Peadar Tóibín
Question:159. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that a person (details supplied) in County Meath is provided with a mobility scooter. [39868/15]
View answerMobility Allowance Applications
Questions (159)
Written answers
As 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.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Questions (160)
Ciaran Lynch
Question:160. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will be provided with an appointment for cataract treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39869/15]
View answerWritten answers
Under 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.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Questions (161)
John McGuinness
Question:161. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite a date for an operation for a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39886/15]
View answerWritten answers
Under 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 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.
Dental Services Waiting Lists
Questions (162)
Arthur Spring
Question:162. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health the status of an application for dental treatment submitted by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and the reason for the delay in issuing an appointment. [39892/15]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service 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.
Counselling Services Provision
Questions (163)
Colm Keaveney
Question:163. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the status of the counselling service in the primary care service, including the numbers referred to, seen by and on waiting lists for community health care organisations in 2015 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39893/15]
View answerWritten answers
The Counselling in Primary Care (CIPC) Service is a national service provided under the governance framework of the National Counselling Service (NCS) within the HSE Mental Health Division. It is being funded from the Programme for Government investment in Mental Health, to increase the access to counselling and psychotherapy and supplement existing services provided by Primary Care. Since 2012, this Government has provided funding totalling €7.5 million to develop the CIPC service. The service provides short term counselling for adults with non-complex psychological problems aged 18 and over and who hold a valid medical card. Referral into the service is by the person’s GP or other member of the Primary Care Team. The establishment of the CIPC initiative is aimed at providing a more immediate response to wider community for persons in need of counselling and advice.
In relation to the specific issues raised by the Deputy as these are service issues the question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. 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.
Ambulance Service Provision
Questions (164)
Fergus O'Dowd
Question:164. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health if he will urgently review the ambulance service in County Louth with a view to improving the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39916/15]
View answerWritten answers
The Government is committed to the improvement of our ambulance services. A significant reform programme is underway to reconfigure the way pre-hospital care services are managed and delivered. To this end, in 2015 the National Ambulance Service received an increase of €5.4m in funding, to improve technology and clinical audit and address gaps in service. While I am not in a position at this stage to give any specific details in relation to any particular region, I can assure the Deputy that additional resources will be provided to the NAS in 2016, to drive further service improvement.
I should also mention that I am awaiting the submission of an Action Plan from the NAS which will outline targeted areas for improvement. The plan will take account of a number of reviews of our ambulance service and seek to ensure that the service is developed in a co-ordinated and structured way.
Ambulance Service Provision
Questions (165)
Fergus O'Dowd
Question:165. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the level of provision and availability of ambulance and paramedic services in County Louth for each of the past three months; if that provision was met; if not, the dates and reasons, if an on-call staff provision has been arranged for each such month, if other ambulances in the public or private sector were available if called upon in an emergency, when the full ambulance service provision was not available, for whatever reason; if he will urgently examine the provision of permanent ambulance provision in the north Louth area, based in Dundalk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39918/15]
View answerWritten answers
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.
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland
Questions (166)
Clare Daly
Question:166. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the difficulties that nurses are experiencing in registering and seeking a licence as a result of delays and incompetence by the Irish nursing board; the action he proposes to take regarding same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39919/15]
View answerWritten answers
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) has advised there are 64,913 people on the register. They have further advised that between 1 January and 9 November 2015, 2,491 nurses have been registered with the NMBI. This is broken down as 522 nurses registered from EU Countries, 312 nurses registered from Non-EU countries and 1,657 Irish trained nurses registered. In relation to overseas applications for registration, 2,006 applications have been received. This compares with 866 applications for the same time period in 2014, an increase of 132%.
Details on the applications received from overseas applicants and registration decisions have been set out in the following table.
Applications for Registration (data supplied by the NMBI)
Total number of applications received from overseas applicants from the start of the year is provided on a monthly basis and set out in the following table:
|
- |
01/07/2015 |
13/08/2015 |
04/09/2015 |
23/09/2015 |
13/10/2015 |
09/11/2015 |
|
Applications received in 2015 |
974 |
1,200 |
1,368 |
1,563 |
1,841 |
2,006 |
|
Applications received to same period in 2014 |
302 |
567 |
616 |
711 |
770 |
866 |
|
Increase in same time period b/t 2014 and 2015 |
223% |
112% |
122% |
120% |
139% |
132% |
Registration Decisions (data supplied by the NMBI)
The number of applicants who received registration decisions between 01/07/2015 and 9/11/2015 is 2,018. The total number of application received from the start of the year is provided on a monthly basis and set out in the following table:
|
- |
01/07/2015 |
13/08/2015 |
04/09/2015 |
23/09/2015 |
13/10/2015 |
09/11/2015 |
|
Applicants who received registration decisions |
473 |
925 |
996 |
1,133 |
1,495 |
2,491 |
The following actions are being taken to improve the current situation:
- the Department has approved the filling of 18 posts;
- a call centre facility commenced on the 8 October 2015 to handle calls/deal with registration queries (1,852 calls were taken by 6 November);
- new forms to simplify the process of applying have been introduced including a revised information booklet;
- further adaptation courses are being provided for nurses who are required to complete a course prior to registration. The NMBI have approved on a pilot basis, a new aptitude test with RCSI as an alternative method to assess candidates for registration. Nurses are currently being advised of the availability of this test. The first theory test will take place on the 5th of December provided a minimum cohort of 20 applicants are secured to undertake the test;
- an upgraded website will go live in November (the website will allow applicants to track the status of their applications, pay fees online, and the adaptation placements and appeals process will be mediated via electronic forms);
- proposals for significant upgrading of the overall IT systems, particularly the registration system, are being developed by the NMBI;
- meetings to review registration and other governance issues are held between the Department of Health and the NMBI monthly with the accompanying reports; and
- to address the issues of delays in registration the NMBI has informed the Department that it continues to collaborate closely with key stakeholders including representatives from the HSE, Nursing Homes Ireland, Directors of Nursing/Midwifery and agencies to ensure complete applications received are expedited, particularly for those applicants who have confirmed job offers.
I am happy to inform you that the Department of Health has had discussions with the Department of Justice and Equality with a view to resolving certain visa difficulties and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation regarding work permits. It has been confirmed that the current provision of an atypical working visa will be extended to those choosing to undertake the aptitude test.
Question No. 167 answered with Question No. 154.
Hospitals Inspections
Questions (168)
Pearse Doherty
Question:168. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 55 of 14 October 2015, if he will provide additional details of the prioritised plan for proactive preventative maintenance, which is being rolled out across Letterkenny General Hospital in County Donegal on a phased basis, as part of the measures taken to address maintenance issues at the hospital; the progress made to date in implementing this plan; if he will provide a copy of this plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39928/15]
View answerWritten answers
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.