Written Answers Nos. 486-506
486. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if the level of disposable income left to a person (details supplied) in a residential institution in County Kerry will be reviewed, in order that the person will have a better quality of life and in view of the history of neglect and abuse at the hands of the State that this person has suffered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48178/14]
View answerAs this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE 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.
487. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the availability of respite services available to users of a facility (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48183/14]
View answerThe vision for the Health Service Executive's Disability Services Programme is to contribute to the realisation of a society where people with disabilities are supported, as far as possible, to participate to their full potential in economic and social life, and have access to a range of quality personal social supports and services including respite care to enhance their quality of life.
In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, 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.
488. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health when this Deputy will receive a substantive reply to correspondence (details supplied) sent to him dated 23 October 2014; the reason for the delay in dealing with this correspondence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48191/14]
View answerThe HSE published an audit of crisis pregnancy counselling services on 10 December last. This audit was undertaken following publication of an article in a national newspaper alleging breaches of the law relating to crisis pregnancy counselling practice. This matter is being considered by my Department and a reply will issue early next week.
489. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in responding to a freedom of information request in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if he will expedite the matter. [48194/14]
View answerThere is no record in the Department of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from the person mentioned by the Deputy. I understand that there is no record of any FOI request in the HSE region local to person mentioned. Under the FOI Act, each prescribed body is separately and solely responsible for fulfilling its obligations under the FOI Act. The Act also provides for an appeals process, should any prescribed body fail to meet its obligations.
If the Deputy has any further detail, he may contact the Freedom of Information Unit in the Department.
490. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health if progress has been made with the proposal to introduce a minimum unit pricing policy for alcohol, which has been recommended for a considerable period, as an important policy instrument in fighting alcohol harm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48196/14]
View answerThe Government has approved an extensive package of measures to deal with alcohol misuse to be incorporated in a Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. These measures are based on the recommendations contained in the Steering Group Report on a National Substance Misuse Strategy, 2012 and include provisions for the introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol products. Work on developing a framework for the necessary Department of Health legislation is continuing and it is intended to publish a General Scheme of a Bill in January.
491. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if an individual transport arrangement will be put in place in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if he will expedite the matter. [48218/14]
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 my officials will follow the matter up.
492. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if the cost of care in a hospital in Germany in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny will be covered as promised by his Department and the Health Service Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48220/14]
View answerUnder EU Regulations supporting the free movement of people within the EU/EEA and Switzerland, health care is provided to persons visiting a member state on the basis of their link with the social security system of their home member state. In general the entitlement for persons from other member states is established through the use of relevant "E Forms". The health care of persons on temporary stay or vacation is established through the use of the European Health Insurance Card, which are issued in this country by the HSE. Holders of a European Health Insurance Card can get necessary health care in the public system of any EU / EEA country or Switzerland, should they become ill or injured while on a temporary stay in that country. The Card does not cover the cost of treatment in a private setting. Public health care systems vary from country to country, and few member states will pay the full cost of health care for holders of the Card but will provide care under the same conditions as apply to public patients resident in the state.
Where a person travels abroad without their European Health Insurance Card and requires treatment, a Temporary Replacement Certificate, which gives the same entitlement as the Card but for a shorter period, can be issued by the relevant local HSE Health Office. In the case of the individual concerned, I am advised by the HSE Community Care office in Kilkenny that the appropriate engagement has been made with the German hospital to ensure this individual receives his entitlements under the EU Regulations.
493. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a waiting list in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48230/14]
View answerThe National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, 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, as 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 my officials will follow the matter up with them.
494. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health if a hospital appointment will be expedited in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48240/14]
View answerThe National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, 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, as 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 my officials will follow the matter up with them.
495. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health the amount of capital expenditure his Department has spent on Kerry General Hospital between 2011 and 2014; and his views regarding the same. [48245/14]
View answerThe Health Service Executive is responsible for expenditure incurred on capital projects. Therefore your question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up on the matter.
496. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Health when the Health Service Executive commissioned inquiries into Áras Attracta in County Mayo will be completed; his views that these should be finished as quickly as is possible, that is, before year end; his further views on the RTE "Prime Time" programme of 9 December 2014; and his plans to restore confidence for the residents and the families of residents of those in care centres across the country. [48246/14]
View answerI am shocked and distressed by the revelations of extremely poor and unacceptable standards of care and mistreatment of vulnerable residents in Áras Attracta. Every person who uses disability services is entitled to expect and receive supports of the highest standard and to live in an atmosphere of safety and care. This is particularly important for vulnerable people in residential care whose families have entrusted them to the care of professional staff.
The allegations of mistreatment in the Prime Time programme are very disturbing and need to be fully investigated. In that regard, I welcome the immediate response of the HSE, following receipt of these serious allegations, to alert the Gardaí and HIQA and for the protection of both residents and staff themselves, to put a number of staff ‘off-duty’ while the allegations are being investigated. I am assured that staffing levels are being appropriately maintained to deliver safe care to all residents.
I also welcome and support the HSE’s initiation of both an expert investigation into these serious allegations chaired by Mr Christy Lynch and an independently chaired review of the services provided at this facility, led by Dr Kevin McCoy.
Mr. Lynch's investigation will examine in particular the practices, behaviours and attitudes of the staff of Unit 3 and will form an important input into the disciplinary process which must be undertaken by the HSE.
Dr. McCoy's review will focus on assuring the quality and safety of care of residents in Áras Attracta. This will be informed by earlier work done by both the HSE and HIQA and will seek to identify any gaps and any contributory and/or causal factors. It will make recommendations so as to eliminate, in any way it is possible to do so, any risk of harm occurring in the future.
I understand that the Director General of the HSE has written to all staff informing them that the onus is on them to take personal responsibility for their actions to ensure that the individuals supported by the HSE in any setting are treated with dignity and respect.
The HSE’s new National Policy and Procedures for Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons at Risk of Abuse, which I launched with the HSE on 5 December 2014, clears the way for staff members in HSE and non-HSE facilities, and members of the public, to refer allegations of abuse to designated reporting individuals.
This new policy, places an onus on providers of services to vulnerable people to appoint a Designated Officer to both receive and follow up on concerns and reports of abuse. Under the new policy it is the responsibility of all staff and service providers to ensure the protection and welfare of vulnerable people. In each Community Health care Organisation, a Safeguarding and Protection Team will work in partnership with all relevant service providers to ensure that concerns and complaints are addressed.
This policy complements the statutory inspection by HIQA of nursing homes and residential centres for people with a disability and is very welcome. I also welcome the public appeal made by the Chief Executive of HIQA to encourage any persons who have concerns about the treatment of vulnerable persons in our disability services to contact HIQA. He has emphasised that the matter will be taken very seriously and looked at in the context of HIQA’s very significant regulatory powers of inspection of residential facilities.
A system wide process is now commencing, with the establishment of a National Implementation Taskforce. A 6 step programme will be implemented and monitored and will focus on implementation of Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons at Risk of Abuse; National Policy & Procedures; Advocacy; Evaluation and Practice Improvement; National Summit (Tuesday 16 December) to improve Client Safety, Dignity, Respect & Culture Change; implementation plan for any recommendations arising from the assurance review of residential services in Áras Attracta when complete; development of long term sustainable & evidence based safeguarding practices and training programmes specific to residential settings; implementation of Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons at Risk of Abuse; national policy & procedures.
I am not in a position at this early stage to indicate when the HSE will have completed its enquiries into the allegations of mistreatment in Áras Attracta. However, I agree with the Deputy that the process should be completed as speedily as possible.
497. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form for each year the allocation provided for the congregated settings fund since 2011. [48256/14]
View answerThe HSE’s report “Time to Move on from Congregated Settings – A Strategy for Community Inclusion”,(2011) proposes a new model of support in the community by moving people from institutional settings to the community, over a seven year time frame.
The plan will be rolled out at a regional and local level and will involve full consultation. In terms of housing, the Department of Health and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government are working in collaboration to support the transition of people with a disability from institutions to social housing in the community under the Government's National Housing Strategy for People with Disability 2011 to 2016. As part of the implementation process, in 2013 and 2014 one million euro was transferred from the Department of Health’s Vote to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government’s Vote to provide for the ring-fenced social housing costs of up to 150 people leaving disability or mental health institutions.
498. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Health his plans to reduce the numbers of persons on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick; if he will provide a timeframe regarding the implementations of this plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48261/14]
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 my officials will follow the matter up.
499. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the development and provision of primary health care centres in the mid-west region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48266/14]
View answerThe HSE has responsibility for the provision of Primary Care Centres; therefore, this 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.
500. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 351 of 30 September 2014, if he will confirm that St. Joseph's Hospital, Ardee, County Louth, will receive promised funding of €750,000 to facilitate a capital build project to ensure the hospital's compliance with Health Information and Quality Authority standards. [48289/14]
View answerAs indicated in Minister Varadkar's reply of 30 September 2014, any proposed capital build project must be considered in the context of the HSE's multi-annual capital programme. All community nursing units (CNUs) including those delivered in recent years will require some level of capital funding in order to meet compliance standards. Funding will range from a few hundred euro for the more recently delivered CNUs to more considerable sums for older buildings and protected buildings such as St Joseph's Ardee. The Executive is required to prioritise infrastructure projects within its overall capital envelope taking into account the existing capital commitments and costs of completion over the period. The method and timescale for the delivery of health care infrastructure is a dynamic process which is constantly evolving to take account of changing circumstances, including the feasibility of implementation.
The HSE has submitted its draft Capital Plan for the period 2015-2019 which has been approved by Minister Varadkar. It also requires the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform which will be sought shortly. Although the Plan is multi-annual it requires annual approval and consent. Details of the plan will be published by the Executive following its approval.
501. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Health the reason assurances provided to a local voluntary association (details supplied) at a meeting with representatives from the Health Service Executive have not been honoured; the reason that day care services have not been restored to their traditional location; if he will intervene as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48290/14]
View answerAs this is a service matter it 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.
502. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a hospital appointment in respect of a child (details supplied) in Dublin 13; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48294/14]
View answerThe scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and hospital involved. In relation to the specific case raised by the Deputy, as 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 my officials will follow the matter up.
503. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Health if consultant costs incurred by persons with no medical cards and no private health insurance are allowable as health expenses when applications for persons over 70 who have illnesses are assessed by the primary care reimbursement service on an under-70s basis; if they are allowable when an appeal is being considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48299/14]
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.
504. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that online medical card applications allow for medical evidence to be uploaded to allow for consideration of discretionary medical cards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48300/14]
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.
505. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Health if a child (details supplied) in County Wicklow diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome can qualify for a medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48306/14]
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.
506. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) in County Carlow has been refused free patient transport to Waterford University Hospital after availing of the service for many years. [48314/14]
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 my officials will follow the matter up.
