Written Answers Nos. 1411 - 1426
1411. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a medical card in respect of persons (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37732/13]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
1412. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Health the waiting times for an autism diagnostic assessment for children nationally; his views on whether a six to eight month wait in Cork North Lee is acceptable; the way he plans to tackle these waiting times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37739/13]
View answerSignificant resources have been invested by this country in recent years in services for children with disabilities, including those with autism. The Government is committed to the provision and development of services for these children, having regard to available resources.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Health Service Executive is currently engaged in a national programme of reconfiguring therapy resources for children with disabilities, including autism, with a view to ensuring there is more equitable access to services for children, according to their individual needs. Established since 2010, the national re-configuration programme is based on the recommendations of the Report of the National Reference Group on Multidisciplinary Disability Services for Children aged 5-18.
A key objective of the HSE’s Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People Programme (0-18 years ) is to ensure there is a clear pathway for all children to the services they need regardless of where they live, what school they go to or the nature of their disability or developmental delay. In practical terms this means that health professionals and parents will know exactly where a child should be referred and how to refer them. A fundamental principle underlying the Programme is that children should receive the health services they need as close to their home and school as possible. Some children may have their needs met by their local primary care services. An Early Intervention Team and a School Age Team will look after all children with more complex needs in a defined geographic network area, regardless of the nature of their disability. These Teams will be supported by specialist services in areas requiring a high level of expertise. The Programme supports the principle of providing access to mainstream education where appropriate while also recognising a continuing role for special schools.
The Programme is rolling out at national, regional and local level and involves representatives from the health and education sectors, statutory and non-statutory service providers and parents working together to see how current services can best be re-organised. It is supported by a National Co-ordinating Group that has representation from the Department of Health, the Department of Education and Skills and other key stakeholders. Decisions regarding any local re-organisation of services are the responsibility of Local Implementation Groups which include representatives of the service providers involved, parents and educational sector representatives.
Local Implementation Groups have been established by the HSE South to progress implementation of the Programme across the region, including in Cork. It is envisaged that the current intellectual disability/autism services in Cork will be re-configured into the network Teams being established there under this Programme.
The specific issue of waiting times for assessment is an operational matter for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
1413. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health further to the protection of young school girls against cervical cancer, if all school girls who needed this vaccine have actually received all three shots over the six month period required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37749/13]
View answerInformation provided to me by the Health Service Executive report that the 2011-2012 National Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine Campaign, which provides protection against the main viruses associated with cervical cancer, has been well received. HSE figures show that almost 86% (25,224 students from a cohort of 29,500) of first year girls in second level schools have received their three vaccine doses.
In addition, a catch up programme was introduced in 2011/12 for all 6th year girls and results show that almost 72% (18,995 students from a cohort of 26,571) of students completed their vaccination course. The 2013/2014 Vaccination Campaign will, again include a catch up programme for sixth year students who have not yet completed their three dose schedule.
The HSE also report particularly positive figures around the retention of students in the Vaccination Programme, with 97% of first year girls, and 95% of sixth year girls, who received a first dose of the vaccine completing the three dose schedule.
I am satisfied that the targets we set out for the uptake of the HPV vaccination are being met, and are in line with international targets.
1414. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will provide Health Service Executive Ambulance Service records (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37753/13]
View answerIn 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.
1415. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on the refusal of medical cards to certain cohorts (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37754/13]
View answerUnder the provisions of the Health Act 1970, eligibility for health services in Ireland is based primarily on residency and means including the income and reasonable expenditure, of the applicant and his or her partner and dependants. Therefore, there is no automatic entitlement to medical cards for persons of any age, solely relating to illness. Under the legislation, determination of eligibility for a medical card is the responsibility of the HSE.
While there is no automatic entitlement to a medical card for persons with specific illnesses, the HSE has, however, discretion to award a medical card to avoid undue hardship, even where the person exceeds the income guidelines. At the request of the Minister, the HSE set up a clinical panel to assist in the processing of applications for medical cards on a discretionary basis, where a person exceeds the income guidelines but there are difficult personal circumstances, such as an illness.
The HSE has an effective system in place for the provision of emergency medical cards for patients who are terminally ill, or who are seriously ill and in urgent need of medical care that they cannot afford. They are issued within twenty-four hours of receipt of the required patient details and the letter of confirmation of the condition from a doctor or a medical consultant. With the exception of terminally ill patients, the HSE issues all emergency cards on the basis that the patient is eligible for a medical card on the basis of means or undue hardship, and that the applicant will follow up with a full application within a number of weeks of receiving the emergency card. As a result, emergency medical cards are issued to a named individual, with a limited eligibility period of six months.
1416. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the ambulance service in Kenmare, County Kerry (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37755/13]
View answerThe HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) has recently proposed a plan for a new model of pre-hospital care service for the people of South Kerry. This new model emerged from an analysis of the needs of the South Kerry area and the best use of available resources, including paramedics and advanced paramedics.
The plan to modernise the South Kerry service follows a consultation process with a wide range of interested groups, such as GPs, local public representatives and community groups. The plan has also been informed by the modernisation developments that have already taken place in East Cork, North Cork and West Cork. The plan is extremely detailed, providing numerous benefits agreed between HSE management, union representatives and staff. The agreed plan includes:
- the replacement of current on-call work practices with on-duty rostering, to bring NAS operations in South Kerry into line with County Cork and the majority of the rest of the region, meaning that paramedic staff are at their bases or in their vehicles, ready to be dispatched immediately to 112/999 calls;
- deployment of a fleet of emergency vehicles and emergency personnel that will best serve the people of South Kerry;
- intermediate care vehicles for routine transfers of patients between South Kerry and acute and community hospitals, freeing emergency vehicles for emergency work;
- retention of the current ambulance stations Killarney, Caherciveen and Kenmare as the locations for deployment in the South Kerry geographical area;
A modern emergency service requires highly trained health professionals who can perform life-saving interventions at the scene of an emergency. The NAS has invested significantly in recent years in training ambulance staff to very high standards at both paramedic and advanced paramedic level.
Paramedics and advanced paramedics provide a very high level of medical assessment and treatment, in many cases potentially life-saving treatment. The introduction of on-duty services in the South Kerry region now sees the availability of emergency resources and staff available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, ensuring people having equal and timely access to highly skilled paramedic and advanced paramedic staff day or night.
1417. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a general practitioner visit card in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37756/13]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
1418. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding an issue in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin. [37759/13]
View answerThe HSE has advised me that, as soon as a possible CJD diagnosis was made for a patient in Beaumont Hospital, the hospital quarantined the equipment used on the patient in question and commenced a review to determine what, if any, risk might exist for other patients. As part of this process, advice was provided by the Irish Panel on TSE (CJD) and from world experts in the UK, who have dealt with similar cases in the UK and worldwide.
The review has identified a small number of patients who may have a slightly higher risk of contracting CJD than people in the general population. The exact number involved has not been made public in order to protect patient confidentiality. The relevant experts consider that the risk to these patients is minimal as transmission of CJD via surgical instrument is very rare, with no recorded cases in the past 30 years.
The HSE has further advised that all relevant patients were contacted by the lead consultant on Friday 18 July 2013 and a verbal apology was given to them. Clinics were arranged for the patients to meet with a consultant neurologist and a neuropsychologist on Saturday 19 July, with further follow-up appointments provided to patients if required. In addition, Beaumont Hospital will be providing support and ongoing monitoring for these individuals into the future. There is a dedicated nurse appointed for any follow-up care requirements for these patients and all of the services are provided through the Neurocentre Directorate.
The Government is committed to ensuring that patients receive the highest standard of care in the appropriate settings, be those acute, community or residential. In order to maintain and enhance public confidence in the delivery of a quality system, it is essential that appropriate mechanisms are available should the service fall short of expectations.
There is a formal complaints process for issues concerning individuals or services under the aegis of the HSE. Details of this procedure are on the HSE website, at http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/yourhealthservice/feedback/Complaints/. In addition, advice and instructions for making complaints about a service or an individual may be found at www.healthcomplaints.ie.
In the case of Beaumont Hospital, if a patient or a relative has a concern or wishes to make a complaint, they should contact the clinic where the problem arose. If the issue cannot be resolved to the patient's or relative's satisfaction, they will be connected with the Patient Representative's Office, which can offer information and support and can investigate and help to resolve the matter. Alternatively, the complaint may be made directly to the HSE via the "your service your say" form. When an individual is not satisfied with the response they receive, they may wish to take their complaint further by seeking a review from the HSE’s Director of Advocacy or the Office of the Ombudsman.
1419. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will reinstate preventive and restorative care under the dental treatment services scheme for medical card holders and introduce a new voucher system for eligible patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37768/13]
View answer1426. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will introduce financial incentives to dentists similar to those provided to other healthcare professionals, and address the cost of doing business here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37776/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1419 and 1426 together.
The Dental Treatment Service Scheme (DTSS) provides access to dental treatment for adult medical card holders. Services are provided by independent practices. Given the current difficult position of the public finances, it is not possible at present to expand the scheme or to make changes that will impact on the budget of the DTSS. The HSE will continue to monitor the operation of the DTSS to ensure the most beneficial, effective and efficient use of available resources.
1420. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will reinstate sufficient number of staff in all Health Service Executive areas to ensure patients of the HSE's public dental service and orthodontic service have access to equitable services irrespective of geographical location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37769/13]
View answer1421. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will engage with the Irish Dental Association on the reconfiguration of the Health Service Executive's Public Dental Service and Orthodontic Service to ensure any changes fully reflect the best interests of the patient; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37770/13]
View answer1422. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will introduce a national oral health policy, which provides equitable access to a range of treatments required to achieve and maintain optimal oral health for all citizens; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37771/13]
View answer1425. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will reinstate the Health Service Executive vocational training scheme in dentistry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37775/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1420 to 1422, inclusive, and 1425 together.
The Government has decided that the numbers employed across the public service must be reduced in order to meet its fiscal and budgetary targets. The health sector must make its contribution to that reduction. However, the HSE can make staff appointments once it remains within its overall employment ceiling and has the financial resources to do so.
The HSE has commissioned an independent review of orthodontic services. The outcome of this review, which is near completion, will give guidance as to what changes will be desirable to provide the best possible model of care delivery, given the current resources available and future demand for services.
The HSE National Oral Health Lead was released to the Department for two days each week to undertake the functions of Chief Dental Officer, with effect from 20 May 2013. Among the priorities for the Chief Dental Officer is the need to review certain aspects of oral health policy. The Department of Health will engage with the public, the Irish Dental Association and other relevant stakeholders in developing oral health policy, ensuring equity of access and prioritisation of patients with greatest needs.
1423. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will explore with the Irish Dental Association the potential participation of dentists in health promotion and chronic disease management; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37772/13]
View answerThe Irish Dental Association has outlined to me the potential role of dentists in health promotion and chronic disease management. The Department of Health will continue to engage with the Irish Dental Association on this and other relevant issues.
1424. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will appoint a full-time Chief Dental Officer to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37774/13]
View answerThe Department of Health has been unable to fill the post of Chief Dental Officer on a full time basis due to the moratorium on recruitment. Accordingly, it was agreed with the HSE that the HSE National Oral Health Lead would be released to the Department for two days each week to undertake the function of Chief Dental Officer, with effect from 20 May 2013. The arrangement will be reviewed after 3 years.
