Written Answers Nos. 293 - 298
293. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he has received any indicative figure from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform regarding the fiscal adjustments his Department will be asked to make in 2014 and 2015; the size of those adjustments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26550/13]
View answerIn the context of the forthcoming Budget, the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform has asked my Department to identify savings which will feed into the expenditure decisions by Government for the Estimates 2014 and the setting of future Ministerial ceilings. The identification of savings options should ensure that a sufficient range of proposals are made by all Departments to help the Government make well-informed choices about spending priorities and allocations. The scale of the adjustments for 2014 were set out in part 1 of the Expenditure Report 2013, which was published in December 2012. Government will be making decisions on the future ceilings as part of the forthcoming budgetary deliberations.
294. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Health if any of the new intermediary care vehicles will be located in the east Cork area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26563/13]
View answerA significant reform programme has been underway in recent years in pre-hospital care services, to ensure a clinically driven, nationally co-ordinated system, supported by improved technology. The programme involves a number of measures, including the Performance Improvement Action Plan, development of the intermediate care service (ICS), the trial emergency aeromedical service (EAS), and the NAS Control Centre Reconfiguration Project.
In July 2012, the HSE National Ambulance Service commenced developing non-emergency transport, through a national intermediate care service (ICS), which is key to resolving bed and clinical management pressures. ICS will allow for safe, planned and timely clinical transfers of inpatients to the most appropriate facility, depending on their acuity and clinical needs. This will allow for beds to be made available for higher acuity admissions through emergency departments. ICS will also release emergency resources for emergency functions, for improved response times and performances in pre-hospital care. To date, ICS has been implemented in Cavan, Castleblayney, South County Dublin, Letterkenny, Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Roscommon, Mallow and Bantry. Supported by the 2013 National Service Plan, the NAS intends to expand ICS to Waterford, Cork Tralee, Castlebar and Drogheda and to increase services in Dublin and Galway during 2013. 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.
295. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Health if a hospital appointment will be brought forward in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26574/13]
View answerThe National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2013, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has recently been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists. In relation to this particular query raised by the Deputy, I have asked the Health Service Executive to investigate the situation and respond directly to the Deputy in this matter.
296. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health if he will address the issues regarding the delay in having neurosurgery carried out at Cork University Hospital due to the neurological service having had 45% of it's routine operating list cut since January 2012; if he will address the issue of more than 12 patients waiting more than nine months for neurological surgery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26575/13]
View answerThe National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2013, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has recently been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists. In relation to this particular query raised by the Deputy, I have asked the Health Service Executive to investigate the situation and respond directly to the Deputy in this matter.
297. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to have a person (details supplied) in County Longford admitted to Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26582/13]
View answerThe National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2013, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has recently been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists. In relation to this particular query raised by the Deputy, I have asked the Health Service Executive to investigate the situation and respond directly to the Deputy in this matter.
298. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health the reason arrears due to a medical practice (details supplied) in County Limerick have not yet been paid pertaining to secretarial subsidies owed since 2009 and nursing subsidy due since 2012; the reason general practitioners are being penalised while providing medical services to the public under the PCR services; when the arrears payments will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26586/13]
View answerUnder the General Medical Services (GMS) Contract, provision is made for the payment of subsidies towards the cost of employing practice nurses, secretaries and managers. The current rates of payments are set out in the Health Professionals (Reduction of Payments to General Practitioners) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 638/2010). The HSE's Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) is responsible for the payment of fees and allowances to general practitioners (GPs) who are contracted by the HSE to provide services under the GMS Scheme, therefore, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to this matter.
