Written Answers Nos. 572-83
572. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health why An Bord Altranais agus Cnáimhseachais na hÉireann has not responded or advised a person (details supplied) in County Limerick of the status of a request for recognition of qualifications obtained abroad, thereby preventing the person from securing better paid employment; if he will ensure that these procedures are improved going forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46614/15]
View answerThe applicant applied for consideration of registration in the General Nurse Division of the Register on 27 November 2014. The applicant originally undertook her nurse training in Romania. As part of the application process, the applicant was requested to complete an application form and return with various documents to the NMBI. She was also required to arrange for other documents to issue directly to NMBI from source. These documents included Transcript of Training, Reference, and Verification. The last document was received in the NMBI's office on 19 June 2015; however a number of documents received were in the Romanian language and required translation by an official translator which had to be arranged by the applicant.
The translations required were received on 7 July 2015 and the application was reviewed in early September 2015 and some further clarification was required in relation to gaps in her curriculum vitae and a question was raised in relation to the source of the transcript of training. The applicant was alerted, via email, of these issues on 16 September 2015. The applicant immediately contacted the NMBI's office to address the issues re the gaps on her CV. The NMBI were still at this stage awaiting a response from the applicant's school of nursing regarding the source of the transcript received.
All matters were resolved regarding the source of the transcript of training and translations duly received. Regular updates were provided to the applicant regarding the progress of her application.
The application is currently going through an educational assessment. It is anticipated that a decision will issue to her before the end of this week.
573. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of an assessment for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry who is on a waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46628/15]
View answerAs the particular issue raised by the Deputy relates to an individual case, this is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE 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.
574. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will be scheduled for an orthodontic appointment; and if a date will be confirmed for 2016. [46644/15]
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.
575. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health when a hospital appointment will be arranged for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46645/15]
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.
576. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite an application for a medical card for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46646/15]
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.
577. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite an application for a medical card for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46656/15]
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.
578. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the names of the persons he has nominated to serve in positions carrying remuneration, other than out-of-pocket expenses, on commissions and industrial, assurance, semi-State or other similar concerns; the amounts received annually in respect of each appointment; the name of the concern to which the appointment was made during the years 2011 to 2015 and to date in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46673/15]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy in relation to persons nominated to serve in positions carrying remuneration, other than out of pocket expenses is not readily available, but I will forward a detailed reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
579. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Health the action he is taking to address the widely reported practice of general practitioners charging medical card holders for international normalised ratio, INR, testing; if a medical card holder can be refunded by his Department or the Health Service Executive for such a charge; how this can be done; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46674/15]
View answerPersons covered by the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme should not be charged for routine phlebotomy services provided by their GP, or the Practice Nurse on behalf of the GP, which are required to either assist in the diagnosis of illness or the treatment of a condition. While INR blood tests are not mentioned specifically in the GMS contract, such tests are carried out free of charge by some general practitioners as a matter of course in their practices and I welcome this. This provides patients with an option of receiving this service locally in a primary care setting rather than attending an acute hospital. Warfarin testing is available free of charge in hospitals.
Consultation fees charged by GPs outside the terms of the GMS contract are a matter of private contract between the clinicians and the patients. While I have no role in relation to such fees, I would expect clinicians to have regard to the overall economic situation in setting their fees. The HSE is not in a position to refund the costs of such charges to patients.
The Department of Health and the HSE are cognisant of the need for a new contract with GPs that will help modernise our health service and develop a strengthened primary care sector and negotiations are underway with the IMO in this regard. The development of appropriate contractual arrangements in relation to the management of chronic conditions is amongst the significant issues to be considered during the contractual talks.
580. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health to expedite an application for a medical card for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46676/15]
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.
581. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health to support a matter (details supplied) regarding mental health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46691/15]
View answerUnder Section 22 of the Health Act 2004, the HSE has the authority to appoint persons to be its employees and may determine their duties. This includes the appointment of persons to posts in psychology services.
A HSE Psychology Eligibility Review Group was convened, in April 2015, to review the current care group delineations and make appropriate recommendations and also to review the eligibility requirements for each care group in the context of competencies for the posts and the PSI accreditation guidelines. The final report of the HSE Psychology Eligibility Review Group is expected to be issued in January and the recommendations are currently being drafted for the National Director of HR and the Director General of the HSE.
Action 46 of Future Health (DoH, 2012) provides for the Department of Health to work with the HSE to implement an approach to workforce planning and development with the objectives of recruiting and retaining the right mix of staff; training and upskilling the workforce; providing for professional and career development; creating supportive and healthy workplaces.
In 2016, working together with the HSE, the Department will develop a national integrated strategic framework for health workforce planning on a cross-sectoral basis, including the Department of Education. The framework is intended to support the stability and sustainability of the health workforce in Ireland.
Since coming into office, this Government has made significant efforts to prioritise and modernise mental health care. We have provided €160 million ring-fenced funding and approved 1,150 new posts for mental health since 2012 up to the end of 2016, to modernise services in line with A Vision for Change and Programme for Government commitments. A key focus has been additional posts to strengthen Community Mental Health Teams for both adults and children. This funding is also being used to enhance specialist community mental health and forensic services, increase the access to counselling and psychotherapy and for suicide prevention initiatives. In 2016, funding will be provided for the continued development of counselling services across both primary and secondary care, including the provision of two new Jigsaw youth mental health services in Cork and Dublin city and for the continued development of Community Mental Health Teams and improved 24/7 responses and liaison services.
582. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will provide support to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5 who requires residential care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46692/15]
View answerAs 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.
