Written Answers Nos. 80-97
80. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health the reason just one person out of 40 who applied for a place on the board of the Health Information and Quality Authority was appointed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7504/13]
View answerIn order to comply with the Government's Decision to widen the opportunity for board membership of State Bodies my Department invited expressions of interest, through the Public Appointments Service, from suitably qualified and experienced persons interested in being appointed to the Board of the Health Information and Quality Authority. As the Deputy will be aware, in making any board appointments, I am not necessarily confined to those who make such expressions of interest through the Public Appointments Service.
I am proceeding with the appointment of new members to the Board of the Health Information and Quality Authority. In doing so I must have regard to the body or agency in question and its particular area of responsibility etc. as well as ensuring that the board members have an appropriate mix of skills and experience in such areas as corporate governance, legal expertise, financial expertise (with particular reference to audit capability and/or project assessment). Based on the above criteria I am selecting those most suitable to become Board Members of HIQA.
81. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health when the 477 posts allocated for mental health services in the Health Service Executive's 2013 national service plan will be advertised; the timeframe for the recruitment of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7448/13]
View answerBudget 2013 provided an additional €35 million for the continued development of our mental health services. The HSE National Service Plan 2013 commits to a number of objectives including the further development of forensics and community mental health teams for adults, children, older persons and mental health intellectual disability and to the recruitment of 477 additional staff to implement these measures.
In order to ensure that the additional resources will be used to best effect, discussions are ongoing within the HSE, and in consultation with the Department of Health, to finalise the allocation of these resources. It has been agreed that the allocation of staff will be subject to detailed business cases from the HSE Regions for each objective and that the following conditions should be met:
- All posts will be allocated to the community mental health teams for each objective and for no other purpose.
- All teams must discharge the Team Co-ordinator role to ensure effective working as a multidisciplinary team.
- All teams must implement the Clinical Programmes, as agreed.
- All Teams must complete and return required Key Performance Indicators, both existing and new.
- All postholders will work as part of a mental health services community mental health multidisciplinary team.
Each HSE Region is being asked to submit a business case against each of the identified objectives detailing how the funding is to be spent and the type and number of WTE to be recruited. It is expected that this process will be concluded by end March 2013. Until that process is completed, I am not in a position to indicate when these posts will be advertised or the timeframe for recruitment.
83. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health the way the reduced budget allocation for older people announced in the Health Service Executive 2013 Service Plan will impact on services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7512/13]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
84. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health the number of community mental health workers newly employed in 2012; the number who left the health service in 2012; the numbers likely to be recruited in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7498/13]
View answerThe Government is firmly committed to the development of community mental health services in line with A Vision for Change. In 2012, a special allocation of €35m was provided for mental health to be used primarily to further strengthen Community Mental Health Teams in both adult and children’s mental health services, to advance activities in the area of suicide prevention, to initiate the provision of psychological and counselling services in primary care, and to facilitate the transfer of mental health service users from institutional to community based care. 414 posts were approved as part of the €35m package, over 200 of which have now been filled. The remainder of the posts are at various stages of recruitment and are expected to be filled by the end of March 2013. A further €35m and over 470 new posts was provided for in Budget 2013 for the continued development of mental health services across a range of headings, including the further ongoing development of community services; the recruitment process for the new posts funded in 2013 will commence immediately.
The HSE has been asked to respond directly to the Deputy with the specific details requested in relation to the community mental health workforce.
85. Deputy John Browne asked the Minister for Health the way he hopes to make the public more aware of the availability of generic medicines in view of the low take-up by comparison to other countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7485/13]
View answerThe Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012 was published on the 13th of July 2012. The Bill completed its passage through the Seanad on Wednesday, the 19th of September, and completed Second Stage in the Dáil on the 17th of December. It is anticipated that the Bill will continue its passage through the Dáil within the next few weeks.
An Implementation Group on Generic Substitution and Reference Pricing has been established and it held its inaugural meeting on the 9th of August 2012. The Group held stakeholder meetings on the 20th of November 2012.
A Communications Subgroup was also established and is currently working on a communications strategy the aim of which is to raise public awareness of generics.
87. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the reason better performing hospitals have seen their budget allocations reduced in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7491/13]
View answer98. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Health the reason funding for two Dublin children’s hospitals has been cut in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7492/13]
View answer106. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health if he will publish the criteria for allocations to acute hospitals for 2013, including the reason for major reductions to St. James's Hospital, Crumlin Children's Hospital and Temple Street Hospital, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7473/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 87, 98 and 106 together.
In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, as these are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy in these matters.
90. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if he will outline where the 17 posts for the diabetes programme and five posts for audiology services, as outlined in the Health Service Executive National Service Plan 2013 will be located; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7462/13]
View answerPreparations for the national roll out of the Integrated Care Diabetes Programme are at an advanced stage. The HSE has begun to recruit 17 Integrated Care Diabetes Nurse Specialists to support the phased roll out of the Diabetes Programme. Funding for these posts was confirmed in the HSE's National Service Plan for 2013.
The Diabetes Nurse Specialists will spend four days per week working in primary care and one day per week in the secondary care system. The HSE is now finalising arrangements for the designation of the GP practices / Primary Care Teams to which the nurses will be assigned. They will be initially assigned within each ISA to initiatives with a catchment area of 75,000.
The HSE National Audiology Review Group Report (2011) included a recommendation that a new managerial and clinical structure be put in place to develop the service. 5 Audiology posts, comprising a National Lead post based in Dublin and 4 Assistant Leads, one assigned to each of the 4 HSE regions will be appointed. The exact location of the 4 Assistant Lead posts will be finalised shortly.
91. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health the extent of refusal or inability to take up or continue staff release for training occasioned by the current shortage of frontline personnel across our hospital network and in community based services; his views that staff release for training is essential if our health services are to develop and if we are going to upskill staff who will be obliged to fill the roles of others retiring or leaving; the steps he proposes to take to address any stalling of training access that has or is presenting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7472/13]
View answerI am of course aware of the central role education, training and continued professional development plays in supporting good practice and in the delivery of safe and effective care. However, as staff training and development is a matter for the HSE in the first instance, the Deputy's question has been referred to the Executive for direct reply.
92. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health when the Higgins report on the reconfiguration of hospitals in the south east will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7488/13]
View answerRecommendations on the formation of specific groups and arrangements for the management and governance of all groups including the hospitals in the South East, have been included as part of a report on the establishment of hospital groups as a transition to hospital trusts. This report is based on a comprehensive consultation process, as well as a significant number of submissions from stakeholders and individual citizens. These recommendations have been considered and endorsed by a Strategic Board composed of representatives with national and international expertise in health service delivery, governance and linkages with academic institutions.
The report on the establishment of hospital groups as a transition to independent hospital trusts has just been presented to me in the last 48 hours. I intend to prioritise consideration of this report which I will then submit to Government for decision on the composition of hospital groups, in light of the recommendations of the Report.
The Government will then decide on the initial make up of hospital groups which will be established on an administrative basis pending the legislation required to set up hospital trusts by 2015. Before those trusts are established the composition and functioning of the Groups will be reviewed and if changes prove necessary then they will be made with Government approval when the hospital trusts are being formed.
95. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which he has monitored the effect of budgetary controls within the health service in the current year to date in the context of keeping within budget; if any particular or specific areas have been identified wherein changes or improvements may be made with a view to ensuring that vital frontline services are not detrimentally affected to the extent of undermining the integrity of the service; if he has observed any particular issues needing attention in this regard with a view to resolution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7538/13]
View answerThere is ongoing and intensive engagement each month between officials from my Department and the HSE in the context of regular monitoring of expenditure. My Department also provides detailed analysis each month on expenditure trends to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and there is regular engagement between officials from that Department, my own Department and the HSE. The HSE's Performance Report, which is published every month, provides an overall analysis of key performance data from Finance, HR, Hospital and Primary & Community Services. The activity data reported is based on Performance Activity and Key Performance Indicators outlined in the HSE National Service Plan. The December Performance Report is the most recent data available and can be viewed on the HSE's website - www.hse.ie
My Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the HSE are working collaboratively on a Financial Improvement Programme with a view to strengthening the Executive's financial and performance management and reporting systems during 2013.
