Written Answers Nos. 391-412
391. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health if the name change from Letterkenny General Hospital to Letterkenny University Hospital means that the hospital has the same status as all other hospitals in the Saolta Group for funding and billing purposes. [42327/15]
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.
392. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the protocols that are in place between his Department, the Health Service Executive and An Bord Altranais when An Bord Altranais is hearing a fitness-to-practise case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42329/15]
View answerWhen a fitness to practice complaint is initiated under the Nurses and Midwives Act, 2011 (No 41 of 2011), the arrangements for such fitness to practice hearings and related matters are as set out in Part 8 of the 2011 Act. In particular, section 82 of the 2011 Act requires that the Minister and the employer (including the HSE) are informed by the Board of the outcome of such hearings in certain circumstances - these includes:
- the removal, restoration, suspension, termination of suspension of a nurse's or midwife's registration;
- the attaching of conditions to a nurse's or midwife's registration;
- the censuring or fining of a registered nurse or midwife;
- the transfer of a nurse’s or midwife’s registration to another division of the register of nurses and midwives.
Please note that if a fitness to practice complaint is initiated under the Nurses Act, 1985 (No 18 of 1985), then the provisions of that Act would apply and, as per section 46 of that Act, which includes a requirement that the Board inform the Minister of names erased or restored from the Register and also suspensions and termination of suspension from the register and the attaching of conditions to a nurse's or midwife's registration.
393. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the Health Service Executive's policy regarding paying the transport costs of a person with a disability who is attending adult day services with various service providers in Cork city and county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42330/15]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the 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.
394. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will arrange for the Health Service Executive to address a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42332/15]
View answerAs 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.
395. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health his plans to extend the long-term illness scheme to asthma patients, given that this is a life-long illness which requires daily medical treatment along the lines of other illnesses which are covered under the scheme, such as epilepsy, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, leukaemia and intellectual disabilities; if he will explain any reasonable grounds for discrimination between a long-term illness such as asthma and the illnesses covered by the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42368/15]
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. The conditions covered by the LTI Scheme 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.
396. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Health the status of the proposed primary care centre for Celbridge in County Kildare; when it will be open to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42369/15]
View answerYour question has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply as the delivery of the health care infrastructure is a service matter.
If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office who will follow up on the matter.
397. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Meath will receive an appointment for surgery. [42371/15]
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 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.
398. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Meath will receive an appointment for surgery. [42372/15]
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 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.
399. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will have surgery, given that the person expected to have this surgery in September 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42375/15]
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.
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.
400. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Health if an application for a medical card by a person (details supplied) in County Longford will be expedited. [42440/15]
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.
401. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of an operation for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42448/15]
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 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.
402. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health where an applicant has a joint bank account with a niece or nephew, if the full balance or half the balance will be taken into account in the assessment of financial means under the nursing home support scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42449/15]
View answerThe Nursing Homes Support Scheme, which commenced in 2009, provides financial support towards the cost of long-term residential care services in nursing homes. Under the Scheme, applicants contribute up to 80% of their assessable income and a maximum of 7.5% of the value of any assets per annum towards the cost of their care. In the case of a couple, the applicant's means are assessed as 50% of the couple's combined income and assets. The first €36,000 of an individual's assets, or €72,000 in the case of a couple, is disregarded from the financial assessment. The Scheme ensures that applicants retain at least 20% of their income. An applicant's principal private residence will only be included in the financial assessment for the first three years of their time in care.
Where there is a joint bank account involved, the HSE, when conducting the financial assessment, will make a determination as to the required contribution by the applicant on the basis of an examination of the circumstances, and the information provided, in each case.
403. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Health the waiting time in counties Wicklow, Carlow and Kildare for an appointment with community adult audiology services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42452/15]
View answerAs 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.
404. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will introduce a programme of immunisation against meningitis, given the statistics that one in ten persons will die from it and one in three survivors will be disabled and given that a meningitis vaccine programme has been rolled out in Northern Ireland since September 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42466/15]
View answerThe immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). NIAC is a committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland comprising of experts in a number of specialties including infectious diseases, paediatrics and public health. The committee's recommendations are informed by public health advice and international best practice.
A vaccine against MenC is given to children at 4 months and 13 months of age as part of the Primary Childhood Immunisation Schedule (PCIS). A booster dose is given to children in 1st year of second level school to protect against Meningococcal C disease until early adulthood.
NIAC has recommended that if the Meningococcal B vaccine can be made available at a cost-effective price, it should be included in the PCIS. The HSE Service Plan includes additional funding for the expansion of the PCIS in 2016, including the introduction of Meningococcal B vaccination. The HSE is engaging with the manufacturer to see to whether the manufacturer will agree to sell the vaccine at a cost-effective and sustainable price in Ireland. It is intended to introduce Meningococcal B vaccination into the PCIS in 2016 if agreement can be reached.
405. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if he will report to Dáil Éireann on proposed activity-based funding of hospitals in 2016; how he estimates the new system will impact on his overall budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42469/15]
View answerThe way that public hospital services are funded is in the process of being reformed through the implementation of an Activity Based Funding (ABF) system (also referred to as Money Follows The Patient). The purpose of ABF is to change the model of funding from the existing block grant budget system to a new approach where hospitals are paid based on the quantity and quality of the services they deliver to patients. Hospitals will be incentivised to pursue the most cost-effective means of achieving their performance targets and will also be subject to overall budgetary ceilings.
Implementation of ABF is a multi-year project and extensive preparatory work has been undertaken over the last 24 months. This work has allowed 2016 to be identified as the “conversion year” for inpatient and day case activity. This means that hospital budgets will be separated into ABF and non-ABF budgets for the first time. Hospital funding associated with inpatient and day case activity will effectively be withdrawn from hospitals and replaced with funding provided upon the delivery of activity in line with agreed targets. In order to maintain financial stability in the system, where appropriate, hospitals will be given transition adjustment payments to reflect the difference between their current costs and the national average cost. These transition payments will be phased out over time. All non-ABF activity will remain block funded during 2016. The ABF model will continue to evolve in subsequent years to encompass other aspects of hospital services, such as outpatient activity, before extending into community services.
It is important to note that ABF does not seek to reduce budgets. Instead, it will encourage hospitals to use the resources at their disposal more efficiently and will provide a more transparent funding mechanism that more fairly rewards hospitals for the activity they undertake.
The Government published details on this major element of its programme of health service reform in the Money Follows the Patient Policy Paper on Hospital Financing. In addition, the HSE has in recent months published the Activity Based Funding Programme Implementation Plan 2015 – 2017 which outlines the timetable for implementation over the next two years. Both documents are available on my Department's website.
406. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if income conditions to obtain a medical card need to be reviewed, given concerns by citizens that the rate of interest applied to savings during income assessments is much higher than current market rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42470/15]
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.
407. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Health the status of an application under the fair deal scheme by a person (details supplied) in County Cork; the availability of suitable accommodation in the Cork city region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42479/15]
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.
408. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of an extra cost of €2 patients attending the Inchicore health clinic have to pay for their blood samples to be sent to St. James's Hospital in Dublin 8; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42495/15]
View answerAs 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.
409. 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. [42520/15]
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.
410. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that a married couple (details supplied) in County Kildare only pay €25 for their joint prescriptions charges each month. [42522/15]
View answerUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for the administration of the primary care schemes.
As the particular issue raised relates to an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to you. 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.
411. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Health the status of a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42526/15]
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 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.
412. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath is provided with an appointment for an operation without further delay. [42531/15]
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 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.
