Written Answers Nos. 464-480
464. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Health if he will reverse the decision to increase the prescription charge cap from €19.50 to €25 per month for medical card holders; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties that this is causing to medical card holders living on very low incomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10779/14]
View answerAs was announced in Budget 2014, it has become necessary to increase the prescription charge due to the very difficult and challenging economic environment which requires the Government to achieve additional savings in health expenditure of €666 million in 2014. The increase in prescription charges will account for €43 million of this target. The Government is committed to achieving these savings while protecting front line services to the most vulnerable to the greatest extent possible. With effect from 1 December 2013, medical card holders are required to pay a €2.50 charge per item for medicines and other prescription items supplied to them by community pharmacists, subject to a cap of €25 per month for each person or family. There are no plans to reverse the increase in the monthly cap.
466. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied with the decision not to award a general practitioner visit card in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10786/14]
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.
467. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Health if approval has been given in respect of a third consultant post at Waterford Regional Hospital; when is it expected that the posts in question, will be filled; if as a result of filling these positions, cataract operations will be increased in Waterford Regional Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10793/14]
View answerIn relation to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service matters, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
469. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the reason a discretionary medical card was withdrawn from a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5 despite an increased medical need and no change in income. [10798/14]
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.
470. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Health if the recruitment embargo has adversely affected nursing staff in the emergency department of Sligo Regional Hospital; if the daily staff complement is not present on a given day the measures available to ensure that adequate nursing staff complement is maintained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10799/14]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
471. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that all facilities and equipment was available at the earliest possible time in relation to a case (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10805/14]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
472. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that an 18 minutes 59 seconds response time is adequate for dealing with clinical status 1 ECHO calls which involve life-threatening emergencies of cardiac or respiratory origin or clinical status 1 DELTA calls involve life-threatening emergencies of other than cardiac or respiratory origin. [10813/14]
View answerMy Department is working with the HSE to ensure that the National Ambulance Service (NAS) is reconfigured to ensure a clinically driven, nationally co-ordinated system, supported by improved technology. The NAS is committed to improving the care provided to patients as well as providing faster access to care.
In many countries, response time indicators are used as one means to evaluate the quality of the services delivered by pre-hospital emergency care providers. Such indicators provide a valuable source of information when used in conjunction with clinical indicators that focus on patient outcomes. The Deputy may wish to note that while HIQA has recommended that a patient carrying vehicle should respond to critical incidents within a maximum of 18 minutes and 59 seconds, the Authority recommends that in the first instance, such incidents are responded to by a first responder, which includes advanced paramedics, paramedics, or cardiac first responders, within 7 minutes and 59 seconds or less.
In developing response time indicators, HIQA conducted a comprehensive review of international practices in relation to pre-hospital emergency care services and associated key performance indicators. The Authority also engaged with key stakeholders, including an expert advisory group on pre-hospital emergency care, to ensure that the initiative was informed by current work, expertise and views from both a national and international perspective.
However, it is important to recognise that sole reliance on response times does not provide a comprehensive picture of modern ambulance service performance. For this reason, many jurisdictions are now moving to assess performance against clinical outcome indicators which better reflect the work of a modern ambulance service. In that regard, the NAS is developing clinical outcome indicators, the first of which - on return of spontaneous circulation for certain types of heart attack - will be introduced in 2014.
473. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the progress of Health Information and Quality Authority, as part of its business plan for 2013; if he will review the governance and management arrangements of pre-hospital emergency care services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10814/14]
View answerI am aware that concerns have been raised recently concerning ambulance service response times. In the circumstances, I have asked HIQA to bring forward its planned review of pre-hospital emergency care. HIQA is in the process of designing an Assessment Framework against the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare and will apply the Authority’s Monitoring Approach to undertake the review as part of its assurance programme on the quality and safety of healthcare service provision against national standards. The Authority will review the governance arrangements of pre-hospital emergency care services to ensure the timely assessment, diagnosis, initial management and transport of an acutely ill patient to an appropriate healthcare facility.
I should also explain that the National Ambulance Service will undertake its own capacity review, to determine current and future service delivery needs. This process will examine a number of areas, including staff numbers and skill mix, as well as resource distribution.
474. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if the national ambulance service has begun its own capacity review to determine current and future service delivery needs. [10816/14]
View answer475. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health when he expects the national ambulance service to complete its review of current and future service delivery needs. [10817/14]
View answer476. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will publish the national ambulance service review when it is completed. [10818/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 474 to 476, inclusive, together.
As these are service matters, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
477. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health in relation to the refurbishment works carried out in a nursing home (details supplied), when patients will be moved back into the facility; if the patients transferred from the nursing home to St. Mary's will be given priority to move back in; and if the original staff will be moved back into the nursing home. [10825/14]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
478. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the quality of service likely to become available in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 10; if a full assessment and diagnosis has taken place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10827/14]
View answerIn relation to the Deputy's further question on this matter, I have again asked the Health Service Executive to respond to him directly.
479. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Health the number of young persons being sent to the UK for mental health treatments which are not currently provided here; if he will provide a breakdown by year from 2010 to date in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10858/14]
View answerAs this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
480. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that when making medical card application assessments, the Health Service Executive uses 3% as a rule for determining the value of interest earned on an applicant's bank deposits; his views on whether this is unfair when most financial institutions are offering a much lesser rate of interest and when consideration is given to the fact that interest on deposits is subject to DIRT at 41%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10863/14]
View answerUnder the standard means tested medical card scheme of assessment, which is not age dependant, savings or investments of amounts up to €36,000 for a single person and €72,000 for a couple are disregarded for assessment purposes. For savings or investments amounts over these limits the following calculation(s) will apply to determine the amount to be taken into account for assessment purposes:
- The next €10,000 @ one (€1) Euro per week per €1,000.
- The next €10,000 @ two (€2) Euro per week per €1,000.
- Savings in excess of the above @ four (€4) Euro per week per €1,000.
In the case of the special assessment process for persons aged 70 years and over, interest earned on savings or investments amounts up to €36,000 for single person and €72,000 for a couple is disregarded. In the case of interest on savings or investments of amounts over these limits, a notional rate of interest is applied. The notional rate is 2.3%, having been reduced from 3.0% with effect from 1st January 2014. Alternatively, a medical card applicant may opt to have the actual income in interest received from the financial institution applied for the purpose of means assessment. The applicant must provide a certificate of interest paid in the last full calendar year. Interest on savings or investments that are the proceeds of certain State compensation or redress schemes are exempt from assessment of means for medical card/GP visit card eligibility.
