan includes €150m in unallocated pay savings which are not, as yet, reflected in the programme or regional budgets. These pay savings targets will be allocated when the terms of the expected agreement with public sector unions on an extension of the Public Service Agreement becomes known. The talks process has progressed over the last 4 weeks, supported by the Labour Relations Commission. Achieving a successful outcome remains a significant challenge. All parties remain focused on seeking to conclude an agreement by the end of February.
660. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he will work in conjunction with the Health Service Executive to ensure the implementation of the strong recommendation of the jury in an inquest in Wexford (details supplied) that families of vulnerable patients be informed prior to release from any institution so they may put a support plan in place, as outlined by letter of 31 January 2013 from the Wexford County Coroner to the HSE director of mental health. [6849/13]
View answerThe active inclusion of family members in the treatment of patients with a mental illness is the preferred model of engagement and is encouraged where appropriate; however some service users do not welcome or consent to this approach and in a lot of routine situations it is not appropriate or necessary. The issue of confidentiality is central to the doctor patient relationship and is a vital component in building trust. Respecting the autonomy of the service user and meeting the information needs of family members is a central consideration in any mental health treatment plan.
Risk assessment always forms part of an intervention and where a risk of harm to self or others including family is suspected, the Medical Council Code of Ethics allows doctors to breach confidence in the interests of preventing harm. The Mental Health Commission has also issued guidelines encouraging the involvement of family, where appropriate, in respect of admission to, treatment and discharge from Approved Centres. Healthcare professionals accept and operate all these provisions.
In relation to the specific case raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter it has been referred it to the HSE for direct reply.
661. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of mental health patients and persons with an intellectual disability currently homeless or missing or without a service. [6854/13]
View answerAs this is a service matter this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
662. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown of the funding provided to the Louth-Meath hospital group for each of the past five years. [6885/13]
View answerIn relation to the specific information sought by the Deputy, as these are service matters they have been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
663. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of general practitioner training places in 2011, 2012 and the number anticipated in 2013. [6894/13]
View answerThere are 14 GP Specialist (Vocational) Training Programmes currently in operation in Ireland. Doctors who wish to pursue GP training in Ireland may apply for a general practice training post in one of the 14 GP Training Programmes. From 1 July 2010, the GP trainee intake increased from 120 to 157 training places per year. This will be maintained in 2013.
664. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will receive an appointment to see an orthopaedic surgeon in Galway in view of the fact that the person has been on a waiting list since 2010 and is suffering severe pain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6898/13]
View answerImproving access to outpatient services is a key priority for the Government. Building on work already undertaken by the HSE, the NTPF has now taken over the reporting of outpatient waiting time data. For the first time, clear and comprehensive data is available on www.ptr.ie. The collation and analysis of outpatient waiting time data in a standardised format will reveal the distribution of long waiters across all hospitals. In the first instance, this will allow the SDU and NTPF to target their resources towards those patients who are waiting longest and ensure that they are seen and assessed. A maximum waiting time target has now been set of 12 months for a first time outpatient appointment by 30 November 2013.
In parallel with reducing the numbers of longest waiters, the SDU will also work with the HSE Clinical Programmes to reform the structure, organisation and delivery of outpatient services to ensure that the right patient is seen and assessed by the right health professional at the right time.
In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy in this matter.
665. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health the number of children and adolescents up to and including 17 years of age who were admitted to adult beds in 2012. [6907/13]
View answer666. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the number of inpatient beds available in the child and adolescent services of the 108 recommended in A Vision for Change. [6909/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 665 and 666 together.
Final data in relation to admissions of children and adolescents to adult Approved Centres in 2012 is not yet available. However, provisional data from the Mental Health Commission indicates that it is in receipt of notifications of 106 admissions of 93 individual children to adult units in 2012.
A Vision for Change recommends the provision of 80 child and adolescent in-patient beds. There are currently 44 child and adolescent psychiatric in-patient beds nationally (12 in Dublin, 12 in Cork and 20 in Galway). An additional 22 beds are scheduled to come on stream in 2013 (8 in Cork and 14 in Dublin), thus giving a projected Child and Adolescent capacity of 66 beds by the end of 2013. Planning permission has been granted to construct a 24 bed in-patient facility at Cherry Orchard, Dublin. This is expected to be completed by end 2013 / early 2014, with an expected opening date of 2015, and which would incorporate some existing beds to increase capacity overall to 76 beds.
The increase in bed capacity reflects an almost 50% decrease in admissions of children to adult units since 2008, from 247 in 2008 to 132 in 2011.
667. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of the organisational structure of his Department; if he will provide a breakdown of the number of staff and their grades in each division by section and unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6929/13]
View answerDue to the current ongoing significant reform agenda in the health services generally, and the reduction in numbers in the public service resulting from the Employment Control Framework the organisational structure of the Department and the number of staff and their grades by division is subject to ongoing change.
The position in relation to WTE's by grade at the end of January 2013 was as follows:
Department of Health - January 2013 (WTE)
|
- |
Grand Total |
MAC |
PO |
AP |
HEO |
AO |
EO |
SO |
CO |
Others |
|
Total Department & Offices |
358.49 |
8.00 |
25.30 |
74.90 |
74.13 |
9.30 |
53.33 |
7.53 |
61.93 |
44.07 |
|
Ministerial Offices & MAC Support |
38.47 |
1.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
2.00 |
0.00 |
8.80 |
1.00 |
12.00 |
13.67 |
|
Private & Universal Health Ins., Money Follows the Patient, Programme Management Office |
26.60 |
1.00 |
3.00 |
9.80 |
3.60 |
1.80 |
2.60 |
0.00 |
3.80 |
1.00 |
|
Acute Hospitals, Cancer, Blood & Organs Policy |
20.30 |
0.00 |
2.00 |
5.60 |
3.60 |
1.50 |
4.60 |
0.00 |
2.00 |
1.00 |
|
CMO's Office, Patient Safety, Health Protection & Promotion, Food Safety, Tobacco Control & Bioethics |
46.33 |
1.00 |
2.00 |
10.00 |
11.90 |
0.00 |
2.80 |
1.53 |
7.70 |
9.40 |
|
Finance, Information, Capital EU/Int & Research Policy, External & Internal ICT |
52.60 |
1.00 |
4.00 |
8.80 |
12.20 |
3.00 |
10.80 |
0.00 |
8.80 |
4.00 |
|
National HR, Prof. Regulation, Workforce Planning, Agency Governance & Clinical Indemnity |
29.00 |
1.00 |
2.30 |
9.40 |
9.20 |
0.00 |
4.60 |
0.00 |
2.50 |
0.00 |
|
Social Care |
41.43 |
1.00 |
5.00 |
12.00 |
11.10 |
2.00 |
3.33 |
3.00 |
4.00 |
0.00 |
|
HR, Corporate, Parliamentary & Legal Support |
66.86 |
1.00 |
3.00 |
8.80 |
9.73 |
1.00 |
11.80 |
2.00 |
17.53 |
12.00 |
|
Primary Care, Medicines, Controlled Drugs & Pharmacy Unit, Eligibility, Drug Policy & Programmes |
36.90 |
1.00 |
4.00 |
10.50 |
10.80 |
0.00 |
4.00 |
0.00 |
3.60 |
3.00 |
668. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a medical card application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6933/13]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
669. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a hip replacement operation in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5. [6934/13]
View answerI have been advised by the HSE that each consultant prioritises patients on the basis of information provided by general practitioners. Accordingly, patients should contact their GP in the first instance to discuss their request an earlier appointment date.
In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
670. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health his views on the fair deal scheme (details supplied). [6935/13]
View answerThe Nursing Homes Support Scheme is operated by the Health Service Executive. There are 18 Nursing Homes Support Offices nationally which are available to answer questions about the Scheme and to assist with the application process. The relevant Nursing Homes Support Office for the individual referred to by the Deputy is based in Naas. The phone number for the office is 045-880400.
