Written Answers Nos. 431-444
431. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which cancer patients have access to a medical card, given the seriousness of their condition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6624/16]
View answer608. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which the Health Service Executive can make provision to ensure that persons suffering from cancer who apply for a medical card can have a full card issued to them on a temporary basis, rather than having to make several submissions at a time of great anxiety for their health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7192/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 431 and 608 together.
In accordance with the provisions of the Health Act 1970 (as amended), eligibility for a medical card is founded primarily on the undue financial hardship test. The Act obliges the HSE to assess whether a person is unable, without undue hardship, to arrange general practitioner services for himself or herself and his or her family, having regard to his or her overall financial position and reasonable expenditure and every application must be assessed on that basis. Under the legislation, having a particular illness, in itself, does not establish eligibility for a medical card. Where the applicant's income is within the income guidelines, a medical card or GP visit card will be awarded.
Every effort is made by the HSE, within the framework of the legislation, to support applicants in applying for a medical card and, in particular, to take full account of the difficult circumstances in the case of applicants who may be in excess of the income guidelines. In certain circumstances, the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, even though an applicant exceeds his or her income threshold, where he or she faces difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from an illness. Social and medical issues are considered when determining whether undue hardship exists for an individual accessing general practitioner or other medical services. The HSE affords applicants the opportunity to furnish supporting information and documentation to fully take account of all the relevant circumstances that may benefit them in the assessment, including medical evidence of cost and necessary expenses.
The HSE has a system in place for the provision of medical cards in response to an emergency situation for persons with a serious medical condition in need of urgent or on-going medical care that they cannot afford and persons in palliative care, who are terminally ill. With the exception of terminally ill patients all medical cards, granted on an emergency basis, are issued on the basis that the patient is eligible for a medical card on the basis of means or undue hardship, and will follow up with a full application within a number of weeks of receiving the medical card eligibility. These cards are issued within 24 hours of receipt of the required patient details and a letter which confirms the medical condition from a doctor or consultant. For terminally ill persons, no means test applies and the cards are not reviewed.
The Deputy may be aware of the "Keane" Report of the Expert Panel on Medical Need for Medical Card Eligibility with a key recommendation that a person’s means should remain the main qualifier for a medical card. It also recommended that it is neither feasible nor desirable to list conditions in priority order for medical card eligibility.
On foot of the Keane Report, the HSE established a Clinical Advisory Group to develop clinical oversight and guidance for the operation of a more compassionate and trusted medical card system. The Director General of the HSE, on accepting an interim recommendation of the Group, made a decision to award medical card eligibility to all children under 18 years of age with a diagnosis of cancer from 1 July 2015, with the card to be held for a period of five years. The Clinical Advisory Group is continuing its work on the development of guidance on assessing medical card applications involving significant medical conditions.
It is clear that there are people with medical needs and it is important that they should be able to access necessary assistance in a straight forward manner. Greater discretion is being exercised by the HSE as evidenced by the number of discretionary medical cards in circulation, which has increased from about 52,000 in mid-2014 to over 103,000 at 1 April 2016.
The HSE local health offices can offer assistance to those completing their Medical Card/GP Visit Card application form or seek clarification on any aspect regarding the process of assessing eligibility for a Medical Card/GP Visit Card. In addition, in this regard, a help and information Callsave phone line 1890 252 919 is available to the public.
432. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which a person (details supplied) in County Kildare has access to a medical card to cover costs associated with initial treatments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6625/16]
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 recently 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.
433. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the number of medical cards refused to patients being treated for cancer, in each of the past twelve months to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6626/16]
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 recently 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.
434. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the cost of increasing the number of critical care beds from 289 to 440; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6632/16]
View answerIn 2008, the HSE commissioned an independent review of the existing adult critical care provision and assessment of future requirements to the year 2020. The report recommended that the number of critical care beds in the system should increase from 289 to 579 over the period 2010 to 2020 and the development of a ‘hub-and-spoke’ Model of Care for Adult Critical Care. Since its establishment the HSE critical care clinical programme has been working with service providers to develop the hub and spoke model whereby the more complex work is undertaken in the larger regional hospitals and critical care services in the some of the smaller hospital have been decommissioned. The Model of Care for critical care was launched in October 2014.
The Programme has carried out an annual census of critical care capacity and activity. Based on the recently completed 2015 national census, there are currently 237 adult critical care beds in public hospitals. It is acknowledged that there is a need to address the overall critical care bed capacity requirements. The initial approach underway in the HSE is to work to opening 25 exiting critical care beds that are closed due to nursing shortages and difficulties in recruiting nurse for critical care. The HSE is putting in place a Critical Care Nursing Career Pathway initiative, facilitated by the Critical Care Programme, aimed at increasing the number of critical care nurses.
It has not been possible in 2016 to provide for additional resources for critical care within the limited envelope of additional funding and competing priorities for acute services. However, I would like to assure the Deputy that my Department and the HSE are committed to working together to try to address the capacity deficit over the coming years by prioritising this area for consideration for investment based on business cases as part of the annual Estimates process.
In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy regarding the cost of increasing critical care beds, 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.
438. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health when the Health Service Executive will appoint an anaesthetist for persons under six years of age in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin 9 [6644/16]
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.
439. 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. [6646/16]
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 HSE, 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.
440. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6648/16]
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 HSE, 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.
441. 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. [6655/16]
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 HSE, 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.
442. 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. [6656/16]
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 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.
443. 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. [6657/16]
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 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.
444. 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. [6659/16]
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 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.
