Tuesday, 22 Sep 2015

Hospital Beds Data

Questions (824)

Gerry Adams

Question:

824. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form the number of acute beds in each public hospital for the years 2011 to 2014 and the latest figure for 2015. [30828/15]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

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.

Health Services Funding

Questions (825)

Gerry Adams

Question:

825. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will outline any capital plan for investment in health services for older persons in counties Louth and Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30829/15]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As with all capital projects the further development of the CNU programme and day care facilities for older people, including those in counties Louth and Meath, must be considered within the context of the overall capital envelope available to the health service. The HSE is concentrating on applying the limited funding available for capital works in the most effective way possible to meet residential need now and in the future.

Your question, in relation to capital investment for the Older People care group in counties Louth and Meath for the multi-annual period 2015-2019, 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 who will follow up.

Health Services Funding

Questions (826)

Gerry Adams

Question:

826. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update in respect of investment in additional nursing home units in County Louth, further to reports issued to media from Louth Government Deputies in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30830/15]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As 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.

Nursing Homes Support Scheme

Questions (827)

Gerry Adams

Question:

827. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the long-awaited review of the fair deal nursing home support scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30831/15]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

When the Nursing Homes Support Scheme commenced in 2009, a commitment was made that it would be reviewed after three years. The Report of the Review was published on 20th July 2015. The Review included a general examination of the operation of the Scheme, as well as the balance between residential care and care in the community and a number of key issues have been identified for more detailed considerations across Departments and Agencies.

An Interdepartmental/Agency Working Group is currently being established to progress the recommendations contained in the Report. This Group will be chaired by the Department of Health and will comprise relevant officials from the Department of the Taoiseach, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the HSE, the Revenue Commissioners and the National Treatment Purchase Fund. This Group is due to report to the Cabinet Committee on Health in June 2016

Programme for Government Implementation

Questions (828)

Gerry Adams

Question:

828. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the 2011 programme for Government commitment to implementing the national positive ageing strategy, in order that older persons could be supported and enabled to live independent lives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30832/15]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The 2011-2016 Programme for Government committed to completing and implementing the National Positive Ageing Strategy (NPAS) so that older people are recognised, supported and enabled to live independent full lives. In our statement of Health priorities for 2015, the Minister for Health and I have reiterated our commitment to implementing the Strategy.

The National Positive Ageing Strategy provides a vision for an age-friendly society and includes four National Goals and underpinning Objectives to provide direction on the issues that need to be addressed to promote positive ageing. As Minister of State with responsibility for older people, I am driving implementation at the political level. The Strategy is a cross-Departmental one and my Department has an overall coordinating and collating role and a more direct role for the health-related objectives.

A key objective of this Strategy is to change the mindsets of decision makers across Government agencies and to raise the priority that is given to the concerns of older people. The first step in doing this is to establish a system of regular reporting on actions and initiatives that impact on older people, and these reports are regularly sought and collated by my Department. The fact that such reports are already and will continue to be required will in itself increase the focus that is given to older persons' issues, and these reports will be submitted for consideration by the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy and Public Sector Reform chaired by An Taoiseach. Implementation is accordingly an ongoing process.

It is important to point out the many initiatives already in train which contribute to the Strategy's goals. For example, in the health sector, in the area of older people’s services and supports, the Review of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme was published on 20th July 2015 and implementation of the recommendations contained therein will commence shortly. The Single Assessment Tool, which will allow for a systematic assessment of need and allocation of services to older people, is being developed by the HSE; measures are being taken to ensure integrated care for older patients, and palliative care services are being improved. The Deputy will also be aware that €25m was allocated in Budget 2015 to support services that provide alternati ves to, and relieve pressures on acute hospitals. In April 2015, an additional €74m was allocated to further tackle the ongoing issue of delayed discharges in acute hospitals. The majority of these patients are older people, and these funds are being applied across both long term and short term residential services and at community level. As a result the waiting time for funding of approved patients under the Nursing Home Support scheme has fallen from 11 weeks to the previous norm of 4 weeks for the rest of the year.

A Healthy and Positive Ageing Initiative (HaPAI) has also been established to implement the research objective of the National Positive Ageing Strategy. It is a joint initiative between the Department of Health, the HSE’s Health and Wellbeing Programme and the Atlantic Philanthropies and will run from October 2014 to December 2017, with a commitment to Department of Health funding for a further two years. The Initiative will monitor changes in older people’s health and wellbeing linked to the Goals and Objectives of the Positive Ageing Strategy. This will be done primarily through the development of positive ageing indicators to be published every two years. A preliminary positive ageing report has been published and provides an overview of current evidence available on the lives of older people. The HSE will also develop a physical activity communications campaign under the Initiative.

Home Help Service Data

Questions (829, 830, 831, 832)

Gerry Adams

Question:

829. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, a breakdown of funding allocated to home help in each county for the years 2011 to 2015, inclusive. [30833/15]

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Gerry Adams

Question:

830. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, a breakdown of hours allocated for home help packages by county for the years 2011 to 2015, inclusive. [30834/15]

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Gerry Adams

Question:

831. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update in respect of the Health Service Executive progressing a range of measures aimed at improving home care provision and if he will outline these measures and indicate the outcomes that have been measured to date. [30835/15]

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Gerry Adams

Question:

832. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the review of home care services undertaken; the stage which the review is at; and when it is expected to be completed. [30836/15]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 829 to 832, inclusive, together.

As these are service matters they have 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.

Ambulance Service Response Times

Questions (833)

Gerry Adams

Question:

833. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, a breakdown of ambulance response time figures, first responder figures and figures for deployment times for both ambulance and first responders for the years 2011 to 2015, inclusive. [30837/15]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

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.

Ambulance Service

Questions (834)

Gerry Adams

Question:

834. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown in tabular form of the total number of calls in each of the nine ambulance subregions for the years 2011 to 2015, inclusive. [30838/15]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

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.

Ambulance Service

Questions (835)

Gerry Adams

Question:

835. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of adverse incidents that have been recorded in each of the nine ambulance subregions for the years 2011 to 2015, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30839/15]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

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.

Ambulance Service Staff

Questions (836, 837)

Gerry Adams

Question:

836. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown in tabular form outlining the number of staff employed in the National Ambulance Service by station, by grade and the number of administrative and frontline staff at each ambulance sub region for the years 2011 to 2015, inclusive. [30840/15]

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Gerry Adams

Question:

837. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of vacancies by grade at each ambulance subregion at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30841/15]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 836 and 837 together.

As these are service matters, 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.

Ambulance Service

Questions (838, 839)

Gerry Adams

Question:

838. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of intermediate care vehicles deployed to 999 calls in each of the ambulance subregions for the years 2011 to 2015, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30842/15]

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Gerry Adams

Question:

839. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of care vehicles currently available to each of the ambulance sub regions. [30843/15]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 838 and 839 together.

As these are service matters, 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.

Mental Health Services

Questions (840)

Gerry Adams

Question:

840. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, details of existing child and adolescent mental health services, broken down by Health Service Executive administrative area and specialty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30844/15]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Mental Health Services Staff

Questions (841)

Gerry Adams

Question:

841. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, the total staffing for each of the community mental health teams in each Health Service Executive administrative area, broken down into specialty; the projected required staffing levels required to deliver the service in accordance with the executive's service plans; the number of vacant positions that are being actively recruited for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30845/15]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Question No. 842 answered with Question No. 736.

Mental Health Services Funding

Questions (843)

Gerry Adams

Question:

843. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, funding allocated per head to mental health services in County Louth; and the way this compares to funding per head across the State. [30847/15]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.