Written Answers Nos 615-631
615. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Health the reasons a person (details supplied) in County Cavan who attends a Health Service Executive service in County Longford cannot receive speech therapy treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41172/14]
View answerAs the particular issue raised by the Deputy relates to an individual case, this is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
616. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will reverse the €75,000 cut to a centre (details supplied) in County Westmeath. [41183/14]
View answerThe Government is fully committed to ensuring the on-going delivery of vital services and supports to people with disabilities within available resources.
In budget 2015, additional funding has been provided to the HSE to address identified priority needs within disability services, including
- €12m for the emerging needs of young people with a disability leaving school and those leaving Rehabilitation Training (RT) who will require a day place, and
- €6m to deliver the required increase in services for children with disabilities, including autism, and to reduce waiting lists under the Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People (0-18s) Programme.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) is currently in the process of preparing its 2015 National Service Plan including its disability services programme for children and adults with disabilities. It is not expected that the HSE will be in a position to comment on the funding of individual disability organisations until this process has been completed.
In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy on St. Hilda's, as this is a service issue, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with the HSE.
617. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Health the plans that are in place to tackle the long waiting times for the fair deal nursing home scheme; his views that it is acceptable that scarce hospital beds are being taken up by patients who cannot take up their residency in nursing homes until the scheme is processed which is taking up to 16 weeks at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41192/14]
View answer646. Deputy John Browne asked the Minister for Health his plans to improve the waiting list times for approval of funding for the fair deal scheme for persons awaiting funding and suffering from ill-health as County Wexford applicants are forced to wait at least 15 weeks for approval for funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41294/14]
View answer710. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health if waiting times for fund release under the fair deal scheme is currently at 15 weeks; the action being taken to reduce these waiting times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41587/14]
View answer734. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting placement under the fair deal scheme; the average waiting time for such a placement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41784/14]
View answer743. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the growing waiting lists for the allocation of funding for the fair deal scheme and the financial hardship it is causing families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41811/14]
View answer762. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health his plans to address the waiting list and the the delay in approving funding for the fair deal scheme. [41922/14]
View answer784. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health his plans to restore the fair deal programme's funding. [42019/14]
View answer810. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health his plans to deal with the backlog which currently exists in progressing applicants of the fair deal scheme into suitable nursing home/residential care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42190/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 617, 646, 710, 734, 743, 762, 784 and 810 together.
Applications for financial support under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme are normally processed within 3-4 weeks. Once a determination has been made, approved applicants are put on the placement list in order of their approval date and funding issues to applicants in this chronological order to ensure equity nationally. As of the 28th of October 2014 (latest figures available) there were 2,135 people on the Nursing Homes Support Scheme's national placement List with a wait time for funding release of just over 15 weeks.
The HSE operates the national placement list for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme to enable it to operate within budget. Funding of €939 million is available to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme in 2014. Approximately 515 new approvals for funding are issued each month. However over the course of the year to date, demand for nursing home places has been at approximately 640 per month. The national placement list has grown as a result of this increased demand. The scheme continues to take on new clients within the resources available, in accordance with the legislation. In the first eight months of 2014, 3,928 new clients were funded under the scheme.
While €23 million was transferred from the Nursing Homes Support Scheme in 2014 to provide additional community services, this was with a view to allowing more older people to be supported in their own homes and communities for longer, and to develop new, more intensive home and community supports for those with higher or more complex needs. This is in line with both Government policy and with the expressed wishes of older people. In addition, the HSE allocated €5m in July this year for an initiative to improve access to appropriate care for older people. To date this has funded over 300 transitional care beds for patients in acute hospitals who are on the NHSS national placement list and over 200 home care packages to assist patients in the acute hospitals who require a home care package to be discharged.
A further €25 million has been allocated to tackle the problem of delayed discharges in budget 2015. This will help with placement list waiting times and the pressure in acute hospitals resulting from beds being taken up by those who no longer require acute care.
618. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if senior officials at a hospice (details supplied) are still in receipt of top-up payments; if so, the persons in receipt of them; and the amount they are in receipt of. [41193/14]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
619. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the Health Service Executive's criteria for allowing the continuation of top-up payments in some instances as a business case. [41194/14]
View answerAs the Deputy's question appears to relate to top-up payments in Section 38 agencies, I have asked the HSE to respond directly on this matter. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
620. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health when a hospice (details supplied) in Dublin 6W awarded a contract to a company; if the Health Service Executive's tender competition rules were followed with regards to declarations of interest by declaring that the chief executive of the hospice is related to a director in the company. [41195/14]
View answerThis issue has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
621. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health if he will award national lottery funding for an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41198/14]
View answerMy Department has received an application for funding from the 2014 National Lottery allocation from the organisation in question. This is one of a large number of applications currently being assessed by my Department. The organisation will be informed of the outcome of the application as soon as a decision has been made.
622. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health his views on staffing levels and shortages at the country's largest paediatrics diabetes centre in a hospital (details supplied) in Dublin 12. [41208/14]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
623. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the numbers on the waiting list for speech and language therapy in County Kildare. [41214/14]
View answer624. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of vacancies for speech and language therapists in County Kildare and when these will be filled. [41215/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 623 and 624 together.
As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
625. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the numbers on the waiting list for occupational therapy in County Kildare. [41216/14]
View answer626. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of vacancies for occupational therapists in County Kildare; and when these will be filled. [41217/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 625 and 626 together.
As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
627. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will receive occupational and speech and language therapy as recommended by the Health Service Executive as this person has been on the waiting list for over three and a half years; and the reason that his position on the waiting list has not changed during this time. [41218/14]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
628. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the cross-Border agreement that had been in place for ten years to cater for maxillofacial surgery to be carried out in Altnagelvin Hospital for patients from counties Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal; if this has been reneged on following a meeting from management of the relevant hospitals two weeks ago; if the service that was being funded by the Health Service Executive had funding removed; if Altnagelvin Hospital have withdrawn from the service due to this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41220/14]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
629. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Health if he will assist in the provision of a medical card to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who is blind and is receiving ongoing medical treatment for a number of illnesses; if he will expedite this application as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41222/14]
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.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
