Written Answers Nos. 670-685
670. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Health the vaccination requirements for first responder volunteers; the assistance available, if any, to assist volunteers to meet the cost of any required vaccinations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37394/15]
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.
671. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if eligibility for a medical card will be reviewed in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37398/15]
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.
672. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of the differing arrangements across the Health Service Executive community health organisation 7 area by which occupational therapists' reports are provided or not provided by the executive to council tenants applying for local authority disability-mobility adaptation grants; the average waiting times within this area for the provision of occupational therapists' reports; the cost to the executive in 2013 and in 2014 associated with the provision of these reports in this area; and if he will provide an estimate of the cost in a full year if the executive were to provide these reports to all applicants in this area. [37479/15]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, she can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
673. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 516 of 20 October 2015, his Department's estimate of the cost of extending free general practitioner care to all those under 18 years of age, and to the population at large, on the basis of the scope and content of the general practitioner service, and the relevant fee structure and the eligibility rates presently applying to the under-6s scheme; alternatively, if he will provide an estimate based on the budget 2016 allocation to provide free general practitioner care for those 12 years of age and under. [37484/15]
View answerIn the absence of specific details of the scope and content of the GP service, which is the subject of negotiations which have already commenced with the IMO, it would not be possible to produce the estimate requested by the Deputy in respect of those population cohorts.
The Department has not undertaken analyses such as applying the cost of the under 6 cohort or the over-70s cohort to another cohort.
674. Deputy Gabrielle McFadden asked the Minister for Health for an update on the progress in developing comprehensive palliative care services for counties Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath, including a specialist inpatient hospice unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37485/15]
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.
675. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health the additional funding to be allocated from budget 2016 to enhance home help services and home care packages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37416/15]
View answerThe needs of our older people are, and will remain, a high priority for the Government, and resources will be applied to provide the best possible mix of services and supports.
A priority for 2016 will be the development of an integrated model of care with a strong emphasis on home and community care. Details of the budget allocation for home care services, including Home Care Packages, will be outlined in due course, in the HSE's 2016 National Service Plan.
676. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health the up-to-date position regarding a primary care centre for a location (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37426/15]
View answerAthy is one of the 73 locations advertised by the HSE in November 2014 as suitable locations for the delivery of primary care centres using the operation lease mechanism. Currently, the HSE is engaged in evaluating all submissions received to determine which are eligible to be progressed to the next stage of the process. In this context the HSE has asked the interested parties to submit their priced offers for the location in question.
While the Government's objective is to deliver a high quality, integrated and cost effective health care system the mechanism and timescale for delivery of primary care infrastructure is dependent on a number of factors. Regardless of the delivery mechanism, all potential primary care infrastructure is subject to suitable locations being offered/provided/available, to successful planning processes and GP commitment to sharing accommodation and delivering health care services with HSE staff. In addition the operational lease mechanism is subject to market pressures such as the developers' access to adequate financing. Delivery of primary care infrastructure is a dynamic process, constantly evolving to take account of changing circumstances including the feasibility of implementation.
677. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health for a progress report on the development of a plan to improve the facilities, including the outpatient department and operating theatres, at the Mid-Western Regional Orthopaedic Hospital in Croom in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37420/15]
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.
678. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health his plans to rescind the proposal by the Health Service Executive to relocate all services from the Lantern Lodge Day Centre on New Road in Killarney in County Kerry to Leawood House on Countess Road in Killarney based on the rational case put forward in documents (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37499/15]
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 within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
679. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a procedure for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37427/15]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
The 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 should take the matter up with the consultant and the hospital involved. In relation to the specific case raised, 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.
680. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health for an update on the nurse care staff levels and restoration of the full bed complement in Kerry General Hospital, in each of the community hospitals in the county, and in St. Columbanus Home in Killarney; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37434/15]
View answer686. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health the bed complement in use and the number of nursing staff in Kerry General Hospital, all community district hospitals in the county, and St. Columbanus Home in Killarney, Kerry, on 20 December in each of the years 2010 to 2014 and up to 30 September in 2015, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37531/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 680 and 686 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.
681. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will support the urgent need for residential places for persons and children with a disability (details supplied) in Dublin 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37512/15]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. 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 the matter up with the HSE.
682. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health the initiatives being taken to address the growing frequency of children's tooth decay and the ongoing lack of a public scheme for diagnosis and treatment at an early age, as this neglect is leading to costly orthodontic corrective procedures; his plans to introduce an early intervention and treatment programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37514/15]
View answerThe first results of the Fluoride and Caring for Children’s Teeth (FACCT) survey, just published, show that 73-76% of children living in fluoridated areas show no evidence of dental caries. This compares very well with other European countries and is clear evidence of a substantial improvement in the oral health of children in Ireland since 2002 when the previous survey was undertaken.
Future service provision will be informed by the National Oral Health Policy, which the Department of Health is currently developing. This three year project commenced in 2014 and is being led by the Chief Dental Officer. The project includes a needs assessment, a review of resources and involves consultation with stakeholders, including dental professionals and the public. As further results from the FACCT survey are confirmed, they will be considered in the context of the development of the policy.
Dental services for children up to 16 years of age and persons of all ages with special needs are provided by the HSE. The HSE provides a screening and fissure sealant programme for children at key stages of development. Fissure sealants are a proven effective way of preventing dental caries. The service includes referral for further treatment, including orthodontic treatment, where necessary. Emergency care for children up to 16 years of age and treatment for special needs patients is also provided. Resources have been released in 2015 and into 2016 to improve dental services in areas where there have been difficulties. The HSE is also commencing a pilot scheme for children from 0 to 3 to assess what advice should be given to parents regarding best care of their teeth and to inform future policy. The Department of Health also continues to support a community water fluoridation policy.
683. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 530 of 20 October 2015 regarding the stalemate between the National Treatment Purchase Fund and AnovoCare nursing home, which stalemate is preventing the latter from opening, the stage in the three-stage review process that this dispute is currently at; and if anything can be done to expedite a resolution. [37525/15]
View answerAs outlined in Question No. 530 of 20 October 2015, the legislation underpinning the Nursing Homes Support Scheme requires each private nursing home to negotiate and agree a price for long-term residential care services with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) should they wish to be an approved nursing home for the purposes of the Scheme.
The National Treatment Purchase Fund has statutory independence in the performance of its function, and negotiates with each nursing home on an individual basis. Pricing contracts are entirely a matter for agreement between the NTPF and the nursing home in question, and the Department of Health has no role in such individual negotiations.
684. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Health when a reply will issue to correspondence (details supplied) regarding the long-term illness scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37526/15]
View answerThe Long Term Illness (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.
A separate reply to the correspondence received will issue this week.
685. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding gastric band operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37530/15]
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.
