Written Answers Nos. 209-216
209. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if he has looked at proposed changes to 16 and 17 year olds being seen by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services; if he is satisfied that this will have no detrimental impact on mental health services for children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56766/12]
View answerChild and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) were traditionally provided to children aged 0 - 15 years, and care and treatment of 16 and 17 year olds was the responsibility of the adult service. However, A Vision for Change recommended that CAMHS should be provided for all up to the age of 18 years. The implementation of A Vision for Change is a work in progress and transitional arrangements apply as the current CAMHS service is expanded to facilitate the provision of services to 16 and 17 year olds.
Last year, the HSE finalised "Access Protocols for 16 and 17 year olds to Mental Health Services" which came into effect from 1 January this year. In an effort to ensure that children are treated in an age appropriate manner, the new protocol provides that from 1 January 2013, CAMHS will accept referrals of all new cases of children up to their 17th birthday, and from 1 January 2014 referrals will be accepted for all new cases up to age 18.
The changes now being implemented nationally have been designed to improve overall the provision of services for the age groups raised by the Deputy.
210. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health if he has received many representations in relation to the proposed legislation for abortion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2299/13]
View answerAs the Deputy may realise, I have received a substantial number of representations on this issue since last December when the Government approved the implementation of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the A, B and C v Ireland case by way of legislation with regulations, within the parameters of Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court in the X case.
211. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health if he has been asked to meet any of the Churches in relation to the forthcoming legislation on abortion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2392/13]
View answer215. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health if the forthcoming legislation and regulation on abortion in Ireland was discussed at his recent meeting with the Catholic Church bishops; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5094/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 211 and 215 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, I met with the Catholic Church Bishops as part of the delegation involved in the Church-State dialogue meeting led by An Taoiseach on 18th January. I can confirm that the issue of abortion and the Government's intention to implement the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the A, B and C v Ireland case by way of legislation with regulations, within the parameters of Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court in the X case were discussed in broad terms. In addition, the Deputy will be aware that three days of oral hearings on the subject were held from 8th to 10th of January this year by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children. The Committee heard contributions from a range of interested groups in public session, including representatives of churches and religious groups. On the 31st of January, the Committee furnished a report to the Government summarising the contributions received during the consultative process and this is being used by my officials in examining the issues involved and in formulating a legislative response that will stand up to public and parliamentary scrutiny. I have received no further requests to meet with any other churches.
212. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health his plans to meet any group in relation to the forthcoming legislation on abortion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2393/13]
View answer217. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health if he or his officials have been asked by any groups to meet them on the forthcoming legislation on abortion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5095/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 212 and 217 together.
The Deputy will be aware that the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children held three days of oral hearings on the implementation of the Government decision following the publication of the Report of the Expert Group on the Judgment in A, B & C v Ireland, from 8th to 10th of January this year. Officials from my Department attended to provide background, and the Committee heard contributions from a range of interested groups in public session, including experienced medical practitioners, legal experts, representatives of churches and religious groups, and advocacy groups. In addition, the Committee invited a wide range of stakeholders to make written submissions, and it also received 31 written submissions from groups and individuals of their own volition. On the 31st of January, the Committee furnished a report to the Government summarising the contributions received during the consultative process. This report is being used by my officials in examining the issues involved and in formulating a legislative response that will stand up to public and parliamentary scrutiny. The Government has committed to engage further with the Oireachtas Committee when Heads of a Bill have been developed.
I have received a number of requests for meetings and these are currently being processed by my officials.
213. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health if the Dental Council has begun the process of provision of dental therapists in order to try to reduce the orthodontic waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7521/13]
View answerDental therapists are independent practitioners. In other jurisdictions, they would typically work in remote and isolated areas where there may not be access to a dentist. They have a broad scope of practice which includes restorations, periodontal treatment, oral hygiene treatment and extractions of deciduous teeth. Such independent practice is not permitted under the terms of the Dentists Act 1985. Accordingly, the Dental Council has not created a scheme establishing dental therapists as a class of auxiliary dental worker.
The Council created a Scheme in 2002 establishing orthodontic therapists as a class of auxiliary dental worker. They would typically work in orthodontic practices under the supervision of an orthodontist. To date there has been no registerable training programme approved in Ireland for orthodontic therapists. The Council has recently put in place a mechanism whereby dental nurses can undertake a UK qualification while doing their clinical training under the clinical supervision of Irish based orthodontists. There are currently 4 registered orthodontic therapists in Ireland and up to 10 others in training or undergoing adaptation placements. A HSE review of orthodontic services is underway. The outcome of this review will give guidance as to what changes will be desirable to provide the best model of care delivery, given current resources and expected future demand for services. It is anticipated that a report for consideration by the HSE and the Department of Health will be ready by the end of the 2nd Quarter of 2013.
214. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to ensure that persons who can no longer afford health insurance and do not qualify for a medical card or general practitioner visit card may access the care they need when they need it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7526/13]
View answerThere are currently two categories of eligibility for all persons ordinarily resident in Ireland - i.e. full eligibility (medical card) and limited eligibility (all others).
Persons with full eligibility (medical card holders) are entitled to a range of services free of charge, including GP services and all in-patient and out-patient public hospital services including consultant services. They are also entitled to prescribed drugs and medicines subject to a €1.50 charge per prescribed item (maximum €19.50 per month).
Persons with limited eligibility (non-medical card holders) are entitled, subject to certain charges, to all in-patient and out-patient public hospital services in public wards including consultants' services subject to certain charges. Persons with limited eligibility must meet the first €144 of prescribed drugs costs per month, above which the Drug Payments Scheme meets all further costs. The Programme for Government commits to reforming the current public health system by introducing Universal Health Insurance with equal access to care for all. As part of this, the Government is committed to introducing, on a phased basis, GP care without fees within its first term of office. Legislation to allow the Minister for Health to make regulations to extend access to GP services without fees to persons with prescribed illnesses is currently being drafted by the Office of the Attorney General and the Department and it will be published shortly. Implementation dates and application details will be announced in due course.
216. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the measures his Department has in place to tackle suicide among young people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7341/13]
View answerDealing with the current high levels of suicide and deliberate self harm is a priority for this Government. Reach Out our National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention recognises the youth sector as a high risk group and sets out a number of specific actions. Consequently, the HSE's National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) has developed a range of initiatives aimed specifically at supporting young people who are suicidal and also supporting their peers in recognising and responding appropriately to signs of emotional distress and suicidal thoughts.
A wide range of awareness and training programmes are available in the area of mental health promotion and suicide prevention. These include SafeTALK which trains participants to become more alert to the possibility of suicide in their community and other training programmes such as Reaching Out, ASIST, Taking Control, MindOut and STOP.
A number of media awareness campaigns have been run in recent years including the Let someone know campaign which focused specifically on young people and delivered the message that it is important to reach out and seek the support of others. Other awareness programmes include the The Please Talk initiative, running in third level colleges since 2007, which encourages young people experiencing problems to talk to others and identifies the supports available to those in need.
Jigsaw, an innovative community-based support service for young people, has been developed by Headstrong and is designed to promote systems of care that are accessible, youth-friendly, integrated, and engaging for young people. Through additional Innovation Funding, this service is now available or in development in 11 sites around the country.
Mindful that schools are one of the key settings for the promotion of mental health and well-being of young people and that they are also in the position to identify young people experiencing emotional difficulties, the NOSP has worked closely with the Department of Education and Skills to develop Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention in post-primary schools.
The annual budget for suicide prevention increased this year to over €13m, with €8.1m available to NOSP to fund voluntary and statutory agencies delivering services in the area of prevention, intervention, postvention and research and the remaining €5m available regionally to fund Resource Officers for Suicide Prevention, Self-Harm Liaison Nurses in Hospital Emergency Departments and local suicide prevention initiatives. The NOSP is currently working to integrate current programmes within the sector and to provide a strategic framework for the coordination of the extensive range of actions in this area.
