Written Answers Nos. 541 to 559
541. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a progress report regarding the investigation into the IFPA which is being chaired (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29020/13]
View answerThe Deputy may wish to note that the audit of State funded Crisis Pregnancy Counselling Services is nearing completion. This is being managed by the Office of Quality and Patient Safety in the Health Service Executive. The final draft report is under consideration by the Audit Requestor's (Brigid McManus, former Secretary General, Department of Education and Skills and Dr. Philip Crowley, National Director, Quality and Patient Safety) and by Dr. Kevin Kelleher, Assistant National Director, Health Protection. The Crisis Pregnancy Programme has been assisting the process. It is anticipated that this process will be finalised within the next 6 to 8 weeks.
542. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an outline of the number of women he forecasts to seek an abortion under the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill in 2013 and 2014 based on recent trends of information collected by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29023/13]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that no official statistics are maintained in relation to terminations of pregnancy in Ireland. Therefore, I am in no position to issue any forecasts on the number of women who may undergo this medical procedure following enactment of this Bill.
543. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health the number of abortion terminations over the past five years in line with the number given by his Department of 30 for 2012 in order that a trend can be seen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29024/13]
View answerWhile I am aware that recent debates have provided some general indication as to the numbers of terminations of pregnancy currently taking place in Ireland, I wish to inform the Deputy that no official statistics are maintained in relation to terminations of pregnancy in Ireland. Therefore, I am in no position to comment on numbers or trends in this regard.
544. Deputy John Browne asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Wexford will be called for surgery at the Mater Hospital, Dublin 7; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29043/13]
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.
546. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if he will set out the tendering and or procurement procedures for the provision of various hospital supplies, goods and or services including equipment, special clothing or footwear and prosthesis; if the Health Service Executive specifically sources individual items in order to achieve optimum benefit for the State or if such supplies are handled through a brokerage which in turn sources and supplies a series of components which are then supplied directly to the HSE; the extent to which any preference is given to Irish suppliers in such circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29129/13]
View answerAll Government Departments and Agencies including the Health Service Executive which are funded from the Exchequer must comply with EU Directives and national guidelines on procurement.
Procurement of various hospital supplies, goods and services including those specified support the delivery of health care which is a service matter. Therefore the question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
547. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health the savings that are being targeted in cuts to essential incontinence pads and other sanitary appliances in the Health Service Executive Southern Region (details supplied); if he will intervene and redress the issue by restoring the reduction to essential appliances to the amounts formerly available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29131/13]
View answerThis is a service matter, therefore, it has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
549. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a complaint submitted at University Hospital Galway in mid-2012 by a person (details supplied) in County Galway in respect of the standard of care received at the hospital. [29134/13]
View answerWith regard to specific complaints in relation to experiences of individuals in our hospitals, there is a formal complaints policy, details of which are on the HSE website, at www.hse.ie/eng/services/ysys/Complaint. In addition, advice and instructions for making complaints about a service or an individual may be found at www.healthcomplaints.ie.
In accordance with this procedure, a complaint must be made in the first instance, to the hospital in which the incident causing the complaint occurred. If an individual is not satisfied with the response from the hospital, a review can be sought from the HSE Director of Advocacy and the Ombudsman, whose details are set out as follows:
HSE Director of Advocacy
Oak House
Millennium Park
Naas
Co Kildare
Tel 1890 424 555
Office of the Ombudsman
18, Lower Leeson Street
Dublin 2
Tel 1890 223 030
Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie
I have asked the HSE to answer the specific queries you have raised and to reply to you directly.
550. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health his plans to introduce financial autonomy for persons with an intellectual disability in order that they may select a care setting or service provider of their choice rather than being tied into their local service provider; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29136/13]
View answerThe Report of the Value for Money (VFM) and Policy Review of the Disability Services Programme recommends a significant restructuring of the Disability Services Programme through migration from an approach which is predominantly organised around group-based service delivery, towards a model of person-centred, individually chosen supports, underpinned by a system of individualised budgeting; and implementation of a more effective method of assessing need, allocating resources and monitoring resource use.
Individualised budgeting is an umbrella term that may take many forms. It may encompass the determination of resource allocation to agencies based on assessed client need and actual costs, a ‘money follows the client’ model, a brokerage system or a personal budget model administered by the individual service user. With individualised budgeting, the main transfer to the service user is the transfer of choice and control over funding decisions, including decisions on preferred care settings and service providers. Both the HSE and disability agencies are already working on demonstration projects aimed at giving service users greater choice and control, particularly in the context of facilitating people to move from congregated residential centres to community settings.
The Department of Health and the Health Service Executive will pursue the issue of individualised budgeting in the context of the implementation of the recommendations contained in the VFM Report. The priority is to further improve current services, while expediting the analysis of the benefits to be gained from newer models of individualised supports through demonstration projects which will be evaluated for wider applicability. The balance and emphasis will shift firmly and comprehensively towards these new models of individualised supports once sufficient analysis of the benefits is carried out in the Irish context.
551. Deputy John Browne asked the Minister for Health when an appointment will be made for an MRI scan in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29158/13]
View answerImproving access to outpatient services is a key priority for the Government. Collaborating with individual hospitals, the SDU together with the NTPF and the HSE have developed the OP waiting list minimum dataset that allows for data to be submitted to the NTPF from hospitals on a weekly basis and, for the first time, outpatient data is available on www.ntpf.ie. For 2013, a maximum waiting time target has been set of 12 months for a first time consultant led outpatient appointment and this is reflected in the HSE service plan. The SDU/NTPF will work closely with hospitals towards achievement of the maximum waiting time.
In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service issue, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy in this matter.
552. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health the position regarding home help in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29161/13]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
553. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Health if he will establish a forum on long term residential care here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29164/13]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 674 of 28 May 2013. The position remains unchanged.
554. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on the suggestion that one third of all cigarettes sold here are illegal; his views on whether removing the labelling from cigarette packs will do anything other than fuel the already considerable illegal trade and make matters much worse than they actually are; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29178/13]
View answerThe Revenue Commissioners, in conjunction with the Health Service Executive National Tobacco Control Office, have commissioned Ipsos MRBI to conduct research amongst smokers about the source of their cigarettes since 2009. The 2011 survey reported that 15% of all smokers were classified as having an illegal pack. The survey identified 8% as Non-Irish Duty Paid. The survey further found that of the 15% classified as illegal packs, 13% were contraband, 1% were counterfeit and 1% were illicit whites.
The Revenue Commissioners, who are responsible for tackling the illicit trade in cigarettes and tobacco products, have advised that the tax stamp which contains a range of sophisticated security features, is a key means for them to distinguish between legal and illegal products, irrespective of the way in which cigarettes are packaged.
555. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a prosthesis in respect of a person (details supplied); when same will be sanctioned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29181/13]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
556. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on the worsening staff shortage crisis in Cork University Hospital. [29183/13]
View answerParticular hospitals and specialties have experienced difficulties filling NCHD posts over the past number of years. Addressing this issue has been a priority for the health service and has included a number of recruitment programmes internationally. As a result, over the past three years, the vast majority of NCHD posts – 98% - have been filled normally. Where staffing issues exist, there remains sufficient agency staff to meet service needs. This means that the hospital system has operated with a small ongoing vacancy level in recent years. NCHDs are recruited twice a year – in January and July – to accommodate training rotations. A number of recruitment processes are underway in preparation for July 2013.
Improvements in staffing and processes overall in the ED at CUH include the recruitment of two additional Consultants in Emergency Medicine at the beginning of 2013, which ensures full Consultant presence within the ED from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. In addition, NCHD staffing has been increased by 5 WTEs. A Consultant led Rapid Access treatment programme has been put in place to ensure patients are seen by senior doctors and treated and discharged within the shortest timeframe possible. At CUH recruitment of NCHDs for the intake commencing 8 July, 2013 is still being finalised. Not all registrar posts are filled at this stage and the hospital is pursuing a number of options to ensure a sufficient number of staff will be available.
More effective use of staff in hospitals is also critical and in this regard the establishment of hospital groups which I announced last month will allow for greater flexibility and help address implementation of the European Working Time Directive. The establishment of hospital groups will enable staff to be deployed under one management across the hospitals in each group to allow more effective use of skilled resources, removing any unnecessary duplication and concentrating where the need is most in the group. It will support staff recruitment to cover smaller hospitals, as staff will work both in the larger hospitals and be rostered for periods in the smaller hospitals in the group as required.
558. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal who suffers from scoliosis and syringomyelia, if he will confirm the person responsible for making the prognosis; if he will further confirm the designated doctor for treating the aforementioned conditions; if a myelogram has been scheduled for the person; if so, when it will take place; which neurosurgeon has the person's file, should the family need to contact him or her; if a pain specialist has been designated to assess the person's needs; and, if the person needs to be treated at a private clinic, whether the Health Service Executive will provide financial assistance in order to ensure that the person receives the treatment needed. [29190/13]
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.
559. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an operation in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29198/13]
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.
