Dan Neville
Question:136. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health the percentage of the total health budget in his Department that was allocated to the mental health services in 2004. [40766/15]
View answerMental Health Services Funding
Questions (136)
Written answers
The total Mental Health Funding as a percentage of health expenditure for 2004 was 7.3%.
Medical Register Administration
Questions (137)
Terence Flanagan
Question:137. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding the Medical Council and Health Service Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40771/15]
View answerWritten answers
The Medical Council is the statutory body responsible for the regulation of doctors in Ireland. The Council maintains the Register of Medical Practitioners - the Register of all doctors who are legally permitted to practise medicine in Ireland. The Medical Practitioners Act 2007 governs the Council's work in this regard, including requirements for registration. A doctor who has an approved specialist qualification in general practice is registered in the specialist division of the Register.
The purpose of the Council is to protect the public by promoting and better ensuring high standards of professional conduct and professional education, training and competence among registered medical practitioners.
The HSE has no role in relation to decisions made by the Medical Council regarding GPs' fitness to practice. However, if there are concerns regarding a medical practitioner's fitness to practice, a complaint can be made to the Preliminary Proceedings Committee of the Medical Council.
The HSE is responsible for the provision of GP services to medical card and GP visit card patients. Under the Health (Provision of General Practitioner Services) Act 2012, a registered medical practitioner:
(a) whose name is included in the Specialist Division of the register of medical practitioners established under section 43(2)(b ) of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007; and
(b ) who holds a current certificate of registration within the meaning of section 2 of that Act in respect of the medical specialty “General Practice” recognised under section 89(1) of that Act;
is eligible to apply to the HSE for a contract to provide services to medical card and GP visit card holders under the General Medical Services Scheme.
Mental Health Services
Questions (138)
Dan Neville
Question:138. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health the number of children admitted to the adolescent psychiatric services in the mid-west area in 2014. [40772/15]
View answerWritten answers
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
Questions (139)
Dan Neville
Question:139. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health the number of inpatient beds of the 108 recommended in A Vision for Change that are in place for child and adolescent mental services. [40773/15]
View answerWritten answers
'A Vision for Change' recommends the provision of 80 additional child and adolescent psychiatric in-patient beds nationally. Currently, there are 58 operational Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service ( CAMHS ) beds in the HSE, i.e. beds available to take a child / adolescent as an in-patient if the need arises. These beds are located as follows - 26 in Dublin, 20 in Galway and 12 in Cork.
A new purpose built 22 bed CAMHS in-patient unit located on the grounds of Cherry Orchard Hospital will open before the end of the year. The existing 14 beds in the current temporary facility will transfer across, thereby giving a net increase of 8 beds in the facility. This will increase the number of operational beds nationally to 66. Current staffing difficulties in the Eist Linn Unit in Cork has meant the closure of 8 CAMHS beds. The HSE is endeavouring to rectify this situation to allow the Unit to return to its maximum capacity of 20 beds, thus increasing overall national capacity to 74 CAMHS beds.
Funding is included in the HSE Capital Programme for planned infrastructural developments for the National Forensic Mental Health Service. This involves a new 120 bed hospital at Portrane, to replace the existing Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum, along with a new 10-bed Child and Adolescent Mental Health Forensic Unit. These facilities are scheduled to be delivered in 2018.
The question of providing additional CAMHS bed provision, in line with A Vision for Change and overall resources availability over the longer term, will be kept under review by the Department of Health and the HSE.
Care of the Elderly Provision
Questions (140)
Mattie McGrath
Question:140. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of senior case workers for the protection of older people available to assess all referrals of alleged elder abuse reported for the years 2011 to 2015 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40775/15]
View answerWritten answers
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.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (141)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:141. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40786/15]
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.