Written Answers Nos. 577-596
577. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health the reason a doctor's appointment for the completion of a driving license application for the over 70s is not covered by the medical card; if he will consider including it as part of the medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42299/13]
View answerUnder the General Medical Services (GMS) contract, a general practitioner (GP) is expected to provide his/her patients who hold medical cards or GP visit cards with all proper and necessary treatment of a kind generally undertaken by a GP.
The contract between the HSE and GPs under the GMS Scheme stipulates that fees are not paid to GPs by the HSE in respect of certain medical certificates which may be required, for example, "under the Social Welfare Acts or for the purposes of insurance or assurance policies or for the issue of driving licences". There are no plans at present to amend the GMS contract in this regard.
Consultation fees charged by general practitioners to private patients and to GMS patients outside the terms of the GMS contract are a matter of private contract between the clinicians and the patients. While I have no role in relation to such fees, I would expect clinicians to have regard to the overall economic situation in setting their fees.
578. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite a hospital appointment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42305/13]
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 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.
579. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will be allowed any benefit towards the cost of a scan after receiving a referral from their consultant to undertake this scan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42349/13]
View answerI do not have a role in the day to day operations of any private health insurance company. The VHI is a commercial company operating in a competitive market and decisions as to whether members are entitled to benefit are made in accordance with the terms and conditions of each individual member's policy. The issue raised by the Deputy appears to be a contractual matter between the customer and his insurer.
If the individual in question is not satisfied with the decision made in this case, they may appeal to the Financial Services Ombudsman's Bureau (www.financialombudsman.ie - Lincoln House, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Lo-Call 1890 88 20 90) or contact the industry regulator, the Health Insurance Authority (www.hia.ie - Canal House, Canal Road, Dublin 6, Lo-Call 1850 929 166) for information.
581. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the financial arrangements in place for the reimbursement of general practitioners who provide space for the counselling in primary care service; the number of staff employed by the Health Service Executive to administer appointments for the counselling in primary care service; the arrangements in place to make appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42374/13]
View answerAs this is a service matter this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
582. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if there are proposals for the establishment of a CareDoc service for the north west area; the rationale and origins of the proposal; the impact the proposal will have on the existing NowDoc services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42375/13]
View answer90% of the population have access to GP out-of-hours services in 14 centres nationally, in all HSE regions, in at least part of every county. Over 2,000 GPs provide services in the co-ops.
As the Deputy's question relates to a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on the issue.
584. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if he will meet with a deputation from the Dungloe hospital committee which has submitted a request to his office for a meeting regarding concerns on the closure of beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42377/13]
View answerRequests to meet my colleague Minister Reilly are normally arranged through his Office. As a request has been made, I have no doubt that the Minister's Office will reply in due course.
585. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when the five beds in Dungloe community hospital will reopen in view of the fact that it was announced in June 2013 and these beds have not reopened to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42378/13]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
586. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the efforts made by the Health Service Executive to resolve the situation at Cregg House Sligo; the arrangements have been put in place for the delivery of care since notice was given by Wisdom Services over a year ago that they could not continue to provide the services with the limited budget provided by the HSE; his views on the joint comparative cost exercise carried out by the HSE which revealed that the staffing costs of providing a service at Clonmahon was €40,000 greater that Cregg House; when this issue will be resolved; the steps taken by his Department to resolve the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42379/13]
View answerWisdom Services provided intellectual disability services for 200 service users (110 on campus). The service was operated by the Daughters of Wisdom, trading as Wisdom Services. The Daughters of Wisdom indicated they were withdrawing from the service in 2012. Following lengthy negotiations between the HSE and the Daughters of Wisdom a termination agreement was signed by both parties in July 2013 for the HSE to take on the provision of the service from the 1st of October 2013.
The HSE took over the running of Wisdom Services from 1 October 2013 and is continuing to work with the Parents and Guardians, Staff and trade unions to ensure a quality service to clients.
In relation to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service issues they have been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
587. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the amount of funds he has provided to repair and restore services at Letterkenny General Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42380/13]
View answerFollowing the flooding in Letterkenny General Hospital a major emergency plan was put into operation. As part of this plan a Rebuild Steering Group was established and is supported by a design team.
The Group identified the Scope of Works (11 projects), indicative timescales and the estimated cost required to restore services to the hospital. Emergency capital funding has been made available to fund the projects which include, inter alia;
- Gynae Department restored;
- Temporary cardiac investigations area completed;
- Interim kitchens/staff canteen are in place and in operation;
- Interim Emergency Department and Radiology Department including two mobile DR (X Ray) trailers are in place and providing service;
- Planning permission submitted for culvert works;
- Option appraisal and detailed design completed for temporary outpatients.
In parallel there is an ongoing process regarding settling the insurance claim to cover the extensive damage. This claim will fund a significant part of the identified costs but is very much work in process. Any deficit in costs, not covered by the insurance claim will be met (subject to the normal scrutiny) by the Health Service Executive. It will be some time before the insurance claim is completed and final costs are known.
I am satisfied that every possible resource has been made available and will continue to be made available to Letterkenny General Hospital to implement the scope of works identified by the Rebuild Steering Group.
588. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the reasons the Seaview respite house facility for adults and children with intellectual disability in Mountcharles, County Donegal, recently closed for two weeks in September; if he will confirm that the facility is not open on Sundays or Mondays due to financial considerations; the number of staff employed by the service; the number of patients who receive respite at the facility; the future plans of the HSE regarding the facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42381/13]
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.
589. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health his plans for Killybegs community hospital in view of the recent Health Information and Quality Authority report; if he will reassure the community that ancillary services at the hospital such as X-ray and physiotherapy, much of which were provided through fundraising by the local community, will remain in operation at current levels; if he will be willing to meet with a deputation from the local community to discuss future plans for the hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42382/13]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
Requests to meet my colleague Minister Reilly are normally arranged through his Office. Accordingly I would suggest a representative of the delegation should make contact with the Minister's Office at ministers_office@health.gov.ie.
590. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health if his Department or the Health Service Executive has conducted an analysis of the demographics of our population and determined the number of beds that will be required for residential nursing home care over the next three to five years; if he will provide details of this analysis; the plans being put in place to meet any projected need; if there are particular areas/regions of concern where there may be an under supply of such beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42390/13]
View answerI am acutely aware of demographic projections which show a very steady increase in the numbers of older people in Ireland in the coming years and decades. The most recent population projections, carried out by the Central Statistics Office, estimate that by 2041 there will be about 1.4 m people over the age of 65 in Ireland, with the greatest increases in the over 80 age group. My Department is working very closely with the HSE to prepare for this change, so that we can provide for our older people in the best possible way. This is happening most directly now as part of the current review of the Nursing Home Support Scheme.
The Nursing Homes Support Scheme was introduced in October 2009, with a commitment to review its operation after three years. This review is now underway and will include a broad analysis of how future overall provision for older people can be made sustainable and best meet peoples' needs. The balance between residential and community care and financing mechansims will be considered. The outcome of this review will inform future planning for all services, including residential centres.
591. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health if he will consider establishing a forum on long-term residential care to bring together all relevant stakeholders to assist in putting in place plans for care and support of our aging population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42391/13]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question Number 674 of 28 May 2013. The position remains unchanged.
592. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the recruitment of staff to community mental health services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42392/13]
View answerThis Government has prioritised the reform of our mental health services in line with A Vision for Change and is committed in particular to the delivery of more and better quality care in the community. Additional funding totalling €70 million and some 900 new posts have been provided as part of the last two Budgets primarily to strengthen Community Mental Health Teams for both adults and children and to enhance specialist community mental health services for older people with a mental illness, those with an intellectual disability and mental illness and forensic mental health services in line with A Vision for Change.
Of the 414 posts allocated in 2012, as at the 26 August, the recruitment process is complete for 376 or 91%, of the posts. A number of the remaining posts are at various stages in the recruitment process. In addition, there are a number of posts for which there are difficulties in identifying suitable candidates due to various factors including the availability of qualified candidates and geographical location. Of the 477 posts approved in 2013, as at 30 August 2013, the process is complete for 15 of these posts with 225 posts in the final stages and a further 184 posts at various stages in the recruitment process. This means that almost 86% of posts are in the recruitment process. The remaining posts are in the HSE approvals process.
I have received assurances from the HSE that the filling of these posts is being given priority within the HSE.
593. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the progress being made in meeting the Health Service Executive staffing targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42393/13]
View answerThe 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. This policy requires the health service to reduce its workforce to 98,938 wholetime equivalent employees (WTEs) by the end of 2013.
The total number employed in the public health sector at the end of August 2013 was 100,578 WTEs, a decrease of 928 WTEs from the 2012 outturn of 101,506 WTEs.
The Incentivised Career Break Scheme which was rolled out in the HSE earlier this year was a targeted measure to contribute towards the reduction in employment numbers required. To date, around 360 staff have been given approval to avail of the scheme. The HSE has been asked to review the scheme to establish whether there is potential for more staff to be released, in light of the additional capacity available under the additional working hours provisions of the Haddington Road Agreement.
A targeted Voluntary Redundancy Scheme in the HSE and in organisations funded by the HSE has also been approved. It will be implemented on a rolling basis as areas and functions to be targeted are identified, e.g. as hospital groups are brought into being. There will be no automatic right to redundancy.
594. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the implementation plan to support the actions and initiatives in Healthy Ireland – A Framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing 2013 – 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42394/13]
View answerSince the publication of Healthy Ireland - a framework for improved health & wellbeing earlier this year, the focus of my Department has been on underpinning the structures on which the future work of Healthy Ireland can be progressed and establishing clear structures and accountability mechanisms for implementation. The implementation of Healthy Ireland is being overseen by the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy. A key feature of the development of Healthy Ireland is the engagement and collaboration across Government Departments and other public sector bodies. Such collaboration continues to be a significant feature of the implementation strategy. Critical to this success is an active, central Government policy driven approach where Healthy Ireland’s actions are systematically embedded into the policies and programmes of relevant Government Departments, local authorities and statutory agencies. It is equally important that there is active engagement at local level, empowering and supporting people to be as healthy as they can be for as long as possible.
The development of an implementation plan requires cross-departmental input and progress is currently being focused on a number of key actions including:
- the establishment of a Health and Wellbeing Directorate in the HSE,
- the establishment of a Health & Wellbeing Programme Office in my Department,
- the development of a National Plan for Physical Activity,
- an awareness campaign on tackling the problem of childhood obesity,
- the development of an implementation plan for positive ageing,
- the development of branding guidelines,
- the development of an outcomes framework, and
- the development of a research and data plan.
These processes are underway.
595. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health the amount of funding provided under the medical card scheme for dental treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42399/13]
View answer596. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health the numbers and proportions of medical card holders that avail of the entitlement to a free dental examination each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42400/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 595 and 596 together.
The 2013 budget for the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) is €63m.
The total number of medical card holders (over 16 years of age) at the end of December 2012 was over 1.421 million.
Over 396,000 dental examinations were provided to medical card holders under the DTSS during 2012 i.e. almost 28% of eligible medical card holders availed of the examination.
