Wednesday, 13 Jan 2016

Written Answers Nos. 600 - 613

Hospital Appointments Status

Questions (600)

Arthur Spring

Question:

600. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health the status of an appointment for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry. [46812/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As 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.

Medical Aids and Appliances Provision

Questions (601)

Robert Troy

Question:

601. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health why a new blood test metering system known as FreeStyle Libre which has very significant benefits in terms of blood sugar monitoring and control for diabetics is not available here, but is available in the United Kingdom and other European countries; if this new meter will be made available to diabetics here in the near future. [46813/15]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be 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.

Medical Treatment Complaints

Questions (602)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

602. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he will tighten controls on medical professionals who are connected to adverse incidents but who leave the State before formal investigations and possible sanctions can be imposed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46815/15]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Under the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 all medical practitioners who wish to practice medicine in Ireland must register with the Medical Council. Under this legislation the Medical Council is the regulatory body responsible for ensuring that medical practitioners on the Register are fit to practice. The Council handles complaints relating to a medical practitioner's fitness to practise medicine. Once a complaint has been made against a registered medical practitioner that practitioner cannot voluntarily withdraw from the Register until the complaint has been investigated. The complaint will be investigated whether the practitioners is in the jurisdiction or not.

The Medical Council advises that, where adverse events occur and it is appropriate, it is important that complaints are made in a timely manner to the Council. Under the legislation the Council has a wide range of powers, depending on the final outcome of the Fitness to Practice process. Sanctions available to Council include attaching conditions to the practitioners registration, suspension of registration or cancellation of registration. Cancellation of registration means that the medical practitioner would no longer be able to practise medicine in the State.

Medical Card Delays

Questions (603)

Eamonn Maloney

Question:

603. Deputy Eamonn Maloney asked the Minister for Health the status of the delay in the renewal of a medical card being issued to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12. [46816/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The 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.

Health Services Expenditure

Questions (604)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

604. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the details of the anticipated €110 million in savings measures referred to on page 115 of the 2016 Health Service Executive service plan. [46821/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The anticipated €110 million in savings measures listed on page 115 of the 2016 HSE Service Plan refers to targeted reductions in prescribing and drug costs within the Primary Care Reimbursement Service. This will include a review of areas such as probity and the costs associated with prescribing medicines.

Tobacco Control Measures

Questions (605)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

605. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health his views on tobacco starter packs which contain tobacco, cigarette papers and filters, which are particularly attractive to young persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46826/15]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As the Deputy is aware smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in Ireland with at least 5,200 people dying every year from tobacco related diseases. Tobacco Free Ireland sets a target for Ireland to be tobacco free by 2025. In practice, this will mean a smoking prevalence rate of less than 5%. The two key themes underpinning the policy are protecting children and the denormalisation of smoking. While the number of people smoking in Ireland has significantly reduced, particularly among young people, it is important that we continue to implement Tobacco free Ireland to reduce these numbers further. One of the recommendations in Tobacco Free Ireland is the introduction of standardised packaging for tobacco products. This legislation have now been enacted and tobacco products produced after 20th May 2016 will have to comply with the provisions of the legislation. The legislation will prohibit the insertion or affixing of any item to the tobacco pack other than items allowed for by law. This would mean that in the near future the packs, as described by the Deputy, will not be available for retail sale. The Standardised Packaging legislation together with the new EU Tobacco Products Directive will go a long way to ensuring that tobacco products are much less appealing to consumers and in particular young people.

Hospital Waiting Lists

Questions (606)

Written answers

Minister for Health

Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin is the largest provider of scoliosis surgery for children and young people. Funding was allocated in 2015 for additional consultant posts including two consultant orthopaedic surgeons, anaesthetist and support staff at Crumlin while capital funding was also provided for a new theatre on site to expand theatre capacity further. The 2016 Service Plan specifically provides for support for the new theatre capacity and the continued development of paediatric scoliosis services to address ongoing capacity deficits.

In order to address waiting times in the interim, patients from Crumlin have been transferred to other hospitals where capacity is available and where that is clinically appropriate. These include Temple Street, Cappagh, Tallaght and the Blackrock Clinic. External capacity has also been identified at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital at Stanmore in the UK. These measures in total resulted in more than double capacity for this surgery for patients on the Crumlin waiting list in 2015.

The HSE is continuing to work with the Children’s Hospital Group and the individual hospitals to identify all options to increase capacity further to improve access times for surgery.

As the specific issues raised are 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.

Hospital Appointments Status

Questions (607)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

607. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of an operation in Cork University Hospital for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46828/15]

Written answers

Minister for Health

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.

Nursing Homes Support Scheme Eligibility

Questions (608)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

608. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the status of the eligibility under the fair deal scheme of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46829/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

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.

Disability Services Funding

Questions (609)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

609. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the funding and the number of hours the Health Service Executive provided for the personal assistant service in its disability services budget in 2015 and the funding and the number of hours to be provided in 2016. [46832/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The Health Service Executive is committed to protecting the level of Personal Assistant (PA) services available to people with disabilities. In their 2016 National Service Plan, the HSE's priority is to provide 1.3 million hours of personal assistance to more than 2,000 people with a disability. This is the same activity level that was funded in 2014 and 2015. PA hours are reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that the service is at all times responsive to client's needs and that the hours available are allocated appropriately and in a timely manner. The HSE has confirmed that in excess of €30 million is spent annually on the provision of PA Services. I have also arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for a more detailed response to be supplied directly 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.

Disability Services Funding

Questions (610)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

610. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the funding and the number of hours the Health Service Executive provided for the home support service disability services budget in 2015; and the funding and the number of hours to be provided in 2016. [46833/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The Health Service Executive's (HSE's) National Service Plan for 2016 provides for the delivery of 2.6 million hours of Home Support Services. As 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.

Nursing Home Services

Questions (611)

Fergus O'Dowd

Question:

611. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the status of occupational therapists attending to residents of private and public nursing homes in counties Meath and Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46835/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

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.

Health Services Funding

Questions (612)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

612. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health why the 2016 Health Service Executive budget for older persons is €9.9 million less than the projected spend in 2015. [46841/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The allocation for Older Persons Services in the HSE’s 2015 National Service Plan was €655.1 million. The projected outturn of €693.2 million exceeded the original Service Plan figure by approximately €38 million, which reflects additional once-off funds provided during 2015 to allow Social Care to alleviate delayed discharge pressures in acute hospitals.

This year's allocation for Older Persons Services is €703.3 million, which exceeds the 2015 outturn by approximately €10 million.

Question No. 613 answered with Question No. 546.