Joe O'Reilly
Question:198. Deputy Joe O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Cavan will receive a hip replacement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53267/13]
View answerHospital Waiting Lists
Questions (198)
Written answers
The 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 Health Service Executive, 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 HSE to respond directly to the Deputy in this matter.
Nursing Homes Support Scheme Oversight
Questions (199, 203)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:199. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will provide comfort and assurance to persons who are availing of the fair deal scheme and who are in desperate fear their allowances will be cut through that scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53273/13]
View answerMichael Healy-Rae
Question:203. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an assurance that the fair deal scheme will be maintained and indeed enhanced in the future as the percentage of older people in our society continues to grow (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53298/13]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 199 and 203 together.
The total amounts available to fund health services in 2014 will be considerably lower than for this year. Accordingly, all expenditure headings are being scrutinised. The funding that is available must be balanced across all of the various service areas in a way that achieves the best possible outcomes for the greatest number of service users and prioritises areas of greatest need as far as possible.
The needs of our older people are, and will remain, a very high priority for me and for the Government, and the resources that ultimately are available will be applied to provide the best possible mix of supports and services. I can, however, assure those that are already in receipt of support under the Scheme that they will not be affected if the funding for the Scheme is reduced in 2014.
As the Deputy is aware, the Nursing Homes Support Scheme is currently being reviewed. This review, which is expected to be completed in early 2014, will make recommendations for the future operation and management of the Scheme.
Health Services Provision
Questions (200)
Dara Calleary
Question:200. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Health his plans to allocate adequate health cover to an island on the western seaboard (details supplied) in County Galway in the event of the resident public health nurse not being on the island due to holiday time, sick leave and so on; his views on whether it is unsafe that in the event of the resident public health nurse not being on the island, no locum nurse is provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53285/13]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
Health Services Provision
Questions (201)
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Question:201. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the guidelines, protocols and management procedures in place in acute hospitals for the management of patients with sepsis; the oversight and accreditation systems in place to ensure compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53291/13]
View answerWritten answers
I have asked the HSE to forward details of the current guidelines, protocols and management procedures in place in acute hospitals for the management of patients with sepsis along with the oversight and accreditation systems in place to ensure compliance to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Information and Quality Authority’s (HIQA) report into the care and treatment of Ms Halappanavar at University College Hospital, Galway recommended that the HSE should develop a national clinical guideline on the management of sepsis and ensure that all hospitals put in place arrangements for formal staff training on the recognition and management of sepsis and on the clinically deteriorating patients including pregnant women in line with the guideline.
The report also recommended that the Department of Health should immediately review the current arrangements in place to ensure the National Clinical Effectiveness Committee (NCEC) is adequately resourced to support the national endorsement of key national guidelines.
The NCEC through the processes of prioritisation and quality assurance of a clinical guideline reach consensus as to whether the clinical guideline has been developed using a quality methodology and is based on evidence.
Following on from the HIQA report I have requested that four national clinical guidelines are immediately commissioned and quality assured through the NCEC as a matter of urgency for the Irish health system. These guidelines are a National Maternity Early Warning Score Guideline, a National Paediatric Early Warning Score Guideline, a National Sepsis Management Guideline and a National Clinical Handover Guideline. I expect these guidelines to not only detail best practice but also to make recommendations for staff education and training. This is in order to provide for assurance of the competence of our doctors, nurses and midwives for these critical life-saving clinical issues.
I am pleased to advise the Deputy that significant progress has been made on this work to date.