Written Answers Nos. 1575 to 1591
1575. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if he supports the Health Service Executive’s decision to further cuts to St. Michael’s House, Ballymun Road, Dublin 9 a service provider to persons with intellectual difficulties. [38649/13]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services, including disability services. The HSE either directly provides or contracts disability agencies such as St Michael House to provide a range of disability services through service level arrangements.
St Michael’s House received over €70 million in 2012 in funding from the HSE to provide a range of services to approximately 1,660 children and adults with an intellectual disability in over 170 centres in the Greater Dublin Area and Navan Co. Meath.
The HSE and St Michael's House work in close collaboration with regard to the funding and delivery of services to people with an intellectual disability. As a voluntary agency, St Michael’s house are obliged to work within the resources available to them and in that regard have introduced significant efficiencies over recent years to remain within budget. The HSE has advised that these changes to date have not resulted in service contraction.
The Haddington Road Agreement (HRA) sets out measures relating to productivity, cost extraction and reform which together intends to achieve a required pay bill reduction of €150m identified in the HSE Service Plan 2013. The agreement provides a framework and opportunities for managers within the health services, including agencies such as St Michael's House, to reduce their costs associated with agency and overtime and a wide range of other pay costs, particularly through measures such as additional working hours and revised rates in respect of overtime.
The HSE has advised the Department of Health that the recent application of additional budget cuts under the HRA has presented a significant challenge to St Michael’s House. A process is now underway between the HSE and St Michael’s House to identify the impact of these budget reductions on services. The Department of Health has received assurances from the HSE that both organisations are committed to working within the terms of the HRA to ensure that services are impacted upon only as a measure of last resort.
1576. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the person that has overall responsibility for the public procurement for the Health Service Executive West [38650/13]
View answer1577. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the date on which the latest Health Service Executive West public procurement tender was advertised. [38651/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1576 and 1577 together.
Your questions in relation to responsibility for HSE West public procurement and the publication date of the latest HSE West tender have been referred to the Executive for direct reply.
1578. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health when the next public procurement contract for patient transport will be publically tendered for counties Roscommon, Mayo and Galway. [38652/13]
View answer1579. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form the total amounts spent by the Health Service Executive on hackney, taxi and mini bus hire in County Roscommon for 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013. [38653/13]
View answer1580. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a list of all companies awarded patient transport contracts by the Health Service Executive West between June 2011 and June 2013. [38654/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1578 to 1580, inclusive, together.
In relation to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service matters they have been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
1581. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the full year cost to the Exchequer of providing bilateral cochlear implants for deaf children. [38656/13]
View answerThe report of the National Audiology Review Group, published by the HSE in 2011, includes a recommendation that continued ring-fenced financial support be provided for the cochlear implant programme but at levels which allow for simultaneous bilateral implantation for children. It is estimated that there are approximately 200 children in Ireland today who may be suitable for a second implant.
The HSE has been working closely with Beaumont Hospital to progress plans for bilateral cochlear implantation, and a business case has now been finalised which sets out a number of options for the provision of this service, and estimated costs associated with these. My Department is currently examining the options and associated costs contained in the business case in the context of the 2014 Estimates Process.
1582. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the reason a lung transplant has been repeatedly delayed for a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [38657/13]
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.
1583. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if the regional nursing metric project officers pilot scheme will be rolled out on a national basis. [38731/13]
View answerNursing and midwifery metrics are an agreed standard of measurement that provides an indication of the quality of nursing and midwifery care delivery. Nursing and midwifery metrics are operational in a range of sites nationally.
In 2012 the HSE Office of Nursing and Midwifery Services led on an initiative to standardise nursing and midwifery metrics across 3 regions – North West, North East and Dublin North. To date 29 service areas are using metrics and reports in relation to the metrics are available to the relevant Directors of Nursing/Midwifery. Further roll out of this initiative has continued in 2013.
Measuring the quality of nursing and midwifery care is complex as there are many compounding factors that exist that impact on quality and patient safety. The aim of the HSE Office of Nursing and Midwifery Services is to support Directors of Nursing and Midwifery to utilise a standardised approach to nursing and midwifery metric measurement that will facilitate measurement, monitoring and trend analysis. Roll out of nursing and midwifery metrics is led by the Directors of Nursing/Midwifery within the relevant service areas. A range of metrics has been developed and roll out is determined by local service priorities.
1585. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if a medical card will be reinstated in respect of a person (details supplied) in Co. Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38745/13]
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.
1586. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if the sixth class dentist check up will take place this year for pupils of a school (details supplied) in Dublin 5. [38751/13]
View answerThe HSE is responsible for providing dental care to schoolchildren. The matter has therefore been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
1587. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will provide contact names of local social workers or support groups in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5. [38752/13]
View answerIn 2010 the National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence was published. It aims to provide a framework for sustainable intervention to prevent and effectively respond to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and is lead by Cosc which is the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence.
The HSE subsequently published its own Policy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence. The principal actions are in line with the National Strategy. The HSE’s policy states that a health-focused analysis of violence is crucial, not only because the consequences of such violence require a significant amount of healthcare system resources, but most importantly because the health care system is often the first route through which victims seek to access supports.
In relation to the specific issue raised by the Deputy, as this is a service issue it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
1588. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will receive a decision on their primary medical certificate application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38755/13]
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.
1589. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo was refused a medical card; if all the medical evidence supplied was taken into consideration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38784/13]
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.
1590. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite a medical card appeal in respect of persons (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38786/13]
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.
1591. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the ongoing issues of cancellation of respite due to crisis accommodation cases at the Daughters of Charity, Navan Road; the steps he is taking to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38790/13]
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.
