Written Answers Nos. 461-478
461. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Health the initiatives to deal with obesity that have been taken in past ten years; the programmes or proposed programmes being rolled out to deal with this problem; and if a specific budget is being set aside for this purpose. [4788/15]
View answerThe National Task Force on Obesity completed its work in 2005. An Inter-Sectoral Group on Obesity, comprising relevant Government Departments and key stake-holders, was established early in 2009 to oversee and monitor implementation of the Task Force recommendations. Its report, published in April 2009, detailed the progress made on each of the 93 recommendations. It showed that significant progress was made in the case of 32% of the recommendations, partial implementation occurred on 31%, action progressed on a further 28%, leaving 9% where little progress was reported.
Since 2009 work on initiatives to tackle obesity is continuing and progress has been made in a number of key areas:
- A suite of guidelines and algorithms e.g. guidelines for treatment of adults with the ICGP, guidelines for treatment of Children with the Faculty of Paediatrics and the ICGP, Guidelines for before, during and after pregnancy in conjunction with the Faculty for Obstetrics and Gynaecology & ICGP. Currently the HSE is developing the last of these guidelines which looks at men between the ages of 35 and 65.
- Development of Physical Activity Plan for Ireland and the development of a "one stop shop" website for physical activity (www.getirelandactive.ie) in conjunction with Department of Health, Department of Education and Skills, Department of Transport, Department of Environment, Department of Sport, Representatives of the County Managers, Academic Institutions and the Irish Sports Council.
- Development of Healthy Eating Guidelines and food pyramid.
- Setting up Research and Surveillance Systems e.g. Growing Up in Ireland and the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative.
- Social Marketing Campaigns in conjunction with safefood e.g. Little Steps, Stop the Spread and the three multimedia childhood obesity campaign.
In 2011 the then Minister for Health established the Special Action Group on Obesity (SAGO), comprising representatives from Department of Health, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, The Department of Education and Skills, the Health Service Executive, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and Safefood to examine and progress a number of issues to address the problem of obesity.
Progress has been made on the Healthy Eating guidelines, Calories on Menus initiative and the Report on Recommendations to reduce consumption of high fat, salt and sugar foods and drinks from the Top Shelf of the Food Pyramid. Treatment algorithms are available for those in Primary Care health services. Arising out of the Irish Presidency of the EU an Action Plan on Childhood Obesity has been developed and Ireland is playing a key role in this initiative. In relation to funding:
- The HSE grant aids a number of organisations and voluntary bodies to help in reducing obesity in Ireland in a more targeted way e.g. Healthy Food For All, Irish Heart Foundation, Irish Cancer Society, Special Olympics, Community Games, Local Sports Partnerships and Diabetes Federation of Ireland.
- Providing funding for treatment of obese individuals and hence the establishment of adult obesity treatment centres (including Bariatric surgery) and one paediatric treatment centre.
- The HSE does not have a financial system that indicates clearly the level of funding for obesity but the HSE confirms that it employs Endocrinologists, Paediatricians, Surgeons, Allied Health Professionals (Physiotherapists, Physical Activity Co-ordinators, Dieticians, Health Promotion Officers), Public Health Nurses, Practice Nurses, Psychologists and Family Therapists. They all have an implied responsibility for treatment and prevention of overweight and obesity.
462. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive an appointment to see a consultant in Letterkenny General Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4790/15]
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 particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly. If he has 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.
463. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health his plans to bring forward new legislation with regard to hospital groups; if there is a statutory basis for their establishment or any requirement for such; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4792/15]
View answerThe establishment of hospital groups was committed to in ‘Future Health: A Strategic Framework for Reform of the Health Service 2012-2015’ which was approved by Government in November 2012 and is a key building block in delivering on the Programme for Government commitment to fundamentally reform our health services.
The Reports ‘The Establishment of Hospital Groups as a transition to Independent Hospital Trusts’ (DoH, 2013) and ‘Securing the Future of Smaller Hospitals: A Framework for Development’ (HSE, 2013), provide the foundations for the reorganisation of hospital services into Hospital Groups, each with its own governance and management, that will deliver high quality, safe patient care in a cost effective manner. Within Hospital Groups, all hospitals, irrespective of size, will work together in an integrated way.
While Future Health sets the broad direction of travel for reforming the system, it was always made clear that an incremental approach to implementation would be taken. Future Health specifically referred to a “reform-learn-reform” approach being taken to the process which would enable us to make changes to the proposed approach while simultaneously making progress towards the final structures and delivering tangible improvements as we go.
Seven hospital groups have been established on a non-statutory administrative basis. My priority for 2015 is to get all the Hospital Groups up and running as single cohesive entities before then moving towards developing the appropriate underlying legislation as part of the wider structural reforms.
464. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if negotiations involving his Department, the Health Service Executive and the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association for a successor drug pricing agreement to the three-year deal agreed in October 2012 have commenced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4795/15]
View answerNegotiations have not yet commenced on a successor agreement.
465. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of persons currently awaiting placement under the fair deal scheme; the average waiting time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4798/15]
View answerOn the 28th January 2015 (latest figures available) there were 1,332 people on the national placement list for funding with an average wait time of 11 weeks.
466. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the progress to date in the determination of an application for the fair deal scheme in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4799/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply. If he has 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.
467. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if and when respite care will be arranged in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who is cared for by her daughter on an ongoing basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4806/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply. If he has 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.
468. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 311 of 9 December 2014, when a reply will issue. [4810/15]
View answerIn relation to the particular patient query raised by the Deputy, I have again asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly. If he has 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.
469. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an application for an assessment of need in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4811/15]
View answerAs the issue raised by the Deputy relates to an individual case, this is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. I have asked the HSE to look into the particular matter raised and to reply directly to the Deputy. If he has 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.
470. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if an appointment for assessment for a hip operation will be arranged at an early date in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Carlow as the case is deemed urgent by her general practitioner who has written four letters requesting immediate action in the case; if he will expedite the matter; and the reason for the delay. [4815/15]
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 the Deputy directly. If he has 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.
471. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 89 of 15 October 2014, his views on the allowable deductions under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Allowable Deductions) Regulations 2014, with particular reference to the €31 per week deduction for a couple with a child; his further views on whether that adequately reflects the cost of maintaining a child, that any deduction of a greater amount reflecting the real cost of maintaining a dependent child is permitted by the regulations only where payments are made in that regard under a separation agreement or pursuant to a court order; that the regulations in this respect are unfair, discriminate against a child being cared for within the family and are unsustainable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4822/15]
View answerThe Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Allowable Deductions) Regulations 2014, which came into effect on the 1st September 2014, expanded the definition of "Allowable Deductions" in the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009 to allow the HSE to make allowance for dependent children.
The Regulations are not arbitrary but are based on rates applied elsewhere by the Department of Social Protection. Under the Regulations, the HSE may deduct from the means assessed for the Scheme the equivalent of Child Benefit, plus the full rate of the Increase for a Qualified Child in respect of each dependent child. ( Individuals in receipt of certain Social Welfare payments may claim an Increase for a Qualified Child for each qualified child under the age of 18 who lives with, and is being maintained by, the claimant. The increase may also be paid in respect of a child between 18-22 if s/he is in full-time education at a recognised school/college. The full rate of the Increase for a Qualified Child is €29.80 per week (€119.20 ever 4 weeks).)
The costs of caring for children, where it is relevant, will also be taken into account by deducting a fixed amount from declared means equivalent to the amounts allowed for dependent children for the purposes of medical card income assessments.
472. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Health his views on the role of the arts in the health service; if there is evidence that investment in this area is worthwhile; his plans to further invest in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4834/15]
View answerThe Minister is aware of the clear evidence of the importance of art in health, wellness and well-being. Art therapy is frequently used in mental health services. The Minister has no specific plans in relation to policy development related to art. The Minister has referred this Parliamentary Question to the mental health services in the Health Service Executive for their additional response. If he has 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.
473. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Health the way the lifting of the moratorium on recruitment in the public sector will affect front-line hospital staff; the impact he envisages this measure will have on staffing levels in hospitals; the way the ending of the moratorium will affect nurses' staffing levels in the Health Service Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4842/15]
View answerThe Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced in budget 2014 that he intends to delegate greater autonomy to Departments and Agencies to manage their own staffing levels. The change from the application of a rigid employment control framework, with its particular focus on a moratorium on recruitment and compliance with employment ceilings and targets, to one operating strictly within allocated pay frameworks will allow for recruitment where it is determined that this can achieve more economical service delivery. It will also allow continuation of the policy of recruiting front line staff where necessary to ensure service delivery.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has advised that the HSE and Department of Health will be required to submit a 2015 Pay and Numbers Strategy. Following approval of the strategy by DPER, a letter of delegated sanction for staffing will be issued. Pending this sanction, the existing moratorium and ECF arrangements will continue to apply.
The number of nurses employed has increased by nearly 500 in the past 12 months. This increase can be attributed to the very positive initiatives undertaken by the HSE to reduce reliance on agency and to offer contracts of employment where agency can be replaced by full time posts. The HSE is actively recruiting to fill 1,600 approved nursing posts. These are across all grades and all divisions of the register spanning acute hospitals, community, ID and mental health. Many of these posts are currently being filled on a temporary or an acting basis. Following a high profile online campaign at the end of 2014 the HSE is currently processing 3,700.
There will always be certain posts that are difficult to attract suitably qualified candidates to and individual strategies are developed for these in conjunction with the line managers. Where front-line staffing shortages exist, the HSE makes alternative arrangements to ensure continued service provision, including recourse to agency cover. However, it is preferable that sufficient numbers of nurses are recruited to permanent posts to support the most efficient and effective delivery of services.
474. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Health the way the lifting of the moratorium on recruitment in the public sector will affect hospital staff numbers in County Galway; the plans by Saolta University Healthcare Group to replace agency staff with full-time permanent positions due to the lifting of the moratorium; if he will provide a breakdown of the number of full-time positions that have been provided thus far; the number it plans to provide in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4843/15]
View answerThe Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced in budget 2014 that he intends to delegate greater autonomy to Departments and Agencies to manage their own staffing levels. The change from the application of a rigid employment control framework, with its particular focus on a moratorium on recruitment and compliance with employment ceilings and targets, to one operating strictly within allocated pay frameworks will allow for recruitment across all hospital groups, including Saolta, where it is determined that this can achieve more economical service delivery.
The Department for Public Expenditure and Reform has advised that the HSE and Department of Health will be required to submit a 2015 Pay and Numbers Strategy. Following approval of the strategy by DPER, a letter of delegated sanction for staffing will be issued. Pending this sanction, the existing moratorium and ECF arrangements will continue to apply.
I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on the aspect of the question that relates specifically to Co Galway and the Saolta University Healthcare Group. If he has 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.
475. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the details of arthritis services in County Mayo; if he will ensure that a full-time rheumatologist be appointed to Mayo General Hospital in view of the under-provision of specialists in the county and the large number of people with the condition; if he will ensure that such a clinician is appointed in view of the fact that staff must currently travel in order to care for patients, one day a week, in turn wasting time on a commute that could be better spent on clinical duties; and that the quality of life of those with this, at times, debilitating condition, is reduced by travelling long distances for basic care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4861/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly. If he has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
476. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health regarding the health information Bill the consultation process that has taken place; if he will provide a list of those who have been directly involved in the consultation, as well as those who have made submissions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4867/15]
View answerExtensive consultation has taken place on the Health Information Bill, including a public consultation process. Subsequent ongoing consultation is also taking place with a number of other stakeholders, in particular the HSE, HIQA, the Data Protection Commissioner and the Health Research Board. Because of the changes to the Bill since the general scheme was first approved by Government, I intend to bring a revised general scheme of the Health Information Bill to Government in the coming months and then to forward the revised general scheme to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children for pre-legislative scrutiny.
In addition to Government Departments and four individuals, the following made submissions during the public consultation process:
1. The Adelaide and Meath Hospital Dublin incorporating the National Children’s Hospital
2. An Bord Altranais (now known as the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland)
3. Baronscourt Technology Limited
4. Central Statistics Office
5. Caring for Carers
6. Citizens Information Board
7. Clinical Ethics Committee of the Bon Secours Health System
8. Competition Authority
9. Consumers Association of Ireland
10. CORI Health Office
11. Crisis Pregnancy Agency
12. Data Protection Commissioner
13. Disability Federation of Ireland
14. Economic and Social Research Institute
15. Faculty of Public Health Medicine
16. Food Safety Authority of Ireland
17. Global Standards 1 (Ireland) Limited
18. Health Information and Quality Authority
19. Health Research Board
20. Health Service Executive
21. Information Commissioner/Ombudsman
22. Institute of Community Health Nursing
23. Institute of Public Health in Ireland
24. Irish Association of Palliative Care
25. Irish Cancer Society
26. Irish Hospice Foundation
27. Irish Human Rights Commission
28. Irish Medical Organisation
29. Irish Medicines Board (now known as the Health Products Regulatory Authority)
30. Irish Patients Association
31. Irish Platform for Patients’ Organisations, Science & Industry
32. Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association
33. Irish Pharmacy Union
34. Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists
35. Molecular Medicine Ireland
36. National Cancer Registry Board
37. National Council on Ageing and Older People
38. National Disability Authority
39. National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre
40. Not for Profit Business Association (CRC, Cheshire Foundation, Enable, Gandon Enterprises, Irish Wheelchair Association, NCBI, National Learning Network, RehabCare)
41 Pavee Point Travellers Centre
42. Pharmaceutical Society
43. The Rotunda Hospital
44. Royal College of Physicians in Ireland
45. Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
46. Rehab Group
47. St. James’s Hospital
48. Women’s Health Council.
477. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that the national waiting list management protocol system with its stated waiting time of eight months as it pertains to scheduled care treatment is operating in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4877/15]
View answerThe Government is committed to reducing numbers on waiting lists for scheduled care, with particular focus on those waiting in excess of 18 months. The HSE has already put in place specific measures to address waiting lists more efficiently in collaboration with acute hospitals, the SDU and the NTPF. These include observation of the National Waiting List Management Protocol (2014), adherence to relevant HSE National Clinical Programme guidelines and prioritising Day-of-surgery admission where clinically appropriate.
The National Waiting List Management Protocol, 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 protocol, which has been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes by which hospitals are to manage waiting lists.
The scheduling of appointments for individual patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred taking into account his or her clinical need. 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 particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly. If he has 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.
478. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the measures in place to deal with waiting lists for necessary investigations and treatments; and his views on an acceptable waiting time for investigations where the timing of diagnosis may affect the prognosis. [4886/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly. If he has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
