Written Answers Nos. 430-439
430. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the length of time a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will be waiting for an assessment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39399/15]
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.
431. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health the action being taken to restore public confidence in Tallaght hospital in Dublin 24 following a recent incident (details supplied); to implement all the recommendations of the Health Information and Quality Authority's report on the hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39406/15]
View answerI am aware of the difficulties that overcrowding in EDs cause for patients, their families and the staff who are doing their utmost to provide safe, quality care in very challenging circumstances. That is why improving waiting times and reducing overcrowding in Emergency Departments is a key priority for Government.
To this end, I convened the ED Taskforce last year and the publication, in April 2015 of the ED Taskforce action plan, contains a range of time defined actions to (i) optimise existing hospital and community capacity; (ii) develop internal capability and process improvement and (iii) improve leadership, governance, planning and oversight. Government has also allocated more than €117m towards the alleviation of overcrowding in EDs.
Reducing long waiting times on trolleys needs a combination of immediate measures to target the pressure areas, and also long-term sustainable solutions. A wide-ranging set of actions is also being put in place by the HSE to achieve improvements in the delivery of care in Emergency Departments. The overall approach to implementing the 2012 HIQA Tallaght report recommendations has been to utilise and harness existing change management and care transformation programmes already in development and undergoing implementation within the HSE and more broadly within the health sector. These include the HSE Clinical Programmes, initiatives aimed increasing patient safety and the work underway on implementing the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare.
In relation to the specific matters relating to Tallaght Hospital, 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.
432. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath who awaits an outpatient appointment at Tullamore hospital in County Offaly and been advised that it will be a number of months is provided with an appointment at an early date. [39413/15]
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.
433. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath is provided with an outpatient appointment at Tullamore hospital in County Offaly at an early date. [39414/15]
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.
434. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number of delayed discharges in each of the Dublin hospitals; and the action he is taking to reduce these numbers. [39415/15]
View answerDelayed discharges can arise when a patient has been judged clinically to no longer have a requirement for acute hospital care but remains in an acute hospital bed, thus rendering that bed unavailable for patients who need admission. As of 3rd November (latest figures available) there were 567 delayed discharges nationally, of which 294 were in the Dublin Academic Teaching Hospitals (DATHS). This figure is down from a high of 830 in December 2014. The breakdown of delayed discharges in each Dublin hospital is as follows:
|
Hospital |
Total delayed discharges as of 3 November 2015 |
|
Beaumont Hospital |
59 |
|
Mater Misericordiae Hospital |
69 |
|
St. James's Hospital |
62 |
|
St. Vincent's University Hospital |
35 |
|
Tallaght Hospital |
41 |
|
Connolly Hospital |
28 |
Delayed discharges can arise for a number of reasons. For example, some patients have yet to apply for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, and others are in the course of having their applications assessed and validated. Applicants are entitled to choose their own nursing home and in some cases, delays can arise while waiting for a suitable nursing home bed to become available in a location that is acceptable to patients and their families.
The Government committed an additional €25m in Budget 2015 to address delayed discharges. Of this:-
€10m was allocated to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme to provide an additional 300 places;
- €8m was allocated for the provision of 50 additional short-stay beds, in addition to the establishment of Mount Carmel as a short stay facility for the Dublin area;
- €5m was allocated for an additional 400 Home Care Packages;
- €2m was allocated to strengthen community care teams.
In a further initiative earlier this year, the Government approved additional funding of €74m, of which €44m was allocated to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme to provide an additional 1,600 places. €30m was used to cover the cost of a range of additional measures including transitional care beds (temporary contract beds) and additional community, convalescent and district hospital beds on a permanent basis.
The waiting time for approved applicants for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme has been reduced from 11 weeks in early 2015 to 3-4 weeks currently.
The budget allocation for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme has been increased by €66m for 2016.
435. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Health the assistance available to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 6; if such assistance will be made available, given the difficulties being experienced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39420/15]
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.
436. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the long delays being experienced with the registration process in the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland and the pressure these delays are putting on health care service providers; the reason for these delays; if he will ensure that the applications submitted by persons (details supplied) are expedited as quickly as possible, given that they applied for registration nine months ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39424/15]
View answerI wish to thank the Deputy for the matter raised.
Given that this is an operational matter, it is appropriate that it should be dealt with by the NMBI. I have referred the Deputy's question to the NMBI for attention and direct reply.
If you have not received a reply from the NMBI within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
437. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health if the recommendation in the seventh report on the high levels of suicide in Irish society, which was published by the Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children in July 2006 (details supplied), has been introduced; and the date of introduction of the group referred to in that report. [39431/15]
View answerThe establishment of the Liaison Group referred to by the Deputy was a matter for the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention. I have therefore, referred the question to the Executive for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a response within 15 working days, please contact my private office and they will follow up the matter with them.
438. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health if the recommendation in the seventh report on the high levels of suicide in Irish society, published by the Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children in July 2006, to streamline the training, funding, job descriptions and reporting relationships of suicide prevention officers and to provide that these posts report to the National Office for Suicide Prevention, was completed by September 2006. [39433/15]
View answerThe regional Resource Officers for Suicide Prevention are key to building community capacity to respond to suicide. The HSE currently employs 18 Resource Officers across the country. Two additional Resource Officers are due to start on 16 November and 1 further post will be filled in December.
As the issues of staff training, funding, job descriptions and reporting relationships are a matter for the HSE, the question has been referred to the Executive for 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.
439. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a property (details supplied) in County Kerry for adults with autism; his plans to open the facility without further delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39435/15]
View answerAll designated residential services for people with disabilities must be registered, following the commencement of regulation of this sector on 1 November 2013. Providers are required to apply to HIQA to have a centre registered, in accordance with the registration regulations. I understand from HIQA that once the complete application has been submitted, HIQA arrange an inspection to verify that the provider has put appropriate arrangements in place to ensure the safeguarding of residents and the provision of a service that provides residents with a good quality of life.
HIQA prioritises any applications for new services and arranges the inspection as soon as possible after receipt of the completed application. However, HIQA must comply with the requirements and timeframes set out in the Health Act 2007, as amended, and in the registration regulations. In relation to new services, HIQA has engaged with many providers to ensure that their application is processed in the most time efficient manner possible within the requirements of the Health Act 2007, as amended.
HIQA has informed the Department of Health that it does not comment on individual centres or specific cases.
