Written Answers Nos. 147-154
147. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Health the reason the application for a medical card in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork will not be finalised by the PCRS, despite all the details required being supplied to them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46579/14]
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.
148. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Health his views on adding Souvenaid to the list of general medical services reimbursable items; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46584/14]
View answerThe Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products under the community drug schemes in accordance with the provisions of the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and 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.
149. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Health his views on adding bronchitis-asthma as illnesses qualifying for a long-term illness card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46590/14]
View answerThe LTI Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act, 1970 (as amended). Regulations were made in 1971, 1973 and 1975 specifying the conditions covered by the LTI Scheme, which are as follows: Acute Leukaemia; Mental handicap; Cerebral Palsy; Mental Illness (in a person under 16); Cystic Fibrosis; Multiple Sclerosis; Diabetes Insipidus; Muscular Dystrophies; Diabetes Mellitus; Parkinsonism; Epilepsy; Phenylketonuria; Haemophilia; Spina Bifida; Hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide. There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the LTI Scheme.
Under the Drug Payment Scheme, no individual or family pays more than €144 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The scheme significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals incurring ongoing expenditure on medicines.
Under the provisions of the Health Acts, medical cards are provided to persons who are, in the opinion of the Health Service Executive (HSE), unable without undue hardship to arrange GP services for themselves and their dependants. In the assessment process, the HSE can take into account medical costs incurred by an individual or a family.
150. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the business case for the siting of the proposed national children's hospital at St. James's Hospital; the advantages that site has which were the overriding factors in choosing to site the hospital there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46592/14]
View answerFollowing the refusal in 2012 of planning permission for the new children’s hospital at the Mater campus, Minister James Reilly TD established the Dolphin Group to review the options and make recommendations on next steps. The Group was not asked to select a site. The Dolphin Report was consistent with all previous reports on the new children’s hospital in concluding that co-location with an adult teaching hospital was essential, and tri-location with a maternity hospital was optimal. It concluded that, from a clinical and academic perspective, St James’s Hospital best met the criteria to be the adult partner in co-location. It has the broadest range of national specialties of all acute hospitals, as well as strong and well established research and education infrastructure. Co-location, and ultimately tri-location with a maternity hospital, on the St James's campus will support the provision of excellence in clinical care that our children deserve.
In making its decision, the Government considered the Dolphin Report as well as further detailed supplementary information on cost, time and planning which was sought from members of the Dolphin Group with the relevant technical expertise. The Government decision to locate the new children's hospital on the St James's campus was announced on 6 November 2012. The Dolphin report and the supplementary planning assessment were made available on the website of the Department of Health following the Government decision, as were submissions to the Dolphin Group.
Ireland's Children deserve a world class hospital. We have been promising it, and talking about it for too long now. It is time to build it.
151. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Health the progress being made on the intended regulation of clinical biochemists, dietitians, medical scientists, occupational therapists, orthoptists, physiotherapists, podiatrists, psychologists, radiographers, social care workers, social workers and speech and language therapists and the HETAC report on education standards in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46602/14]
View answerThe Health and Social Care Professionals Council and the registration boards established under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 are responsible for protecting the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct and professional education, training and competence amongst the professions designated under the Act. The 12 professions designated under the Act are clinical biochemists, dietitians, medical scientists, occupational therapists, orthoptists, physiotherapists, podiatrists, psychologists, radiographers, social care workers, social workers and speech and language therapists.
The first registration board to be established, the Social Workers Registration Board, was established in August 2010, and the associated Social Workers Register opened for receipt and processing of applicants on 31st May 2011. Registration Boards subsequently established included those for radiographers, dietitians, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and physiotherapists. The Social Care Workers Registration Board was established on 1st December 2014 and I am currently in the process of considering a number of suitably qualified and experienced candidates for appointment to the new board. This brings to seven the number of registration boards established to date. I hope to establish the registration boards for the remaining designated professions in 2015.
An important element of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 is protection of the public. Provision is made under the Act for a "Fitness to Practice" regime to deal with complaints and disciplinary sanctions in relation to registrants. This provision of the Act, which is to be commenced from the end of this year, will allow concerned members of the public to make a complaint about a registrant. If upheld, disciplinary sanctions can be imposed, including preventing the registrant from practising their profession. The implementation and operation of a robust "Fitness to Practice" process will underpin and ensure adequate client safety.
I assume the question is referring to the Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) (formerly HETAC) Awards Standards. The QQI Awards Standards determine in broad terms the standards of knowledge, skills and competence for the purposes of education and training awards at different academic levels. The various education and training programmes which seek professional approval by the relevant registration boards would be expected to meet the relevant QQI academic standards.
152. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the reason there is such a short timeframe during which applications may be made for redress under the scheme from women who underwent the procedure of symphysiotomy; and his views that the short timeframe for receipt of applications could have the effect of excluding women who underwent the procedure of symphysiotomy but have since emigrated and are no longer resident in this jurisdiction or women who underwent the procedure but who are now suffering from dementia. [46608/14]
View answerThe Surgical Symphysiotomy Payment Scheme commenced on 10th November 2014. Government has agreed that the Scheme will also include payments for the small number of women who have had a pubiotomy. The Scheme is designed to be simple, straightforward and non-adversarial, and aims to minimise the stress for the women concerned. Many are elderly and may not want to experience the delay, publicity and financial risks that sometimes come with a court case. I met the three support groups representing the women last September and their views have helped to shape the Scheme. The Scheme is supported by two of the three groups.
Judge Maureen Harding Clark, retired High Court Judge has been appointed as independent Assessor to the Scheme. Judge Clark, from her previous work on the Lourdes Hospital Redress Scheme, brings valuable experience to the role of determining the appropriate level of award for each individual.
The Symphysiotomy Scheme is open to women who are still living and who underwent a surgical symphysiotomy or pubiotomy in the State between the years 1940 and 1990. Awards of €50,000, €100,000 and €150,000 will be offered. Details of the Terms of the Scheme and how to access application forms have been widely advertised.
Awards will be exempt from tax and legislation is being put in place as a matter of urgency to ensure they are also exempt from being taken into consideration for means tested welfare schemes and for the Nursing Home Support Scheme.
It is not a requirement for a woman to retain a Solicitor to make an application. However, the Scheme makes provision for applicants to have legal and other advice available to them in preparing to submit an application if they wish.
Applications must be made within 20 working days of the Commencement Date, which was 10 November, 2014. The Closing Date for receipt of applications is therefore Friday 5 December 2014. In exceptional circumstances, Judge Clark has discretion to extend the time for receipt of applications by an additional 20 working days, that is, to Wednesday, 14 January 2015. It is important to note that in the event of a delay arising in the compilation of a woman's supporting documentation due to difficulty in obtaining medical records, the application should be submitted within the time period set out in the Scheme with a written explanation of the reasons for the absence of the documentation. The details of this provision are set out in the terms and conditions of the Scheme, which are available on the Scheme’s website.
Judge Clark reported that by last Friday, 28 November more than 140 women had applied for awards under the Scheme and to date conditional offers have been made totalling €1,450,000. There are 4 working days left to apply, including today and I would urge every eligible woman or her representative to submit her application within the appointed timeframe.
My Department will be making payments in the case of 7 women shortly and others should have payments before Christmas.
The Scheme is voluntary and I would like to emphasise that women will not waive their rights to take their cases to court as a precondition to participating in the Scheme. Women may opt out of the Scheme at any stage in the process, up to the time of accepting their award. It is only on accepting the offer of an award that a woman must agree to discontinue her legal proceedings against any party arising out of a symphysiotomy or pubiotomy.
Government hopes the implementation of this Scheme will help to bring closure on this issue for the women concerned and their families.
153. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Health the measures that have been taken to address the delays in the fair deal scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46622/14]
View answerThe HSE controls the release of funding to manage the funds that are available across the course of the year. Funding is released to approved applicants according to their place, in order of their approval date, on the national placement list. Over the course of the year to date, demand has exceeded what could be funded and the national placement list has grown as a result.
I am aware that waiting times on the Nursing Homes Support Scheme placement list are now at around 14 weeks. This is not a satisfactory situation and I am trying to address it.
In July this year, the HSE allocated €5 million 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 from the placement list for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme and over 200 home care packages to assist patients in the acute hospitals who require a home care package to be discharged.
The Government has provided additional funding of €25 million in 2015 to address delayed discharges, of which €10 million will be allocated to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme. This is expected to reduce the waiting times that currently apply. In the longer term this issue requires an integrated response across primary, community, and residential services and my Department is working closely with the HSE to ensure that available resources are deployed in the most effective way possible.
The Review of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme which is currently underway will consider the future funding and sustainability of the Scheme as well as how community and residential services are balanced. This Review will be completed in the coming months.
154. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) in County Kildare qualifies for medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46653/14]
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.
