Written Answers Nos. 366-387
366. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of persons from this State currently resident in nursing homes in the North of Ireland; the cost of this since 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44693/15]
View answerThe Nursing Homes Support Scheme does not provide financial support persons in nursing homes in Northern Ireland.
Anyone from the State who enters a nursing home in Northern Ireland would be doing so under a private contract between themselves and the relevant nursing home. Therefore the State has no record of the numbers doing so.
367. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will reinstate the provision of ambulance services for respite care residents at Cluain Árann community nursing unit in County Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44694/15]
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.
368. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly will receive an appointment in University Hospital Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44695/15]
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.
369. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding dental services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44696/15]
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.
370. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the progress in delivering a cross-Border radiotherapy unit for the north west to be based at Altnagelvin area hospital in partnership with the Western Health and Social Care Trust; the timeframe for it to be operational; if he is committed to this; if he recognises the huge benefit it will yield for the people of the north west; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44706/15]
View answerI have been advised by the HSE that the development of the Radiotherapy Unit at Altnagelvin is progressing well. Extensive enabling works to clear the site for the unit are complete. Construction work which began in July 2014 is now at an advanced stage. From commencement of construction, the build programme is planned to take approximately two years to complete. It is expected that the building will be fully handed over in the summer of 2016, with commissioning and commencement of services in the autumn of 2016. I have been assured that work is currently progressing according to the planned programme.
A number of medical, physics, radiography and administrative staff have been recruited in advance in order to ensure that key clinical staff are involved in the design of the new unit so that it meets the needs of patients and the service. This advance recruitment will also help to ensure that sufficient staff and appropriate clinical skills are developed in each area in preparation for the Radiotherapy Unit to become operational by the planned start date. Further advertisement of posts and interviews are ongoing. Work is continuing in relation to service design, patient pathways and associated technical communication linkages to plan in detail for the provision of high quality radiotherapy services for all patients in 2016.
The development of this Radiotherapy Unit at Altnagelvin will greatly improve access to radiation oncology services for patients in the North West region with much reduced travel time to the new unit and I continue to support this valuable cross-border initiative.
371. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the overall annual average length of stay for Irish hospitals over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44717/15]
View answerAverage length of stay (ALOS) refers to the average number of days that patients spend in hospital and is often used as an indicator of efficiency.
According to the OECD Health at a Glance (2015), in 2013 the average length of stay in hospitals for all causes across OECD countries was 8.1 days. The 2013 OECD data show that the average length of stay in Irish hospitals was 6 days, less than the OECD average. In addition, the OECD data indicate improvements in efficiency in Irish hospitals between 2010 and 2013, with the average length of stay in Irish hospitals decreasing from 7.4 days in 2010 to 6 days in 2013.
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.
372. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of primary care teams in operation from 2011 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44718/15]
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 the Executive.
373. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the spending on health as a percentage of gross domestic product for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44719/15]
View answerAccording to the preliminary results of the System of Health Accounts issued by the Central Statistics Office, current total health care expenditure as a percentage of GDP in Ireland from 2009 to 2013 (the latest year available) is as follows:
|
Year |
Current total health care expenditure as a % of GDP |
|
2009 |
10.5% |
|
2010 |
10.6% |
|
2011 |
9.9% |
|
2012 |
10.1% |
|
2013 b |
10.2% |
b break in series
374. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of nurses per 1,000 population for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44720/15]
View answerThe OECD has compiled data that shows Ireland having twelve practising nurses per 1,000 population compared to an OECD average of 9. These OECD figures are based on data provided by the Central Statistics’ Office Quarterly National Household Survey. They are based on the concept of “professionally active” nurses, which means nurses who are actually working in the health system. Notwithstanding the OECD data, it is recognised that filling vacant nursing posts is a challenge at present, in particular filling posts in certain specialist areas.
With a recovering economy, the Health Service Executive is now in a position to offer a wide range of career opportunities for nurses and midwives. There are many initiatives currently underway to improve nursing staff levels throughout the country. These include the retention of 2015 degree programme graduates, offering full time permanent contracts, and a national and international recruitment campaign. In addition the conversion of agency usage to permanent staffing in line with agreed processes is being pursued.
The figures requested by the Deputy are set out in the following table.
|
Year |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
|
|
Variable |
Unit |
|||||
|
Professionally active nurses |
Density per 1,000 population |
12.5 |
12.83 |
12.15 |
12.64* |
12.35 |
Source of data:
From 2012: CSO Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) data (labour force survey).
Pre 2012: FÁS/Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) analysis of CSO Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) data (labour force survey).
Notes:
1) Data include those working in both the public and private sectors.
2) *In 2012, the survey sample weights were revised in line with the 2011 Census of Population; the weights were adjusted upwards meaning that employment estimates were higher than those previously used. As a result the figures from 2012 are not directly comparable with previous years' estimates.
375. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of physicians per 1,000 population for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44721/15]
View answerThe figures requested by the Deputy are set out with the following table.
|
Year |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
|
Variable |
Unit |
||||||
|
Professionally active physicians |
Density per 1,000 population |
3.01 |
3.08 |
3.24 |
3.16 |
3.06 |
3.04* |
Source of data: Medical Council of Ireland.
Notes:
1) In an attempt to estimate for professionally active physicians, figures refer to all persons with addresses in the Republic of Ireland (i.e. excludes physicians working abroad), aged under 70 years old, who have entered and maintained their name as fully registered doctors in the Register of Medical Practitioners, regardless of the area in which they are engaged or whether or not they are practising medicine. Registration is a pre-requisite for practice in Ireland.
2)*Break in time series in 2014: From 2014, data refer to doctors registered with the Medical Council of Ireland who, in the last 12 months, have declared themselves active and who have worked in Ireland either full or part-time.
Professionally active physicians include practising physicians and other physicians for whom their medical education is a prerequisite for the execution of the job.
376. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of psychiatric beds per 1,000 population for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44722/15]
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 the next 15 working days, please contact me Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
377. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of acute care beds per 1,000 population for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44723/15]
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.
378. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health to provide the number of live births, stillbirths, early neonatal deaths, perinatal deaths and adjusted perinatal deaths in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44724/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
379. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the expenditure on agency staff in the Health Service Executive for the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44725/15]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter. 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.
380. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for a medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44726/15]
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.
381. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of serious reportable events within the Health Service Executive over the last five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44727/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond 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.
382. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite an application for a medical card by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry as the person has submitted all relevant information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44737/15]
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.
383. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he recognises the obstacles persons with mental health difficulties encounter in making a complaint about mental health services; if he will introduce an independent complaints route for such individuals, as recommended by Mental Health Reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44739/15]
View answerThere are a number of options open to individuals or their families to make a complaint about health services including mental health services. Firstly, it is generally best that complaints are dealt with locally when they occur and all efforts made to resolve them with the patient or person who has the complaint. The Health Act 2004 (Part 9) states that a person has the right to complain about any action of the Health Service Executive (HSE) or a service provider that they believe was not fair or had an adverse effect on them. The HSE has appointed designated Complaints Officers to ensure the effective management of complaints throughout their relevant areas of responsibility and a person can make a complaint in writing, in person or over the telephone. The HSE actively encourages and promotes consumer feedback and links with customers on a regular basis to ensure that the complaint handling processes are effective, are being communicated and are achieving outcomes that are satisfactory to the consumers. The HSE continues to seek improvements in its complaint handling ability and capacity in order to respond to the needs of patients.
If an individual is unhappy with the way in which his/her complaint was dealt with at the point of care the National Advocacy Unit of the HSE will appoint an independent officer to review the complaint. The Executive also has a National Safety Incident Management Policy which sets out the steps to be taken in an investigation; when independence from the HSE is required, the HSE policy provides for national and international experts to be part of reviews. If an individual is still unhappy with the outcome of this process he/she can request an independent review of the complaint from the Office of the Ombudsman.
In addition if an individual is unhappy with the level of care provided by a regulated health service professional such as a doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional, he/she may make a complaint to that employee's professional regulatory body.
Healthcomplaints.ie is an on-line information service which was developed by the Office of the Ombudsman in cooperation with a number of organisations including my Department and the HSE. This service provides information on how to make a complaint or give feedback about health and social care services in Ireland. This website has been developed for people who use health and social care services in Ireland, as well as for their families, care-givers and advocates.
Work on a new independent national model for patient advocacy has commenced. This advocacy service will be external to the Department and the HSE and will be in line with international best practice. The exact functions of the advocacy services have not been decided at this time. It will, however, be established primarily to support patients and will provide guidance on how to make complaints and navigate through the health service. Naturally, the Department will be seeking the views of those individuals and groups currently involved in the provision of advocacy services such as Mental Health Reform and looks forward to receiving their proposals on advocacy services. It is also planned to simplify the process of making complaints for patients and will look to extend the powers of the Ombudsman in relation to complaints in this regard.
I should also point out that earlier this year, an Expert Group which I appointed to review the Mental Health Act 2001 published its report. One of the issues looked at by the Group was the complaints procedures that currently exist within the service and the suggestion of providing for a separate Mental Health Ombudsman. It was felt by the Group that complaints about mental health services already have access to a number of options including the existing Office of the Ombudsman and the fact that a separate complaints system for mental health patients could be seen as discriminatory, it would be premature to recommend a separate Mental Health Ombudsman at this juncture. The Group did however recommend that this issue should be re-examined as part of the suggested five to ten year review of any new Act.
Work on a General Scheme of a Bill to amend the Mental Health Act 2001 based on the recommendations of the Expert Group review has commenced. During the course of this work, there will be further engagement and consultation with a wide range of stakeholders and relevant groups, including Mental Health Reform and their observations and comments on all aspects of the revised legislation will be taken into consideration.
384. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the status of his proposals to regulate psychotherapists and counsellors. [44755/15]
View answerPsychotherapists and counsellors are not currently regulated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005. However, the Act provides that the Minister for Health may, by regulation, designate a health and social care profession not already designated if he or she considers that it is appropriate and in the public interest to do so and if specified criteria have been met.
In accordance with the Act, the Health and Social Care Professionals Council has been consulted on the question of regulating counsellors and psychotherapists. Its detailed report on the matter is being examined carefully in my Department with a view to deciding the next steps in the coming months. These steps will, I envisage, include a wider round of consultation involving the various professional bodies and other interested parties.
385. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the protocols relating to waiting times that are in place for paediatric patients presenting for triage in accident and emergency departments. [44759/15]
View answer386. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the protocols relating to waiting times that are in place for paediatric patients admitted for treatment in accident and emergency departments. [44760/15]
View answer387. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the maximum advised waiting time for paediatric patients before being triaged upon referral and presentation to accident and emergency departments. [44761/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 385 to 387, inclusive, together.
The HSE Service Plan includes two performance measures for Emergency Care and Patient Experience Time in the Emergency Department (ED) for all patients as follows: % of all attendees at ED who are discharged or admitted within 6 hours of registration (Target 95%). % of all attendees at ED who are discharged or admitted within 9 hours of registration (Target 100%). Total Emergency Department Time is measured from arrival to ED departure time. These targets are the same for all hospital emergency departments, and for adult and paediatric patients. Performance is monitored and reported on in the published HSE monthly Performance Reports on a Hospital Group and individual hospital level.
In relation to the specific query 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.
