Michael Healy-Rae
Question:490. 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. [6741/16]
View answerHospital Appointments Status
Questions (490)
Written answers
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 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.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (491)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:491. 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. [6742/16]
View answerWritten answers
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 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.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (492)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:492. 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. [6743/16]
View answerWritten answers
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 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.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (493)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:493. 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. [6744/16]
View answerWritten answers
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 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.
Professional Qualifications
Questions (494)
Catherine Murphy
Question:494. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the status of the 2012 review of the academic validation of certain complementary therapies by a company (details supplied) which his Department and the Higher Education and Training Awards Council jointly commissioned; when he will issue his response; the reason he has not done so to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6745/16]
View answerWritten answers
In September 2010, HETAC (now QQI) and the Department of Health jointly commissioned an International Review of the Academic Validation of Higher Education Programmes in the Complementary Therapies. It focused on five fields, including acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, in jurisdictions which have national education frameworks comparable to the Bologna framework (an EU quality assurance system in education based on learning outcomes) and aimed to identify criteria for the identification of complementary therapies which have the academic and professional maturity to warrant the academic validation of programmes by HETAC/QQI. A draft report was published on the HETAC website in late 2012 to which stakeholders were invited to respond.
The research project was managed by HETAC and my Department participated because, where the academic validation of a training programme is in place, such academic standards may be deemed as the entry level standards to the practice of a profession by systems of either statutory or voluntary regulation.
Since then, the immediate priority of my Department, within the field of professional regulation, has been the full implementation of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 which provides for the regulation of twelve professions already designated under the Act, the recent rationalisation of the Opticians Board into CORU, and to consider the extension of this regulatory regime to counsellors and psychotherapists. This is reflected in Health Priorities for 2015-2017 which is accessible on the Department's website at: http://health.gov.ie/blog/press-release/varadkar-lynch-publish-health-priorities-for-2015/.
Accordingly it has not been possible as yet to issue a response to the stakeholder consultation.
Home Help Service Provision
Questions (495)
Denis Naughten
Question:495. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health when the Health Service Executive will seek tenders from private care providers for home help hours; the reason it has not sought this tender to date, given its funding crisis; if these contracts will be in place before 1 July 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6746/16]
View answerWritten answers
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.
International Agreements
Questions (496)
Catherine Murphy
Question:496. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 131 of 25 February 2015 and the memorandum of understanding on health regulation between Ireland and China, to expand on the activities of the various elements of traditional Chinese medicine, with a particular focus on acupuncture; the instances of practical progress made since the memorandum was signed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6747/16]
View answerWritten answers
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on health cooperation between the Department of Health of Ireland and the Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China was signed by both Ministers at a bilateral meeting in China on 16 August 2012. The Memorandum replaced a previous MOU which covered the period 2004 to 2009.
The objective of the MOU is to encourage and develop cooperation and exchange in the field of healthcare between Ireland and the People’s Republic of China. Traditional Chinese Medicine is one such area of potential cooperation set out in the MOU, though this is not mandatory as cooperation and exchange will take place in accordance with the common interests of the two countries.
The areas of cooperation set out in the MOU are:
1. Health regulation;
2. eHealth and telemedicine;
3. Medical professional training;
4. Health promotion;
5. Maternal and child health;
6. Hospital standards; and
7. Traditional Chinese medicine.
The MOU is valid until 2017. There is currently no further agreement under discussion.
There is at present no statutory regulation of complementary therapists, such as acupuncturists, in Ireland. While complementary therapists are not subject to professional statutory regulation, they are subject to a range of legislation and regulation, similar to other practitioners including consumer legislation, competition, contract and criminal law.
Ireland enjoys a strong and growing bilateral relationship with China. Since the Ministerial visit to China in 2012 there was a return visit of a Chinese delegation, headed by the Chinese Minister for Health, to Dublin in May 2013. There was also a high level visit from senior health officials from Shanghai in May 2015. These visits allowed the Chinese delegations to discuss health policy with the Minister and health officials and to visit hospital, primary and community services to see these services first hand and to meet the health professionals responsible for the delivery of these services to exchange views and experiences.
In addition, the Department facilitates, where possible, requests from Chinese delegations to discuss and share experiences on health matters.
Accident and Emergency Departments Data
Questions (497)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:497. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the number of patients who were waiting for admission on trolleys in hospital emergency departments in March 2016; the way in which this number has changed, by monthly average, and by hospital, in the past 5 years; the frequency with which in this period ambulances have been impeded from responding to emergency call-outs because of delays in transferring their patients to emergency departments as a result of overcrowding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6748/16]
View answerWritten answers
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.
Hospitals Data
Questions (498)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:498. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the capacity of hospitals in terms of the number of beds and staff; the way in which has this changed, by monthly average, and by hospital, over the past five years; and the way in which this compares with other European Union states. [6749/16]
View answerWritten answers
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.
Primary Care Centres Data
Questions (499)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:499. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the number of primary care teams which are recommended and are currently in place; the recommended and actual level of staffing by community health care organisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6750/16]
View answerWritten answers
The Primary Care Strategy 2001 outlined that Primary Care Teams (PCTs) would be established, with each covering a population of between 3,000 and 7,000 people. Initially, the HSE established 530 PCTs nationally based on an extensive mapping exercise involving a whole population approach. Since then, various exercises were carried out in relation to re-mapping, efficiency evaluation, resource reallocation and engagement with stakeholders, resulting in the number of PCTs being reduced to 485. Almost 600 additional staff were recruited and assigned to the PCTs. There are currently over 3,000 staff members reconfigured across the 485 PCTs.
In relation to the actual staffing level by Community Healthcare Organisation, as this is a service matter this question 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.
Hospital Consultant Remuneration
Questions (500)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:500. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the percentage pay increase for hospital consultants recommended in the 2008 contract by year and cumulatively; the overall cost; and the cost per hospital consultant and of the pay rises foregone from the 2008 consultant contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6751/16]
View answerWritten answers
Consultant Contract 2008 provided that all serving Consultants who took up the offer of the Contract 2008 would be assimilated to the maximum point of the applicable new salary scale. In June 2007 terms the maximum of the Type A scale was to be €240,000; Type B - €220,000, Type B* - €190,000 and Type C - €175,000.
The contract provided for the increases arising being implemented on a phased basis; 5% (outstanding) from 14 September 2007, half the balance from 1 June 2008 and the remaining balance from 1 June 2009. The envisaged level of increase varied depending on the contract type previously held (Category I or Category II, region and specialty) and the type of contract the consultant concerned moved to. An increase incorporating the first two phases was paid with effect from 1 January 2009. The 1 June 2009 increase has not been paid given the financial crisis. Consultants pay, including the 1 January 2009 increase, has been reduced under FEMPI legislation.
I have asked the HSE to revert to the Deputy on the specific details sought. If you have 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.
Departmental Properties
Questions (501)
Timmy Dooley
Question:501. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health when he will provide improved wheelchair access at the Clare County Clinic at Bindon Street in Ennis, County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6764/16]
View answerWritten answers
As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the management of the health care estate it has been requested to reply directly to you on the matter. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office who will follow up.
Home Help Service Provision
Questions (502)
Willie O'Dea
Question:502. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health why he has not sanctioned home help for a person (details supplied) in County Clare since 9 February 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6767/16]
View answerWritten answers
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.