Written Answers Nos. 785 - 804
785. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Health if a position (details supplied) within the Health Service Executive in County Wicklow has been filled and the timeframe within which the position has been advertised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18906/14]
View answerAs this is an operational matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
786. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the implementation of Schools for Health in Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18907/14]
View answerAs the implementation of Schools for Health in Europe is part of the Executive Function of the HSE I have referred the matter to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
787. Deputy Seán Conlan asked the Minister for Health when a new scheme for the motorised transport grant can be expected; and if persons who received a primary medical certificate after the abolition of the old scheme and prior to the introduction of the new scheme and have, as a result, had to use their own personal funds to make vehicular adaptions will be entitled to apply for the grant. [18908/14]
View answerThe primary medical certificate relates to eligibility for the Revenue Commissioners Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Tax Concession Scheme. This scheme provides a range of tax reliefs linked to the purchase, adaptation and use of vehicles by disabled drivers and disabled passengers in Ireland. The primary medical certificate had no role in the discontinued motorised transport grant.
In November 2013, the Government decided that the detailed preparatory work required for a new travel subsidy scheme and associated statutory provisions should be progressed by the Minister for Health. The Department will draw on the work, last year, of the Review Group on Transport Supports for People with Disabilities and the Inter-Departmental Group tasked by Government to consider details of a statutory replacement for the discontinued schemes. Work is ongoing at the present time on the policy proposals to be brought to Government for the drafting of primary legislation for a new scheme. Decisions in relation to eligibility criteria and administrative arrangements for a new statutory scheme have yet to be made by Government.
788. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health if he will ascertain from the Health Service Executive when a decision will be made on a medical card application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [18913/14]
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.
789. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Health the reason there is a continuing delay in processing a medical card application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; the reason the applicant's P21 is being rejected by the assessor; the reason documents which cannot be provided to the applicant by the Revenue Commissioners are being sought; if the application will be expedited due to the medical needs of the applicant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18921/14]
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.
790. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health when CORU, which regulates health and social care professionals in Ireland, began to charge persons who did not study in the Twenty-six Counties €410 for their qualification to be recognised and a further €100 to register to become a social worker; if he will consider reducing this fee for those persons who study social work in other universities, particularly for those Irish citizens who study social work in universities in the North; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18937/14]
View answerThe opening of the Social Workers Register at CORU on 31 May 2011 marked the start of statutory registration of this profession. Social workers who wish to practise in Ireland must now be registered with the Social Workers Registration Board.
Possession of an approved qualification is one of several steps in the recognition process and the Social Workers Registration Board is also designated as competent authority in Ireland for professional social worker qualifications under Directive 2005/36/EC. This Directive applies to all EEA nationals who wish to practise a regulated profession in an EEA Member State other than that in which they obtained their professional qualifications. This includes Irish citizens who study in any of the EEA Member States, including the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and who seek to return to Ireland to practise their profession.
There is no specific recognition of the profession of social worker at a European level; rather the Directive provides for the assessment of the qualifications/professional training/post-qualification professional experience of an applicant against the qualifications required to practise in Ireland. Because of the case-by-case nature of the process, it is time-consuming and administratively burdensome. The Code of Conduct on National Administrative Practices falling under Directive 2005/36/EC provides for the charging of fees for the qualification recognition process once, inter alia, such fees do not exceed the real cost of the service provided, or are not set at a level which would make it impossible in practice to exercise the rights provided for under the Directive. I am advised by CORU that the fee for qualification recognition is set in light of the Directive’s Code of Conduct.
The fees for qualification recognition, which is once-off, and for statutory registration, which is annual, have been set since the establishment of the Social Workers Registration Board.
791. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Health his plans to develop a national database for those diagnosed with coeliac disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18943/14]
View answer794. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the consultation process with the Coeliac Society of Ireland to provide more cost-effective treatment for those diagnosed with coeliac disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18946/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 791 and 794 together.
As these questions relate to service matters, I have requested the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy.
792. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the guidelines and policy for coeliac disease diagnosis and management; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18944/14]
View answer793. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Health his plans to introduce a screening programme for family members of those diagnosed with coeliac disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18945/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 792 and 793 together.
During the 1980s, before advances in testing for coeliac disease were made, the condition was mistakenly thought to be rare. However, coeliac disease is now known to be a common condition that affects approximately 1 in every 100 people. Women are two to three times more likely to develop coeliac disease than men. Cases of coeliac disease have been diagnosed in people of all ages.
In some cases, coeliac disease does not cause any noticeable symptoms, or it causes very mild symptoms. As a result, it is thought that at least 50% or possibly as many as 90% of cases are either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed as other digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The cause or causes of coeliac disease are unknown, but it is thought to be associated with a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
The guidelines for coeliac disease diagnosis and management currently in use in Ireland are the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, available for download at www.nice.org.uk.
Currently, screening for coeliac disease is not routinely carried out in Ireland. The simple blood test required is reasonably, but not completely, accurate. This means that routinely screening the entire population could produce a high number of false-positive results. In other words, people would be misdiagnosed as having coeliac disease when they did not have it. Therefore, screening for coeliac disease is usually only recommended for people with known risk factors for the condition, such as having a family history of the disease.
The Department of Health currently has no immediate plans to encourage targeted screening for coeliac disease. The international scientific literature, including a review against the criteria of the UK National Screening Committee, does not support the introduction of such a screening programme. Case finding by testing family members of patients diagnosed with the disease may be beneficial, particularly if family members manifest gastrointestinal or other symptoms. Primarily, the diagnosis and treatment of coeliac disease is broadly speaking managed by GPs in community services.
795. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Laois may expect to have their heart bypass operation at St. James's Hospital in Dublin 8; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18962/14]
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 Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to him on this matter.
796. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if it is possible for a person (details supplied) in County Wexford who has motor neurone disease to remain at home while receiving invasive ventilation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18963/14]
View answerThe issue of home ventilation whether invasive or non-invasive cannot be considered in isolation and whether the patient has access to such treatment is not purely a financial consideration. A proper discharge care plan which is discussed between the hospital consultant team and primary care needs to be agreed and activated. Home ventilation needs appropriate equipment, trained staff and both patient and family education as well as arrangement for upkeep and maintenance of such ventilation equipment. Nurses supervising such patients at home need to be appropriately qualified and competent to supervise the patient clinically.
As this is a service related matter the Health Service Executive has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy on this matter as soon as possible.
797. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health the number of men, women and children who are wheelchair dependent and have been removed from the medical card scheme following the withdrawal of a large number of discretionary medical cards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18965/14]
View answerThe Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS), which processes all medical card applications and renewals, does not hold the statistics requested by the Deputy.
PCRS does not routinely hold data relating to a person’s medical condition. This is because the medical card scheme is a means tested scheme. Under the Health Act, 1970, as amended, the HSE awards medical cards to persons that are unable, without undue hardship to arrange GP services for themselves and their family.
The Act obliges the HSE to take account of the overall financial situation of the applicant and dependants. Therefore, a specific illness or disease is not a basis for automatically awarding a medical card.
798. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a medical card application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo and if it will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18987/14]
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.
799. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Dublin will be transferred to new residential care from the existing provision. [18993/14]
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.
800. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22 will have their appointment for surgery in the Mater Hospital following an urgent referral from St. James's Hospital earlier this year. [18994/14]
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 Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to her on this matter.
801. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22 will receive an appointment for surgery at Tallaght Hospital. [18995/14]
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 Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to her on this matter.
803. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details on the planned patient safety authority, if this agency will be underpinned by primary legislation, and if the proposed authority will include an independent complaints system for patients. [19014/14]
View answerA new Patient Safety Agency (PSA) is to be established initially on an administrative basis within the HSE structures in 2014. The HSE will agree its initial governance and operational arrangements. A key role for the PSA will be to provide national leadership for patient advocacy services. The PSA will support patients by directing them to the appropriate provider or agency so that they can secure a response regarding the issues or complaints they raise. Based on a detailed analysis of complaints throughout the system, the PSA will also promote and disseminate learning from complaints nationally. The HSE is expected to begin the process of recruiting an interim CEO for the PSA shortly.
804. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if the efficacy of generic drugs is as good as the drugs produced under patent by pharmaceutical companies; his views on whether those on medical cards who are forced to accept generic drugs will have the same level of treatment as those using pharmaceutical drugs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19015/14]
View answerThe Health (Pricing and Supply of Medicines) Act 2013, which was commenced in June of last year, provides the statutory basis for the introduction of a system of generic substitution and reference pricing. Under the Act, the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) is responsible for the assessment of interchangeability of medicines.
In deciding whether to add a group of medicinal products to the List of Interchangeable Medicinal Products, the IMB must be satisfied that each medicinal product which falls within the group:
(a) has the same qualitative and quantitative composition in each of its active substances as each of the other medicinal products which fall within the group;
(b) is in the same pharmaceutical form as, or in a pharmaceutical form that is appropriate for substitution for, each of the other products in the group; and
(c) has the same route of administration as each of the other medicinal products which fall within the group.
In addition, the Act provides that the IMB is not permitted to add a group of medicinal products to the List of Interchangeable Medicinal Products where:
- there is a difference in bioavailability between the medicinal products and the interchangeable medicinal products which currently fall within the group of interchangeable medicinal products which may lead to a clinically significant difference in efficacy between them, and
- any of the medicinal products cannot be safely substituted for any one or more of the other medicinal products in the group.
I would like to emphasise that in making a decision to add a medicinal product to a group of interchangeable medicinal products or a group of medicinal products to the List of Interchangeable Medicinal Products, the IMB is obliged to have regard to the criteria as set out in the Act.
To further enhance the patient safety aspect of generic substitution, Section 13 of the Act allows a prescriber to indicate on a prescription that a branded interchangeable medicinal product should, for clinical reasons, not be substituted.
It is also important to point out that generic medicines must meet exactly the same standards of quality and safety and have the same effect as the originator medicine. All of the generic medicines on the Irish market are required to be properly licensed and meet the requirements of the IMB.
A key objective of the Act is to enable patients to opt for lower cost interchangeable medicines. In general terms, when a pharmacist is presented with a prescription for an interchangeable medicine, which is not the subject of a clinical exemption, the pharmacist is obliged to offer the patient the opportunity to agree to substituting the prescribed product with an interchangeable medicine which is in stock in the pharmacy and is of lower cost to the patient or the HSE, as the case may be. The patient may either accept the interchangeable medicine offered by the pharmacist or opt to receive the branded interchangeable medicine where prescribed. Alternatively, the patient may opt to go to a different pharmacy to receive a less expensive interchangeable medicine.
The Act also allows the HSE to set a reference price for groups of interchangeable medicines. Medical card holders will only face an additional charge where a reference price has been set for a group of interchangeable medicines and the medicine dispensed is priced higher than the reference price and is not the subject of a clinical exemption.
