Peadar Tóibín
Question:842. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay of seven to eight weeks for the results of X-rays to be given to patients in County Meath. [19227/14]
View answerHealth Services
Questions (842)
Written answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
Medical Card Eligibility
Questions (843)
Michael McGrath
Question:843. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the entitlement of an Irish citizen, who worked and paid stamps in the UK for a long period, to a medical card here; if they must go through the normal means-tested process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19229/14]
View answerWritten answers
Regulation (EC) 883/04 and Implementing Regulation 987/09 provide for the coordination of social security systems, including healthcare, within the EU/EEA and Switzerland, with the aim of ensuring the free movement of persons. This objective of the Regulation is to ensure that persons exercising their right to move and to stay freely within the EU/EEA and Switzerland do not suffer disadvantage.
Medical cards may be issued to EU\EEA citizens residing in Ireland under EU Regulation 883/04 if the person is in receipt of a contributory social insurance payment from one or more of the Member States, provided they are not receiving a contributory social insurance payment from the Irish State. The same medical card eligibility may apply where an Irish citizen has worked in the UK or another EU/EEA state and is in receipt of a contributory social insurance payment from that member state, providing they are not receiving a contributory social insurance payment from the Irish State.
EU\EEA or Irish citizens who are in receipt of a qualifying payment from another member State should make an application for a Medical Card directly to the HSE. The application should be accompanied, as evidence that they are receiving a qualifying payment, by the relevant EU "S" form issued by the Member State making their payment. The position regarding the UK is that, under a reciprocal agreement, the EU "S" form is not required, however, proof of receipt of a qualifying payment from the UK authorities should be provided with the application to the HSE. Once this information is supplied the person is not required to complete a means test.
Hospital Appointment Status
Questions (844)
Bernard Durkan
Question:844. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if and when an urgent operation will be arranged in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19242/14]
View answerWritten 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 the particular query raised by the Deputy, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to him on this matter.
Health Services Expenditure
Questions (845)
Tony McLoughlin
Question:845. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Health if his Department or the Health Service Executive provide any financial supports for families who have to travel long distances to hospitals with children who require specialist cancer treatment for a long-term illness over and above the normal social protection payments; and if supports are available to parents who have travel, subsistence and accommodation costs because of the requirement to attend such professional facilities. [19246/14]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
Medical Card Reviews
Questions (846)
Billy Kelleher
Question:846. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health further to the Health Service Executive reviews of eligibility that are to be conducted in a risk-assessed manner for approximately one million medical card holders during 2014, the number of reviews that took place in March 2014; the number of medical cards discontinued as a result of these reviews; the number of reviews where a person's income exceeded the weekly income amounts set out in the health service medical card national assessment guidelines but a card was retained on the basis of the exercise of discretion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19248/14]
View answerWritten answers
The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available. However, I have asked the Health Service Executive to supply this information to me and I will forward it to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Medical Aids and Appliances Provision
Questions (847)
Bernard Durkan
Question:847. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if any assistance towards the provision of a wheelchair can be given in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19255/14]
View answerWritten answers
As 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.
Mental Health Services Provision
Questions (848)
Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Question:848. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Health if he will address concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied); the reason it has taken seven months to secure a meeting with the CAMH service in County Wexford for a person in residential care who has moved from County Kildare where they were in receipt of such services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19261/14]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
Infectious Disease Screening Service
Questions (849)
Tom Fleming
Question:849. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health his proposals to make the condition of Lyme disease more widely known to the general public and the medical profession including the causes of and the consequences of this disease; his views on the concerns of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19284/14]
View answerWritten answers
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre of the HSE is responsible for the surveillance of notifiable infectious diseases such as Lyme Disease. The HPSC intends to establish a Lyme Borreliosis Sub-Committee with the primary aim to examine best practice in prevention and surveillance of Lyme Disease and to develop strategies to undertake primary prevention in order to minimise harm caused by Lyme Borreliosis in Ireland. This will involve raising awareness among clinicians and the general public.
Each year Lyme Awareness week takes place and it is taking place from 28th April to 2nd May. As part of this awareness week, a supply of information will be made available to the public and attention will be drawn to a Tickborne Disease Toolkit, developed by the European Centre for Disease Control, which is available on the ECDC website. In addition, this toolkit is being modified for local use in Ireland with preliminary material already posted on the HPSC website. The HPSC has advised my Department that the ECDC has acknowledged that Ireland is the first country in the EU to take and modify this excellent material for local use. Part of the work of the Lyme Borreliosis Sub-Committee will be to explore methods to highlight such preventive material with the media and the general public.
Hospital Appointment Status
Questions (850)
Terence Flanagan
Question:850. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a hospital appointment in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19285/14]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
Health Services Staff
Questions (851)
Ciara Conway
Question:851. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to issues faced by residential health care staff working on sleepover duty in view of the fact that some residential care staff are expected to work 63 hours per week instead of the statutory 48; the reasons for same; if sleepover duty, where a member of staff is on-call while working overnight is part of the working week and if it is treated as such for pay purposes; his further views on whether these hours are in breach of EU and Irish working time legislation; his views on the low levels of hourly pay associated with sleepover duty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19288/14]
View answerWritten answers
The Haddington Road Agreement provides for a process of negotiation under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission in relation to this matter in respect of staff working in residential care settings. Following a referral to the Labour Court in early 2014, it was agreed that the matter should be referred back to the Labour Relations Commission for completion of discussions by 31 May 2014. This series of meetings has recently commenced and involves my Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the HSE, Service Providers and the Trade Unions representing the employees.
Hospital Beds Data
Questions (852)
Mattie McGrath
Question:852. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will provide clarification regarding hospitals charging the VHI for hospital bed use despite the fact that a significant number of patients never actually obtain the use of a bed but are subjected to the use of a hospital trolley alone for the duration of their treatment and stay at the hospital; if any methodology for billing purposes exists which takes note of the number of patients who have had to receive treatment on trolleys without admission to a ward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19290/14]
View answerWritten answers
Section 55 of the Health Act 1970, as amended, provides the framework for charging private in-patients in public hospitals. Section 13 of the 2013 Health (Amendment) Act introduced an amendment to Section 55 of the Health Act 1970. That section, which came into operation on 1 January 2014, provides that the HSE may provide private in-patient services to persons who are not entitled to, or who do not have or have waived eligibility to public in-patient services.
Section 55(1)(b) states that the "Health Service Executive shall make a charge in respect of any such in-patient services which are provided (i) in a hospital specified in the Fifth Schedule, or (ii) in a hospital specified in the Sixth Schedule, in accordance with the table of charges specified in the Fourth Schedule which relate to the hospital concerned."
Therefore, the charges applicable depend on the hospital treating the patient and on whether a person is accommodated in a single or multiple occupancy room or on a day case basis. Billing by individual hospitals is processed in accordance with the above arrangements. The application of a charge by a hospital for in-patient services is obligatory under the legislation. The charge is legally required for all private in-patient services provided in accordance with Section 55 of the Health Act.
Ambulance Service Response Times
Questions (853)
Heather Humphreys
Question:853. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for Health with regard to the deployment of ambulance and other medical emergency response vehicles, the consideration he has given for the use of mobile phone positioning technology that will give an accurate location to the emergency responders and precise coordinates of the location of the person who made the emergency call through their mobile phone, in order that the time taken to get to the scene of the emergency can be reduced, especially in areas that are not known to the emergency response personnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19296/14]
View answerWritten answers
In relation to the detailed query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to her directly.
Audiology Services Provision
Questions (854)
Willie O'Dea
Question:854. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that ten audiology graduates are now being told that their jobs are possibly going to be pulled and they are to pay back €20,000 each; if he is further aware that these ten persons were sent to train in the UK to gain the expertise required for senior positions and yet the Health Service Executive is attempting to hire them at a basic level; the reason the HSE is putting out tenders to private companies for large sums of money to get the waiting lists down when there are ten highly qualified persons waiting to be taken on; the reason the ten graduates are being discriminated against when applying for locum work when they are trained in Ireland, yet the HSE is recruiting and paying persons from outside the country at a much higher rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19300/14]
View answerWritten answers
As this is an operational matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
Health Services Staff
Questions (855)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:855. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health when County Kerry will have a suicide resource officer appointed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19306/14]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
Services for People with Disabilities
Questions (856, 886, 887, 888, 889, 890, 891)
Michael McNamara
Question:856. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health the annual total allocation from the HSE for people with disabilities in Clare for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19312/14]
View answerMichael McNamara
Question:886. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health the annual total allocation to NGOs within County Clare for services to people with disabilities for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19425/14]
View answerMichael McNamara
Question:887. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health the allocation to each NGO in County Clare in receipt of funding for services to disability in 2011, 2012 and 2013. [19426/14]
View answerMichael McNamara
Question:888. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health the number of persons with disabilities who benefitted from services he funds for person with disabilities within County Clare; and if he will provide a breakdown in respect of the Health Service Executive and each NGO. [19427/14]
View answerMichael McNamara
Question:889. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health the amount assigned to rent, transport and salaries for each NGO. [19428/14]
View answerMichael McNamara
Question:890. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health the number of organisations within County Clare who are providing services on a voluntary basis to persons with disabilities. [19429/14]
View answerMichael McNamara
Question:891. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health the number of disabled persons in County Clare who are awaiting aids and appliances for a time period in excess of six months. [19432/14]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 856 and 886 to 891, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy's questions relate to service matters, I have arranged for the questions to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.