Written Answers Nos. 241-256
241. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will urge the Health Information and Quality Authority to report on the community hospital in Daingean Uí Chúis in County Kerry in order to allow the additional beds to be opened there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3493/16]
View answerThe Health Information and Quality Authority is the independent authority established under the Health Act 2007 to drive continuous improvement and to monitor safety and quality in Ireland’s health and personal social care services. Since 2009 all nursing homes - public, voluntary and private have been registered and inspected by HIQA.
The functions of the Minister for Health in relation to HIQA, and the Chief Inspector of Social Services are prescribed in the Act, and in this respect the Chief Inspector is independent in the exercise of these functions.
242. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health the cost of every million home help hours provided; the number of home help hours provided in the Health Service Executive's plan for 2016; the cost of these; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3495/16]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply. If the Deputy has 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.
243. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health the approximate number of operations, per million euro, that can take place by the Health Service Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3496/16]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly. If she has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
244. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of nursing homes and beds in Dublin that are currently lying idle. [3514/16]
View answerAll designated centres for older people (nursing homes) whether public, private or voluntary are required to be registered and inspected by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA). HIQA's Chief Inspector of Social Services must establish and maintain a register of designated centres. Details entered into the register include the name and address of the centre, date of registration and the number of people that can be accommodated. This information is available on a county basis and can be accessed at the Authority’s website www.hiqa.ie.
Under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, a person may select a nursing home of their choice which qualifies for the Scheme. The Department of Health does not keep a record of vacant beds in nursing homes. However, the number of vacant beds in public nursing homes is a service matter for the Health Service Executive and has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply. If the Deputy has 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.
245. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health why the emergency department in the Mater hospital in Dublin 1 has been asking sick and injured persons to stay away; if he is aware that it is less than three years since the new emergency department opened, and that persons were promised that this would lead to an end to chaos and waiting times for procedures; the reason for the closure and restrictions; the immediate actions that will be taken to ensure that it is fully open and when it will open. [3527/16]
View answerHospital Emergency Departments, including the Mater Hospital Emergency Department, have been exceptionally busy over recent days. This has led to significant delays for patients attending the Emergency Department and for those waiting for admission to a hospital bed. The hospital requested that the public, where possible, would attend their GP in the first instance, or the Rapid Injury Clinic in Smithfield for minor injuries. Those that did attend the Emergency Department at the Hospital would be managed according to their medical priority.
In line with the agreed ED escalation procedures, the Mater Hospital also postponed a number of non-urgent (elective) procedures to help alleviate pressures in the Emergency Department.
With regard to the specific issue raised by the Deputy, this is a matter for the Health Service Executive; therefore I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly. If he has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow up the matter.
246. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health the status of a medical procedure for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3535/16]
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 the Deputy directly. If he has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow up the matter.
247. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of Kerry General Hospital (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3536/16]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly. If he has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow up the matter.
248. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health when he will lift the moratorium on the employment of dental hygienists, particularly within the north west; the process an interested party should follow in declaring an interest in advance of any upcoming vacancy, or the lifting of the moratorium; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3543/16]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter. If he has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up on the matter with them.
249. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the status of surgery at Crumlin hospital in County Dublin for a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and when the procedure will be scheduled. [3549/16]
View answerOur 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. 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 the Deputy directly. If he has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow up the matter.
250. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the funding he allocated and the funding spent on capital projects and other initiatives in the constituencies of Louth and East-Meath, by project and initiative, by completion date and by cost, for the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3563/16]
View answer267. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the improvements made to the Louth County Hospital in Dundalk and to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda in County Louth and the capital costs involved in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3674/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 250 and 267 together.
The HSE has been requested to reply directly to you on this matter as it is responsible for the delivery of health care infrastructure projects. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office who will follow up on the matter.
251. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for orthodontic treatment at the end of September 2015, by local health office area, by those under 16 years of age, by those 16 years of age and older, in tabular form. [3589/16]
View answerThe HSE provides orthodontic treatment to those who have been assessed and referred for treatment before their 16th birthday. It should be noted that the nature of orthodontic care means that immediate treatment is not always desirable. It is estimated that in up to 5% of cases it is necessary to wait for further growth to take place, until after 16-18 years of age, before treatment commences. Patients are assessed by the HSE Orthodontic Service under the modified Index of Treatment Need. Patients with the greatest level of need i.e. Grade 5 or Grade 4 are provided with treatment by the HSE.
Information on waiting times is collated by the HSE by region and for the intervals as shown in the following table. The information is not collated by age. In general, those waiting over 4 years would be expected to be 16 years or over since they are usually referred at 12-13 years of age approximately. The information on waiting times for treatment for Quarter 3 of 2015 is as follows:
|
Waiting time from assessment to commencement of treatment |
1 - 6 months |
7 - 12 months |
13 - 24 months |
25-48 months |
Over 48 months |
TOTAL |
|
HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster |
729 |
974 |
1,513 |
1,585 |
334 |
5,135 |
|
HSE Dublin North East |
309 |
577 |
1,035 |
1,515 |
726 |
4,162 |
|
HSE South |
662 |
802 |
994 |
1,449 |
306 |
4,213 |
|
HSE West |
450 |
793 |
2,021 |
1,304 |
28 |
4,596 |
|
Total |
2,150 |
3,146 |
5,563 |
5,853 |
1,394 |
18,106 |
252. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of home help hours provided in 2015; and the projected number to be provided in 2016, by local health office, in tabular form. [3590/16]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply. If the Deputy has 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.
253. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of non-consultant hospital doctors employed, by public hospital, by voluntary hospital, in each of the years 2011 to 2015, in tabular form. [3591/16]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up on the matter with them.
254. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in publishing the October 2015 Health Service Executive performance report; and when he expects it to be published. [3592/16]
View answerThe October 2015 Health Service Executive Performance Report was due to be published over the Christmas period 2015. Given the time of year, it was decided to publish both the October and the November Performance Reports together at the first available opportunity this year. Both reports were published yesterday Wednesday, 27 January and are available on the HSE's website.
255. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of operations and procedures that were cancelled and postponed, by public hospital in 2015, in tabular form. [3593/16]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly. If he has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow up the matter.
256. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of operations and procedures that were cancelled and postponed, by voluntary hospital in 2015, in tabular form. [3594/16]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly. If he has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow up the matter.
