Written Answers Nos. 346-363
346. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of patients referred by their general practitioners who have been refused entry onto a waiting list, by age group, and by county, in 2014 and 2015; if these reports are available for 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7661/16]
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.
347. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of a situation (details supplied); the steps and resources he will put in place to avoid this ongoing situation in the cardiothoracic unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7664/16]
View answerI am sorry to hear about this patient's experience and want to wish them well. One of the key challenges for our health system is ensuring timely access to health services. Both my Department and the HSE recognise that there are resource availability and structural challenges which impact on individual specialties and hospital sites. Therefore, it is vital to effectively manage waiting lists so that those patients longest waiting are scheduled within the available capacity, once emergency and urgent cases have been dealt with. The HSE National Service Plan sets target key performance indicators for waiting lists so that adults and children receive necessary scheduled care within a timely fashion.
This year, the HSE will focus on a number of activities to manage patient waiting times, including:
- ensuring that chronological scheduling is adhered to;
- putting in place administrative and clinical validation procedures to ensure that patients are available for treatment;
- relocating high-volume low complexity surgeries to smaller hospitals;
- outsourcing a percentage of patients where there is limited capacity to treat them in the public system; and
- designating an improvement lead for each hospital group, to provide support in meeting national targets for appointments and treatment.
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.
348. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will receive an operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7674/16]
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.
349. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health to provide a date for an appointment for services to a person (details supplied) in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7678/16]
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.
350. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number of home care packages that have been approved but have not commenced due to lack of funding, by community health organisation, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7689/16]
View answerAs 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.
351. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health when he will provide an operation for a person (details supplied) in County Galway; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7705/16]
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.
352. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health why a person (details supplied) in County Cork whose home help is on sick leave has not had it replaced; if he will immediately reinstate the home help; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7706/16]
View answerAs 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.
353. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Health the changes to the home care package, particularly in counties Roscommon and Galway. [7707/16]
View answerAs 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.
354. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the steps he continues to take to alleviate the problem of overcrowding at various general hospitals throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7712/16]
View answerThe Emergency Department Taskforce Implementation Group has met on a regular basis during 2015 and into 2016, and has recently met on the 18th April 2016. The Group has been overseeing initiatives to address ED overcrowding and ED performance, particularly over this peak winter period.
During 2015, additional funding of €117 million was provided to the HSE to relieve ED overcrowding pressures. This funding has supported initiatives to expand hospital capacity with 362 additional beds opened or reopened, reduce the number of hospital attendances by expanding community intervention team services and increasing the availability of community hospitals, and support timely patient discharge from hospital by reducing the wait time for Fair Deal funding to no more than 4 weeks, providing additional transitional care places, public community beds and home care packages.
Since the beginning of 2016, the HSE has reported an increase in emergency department (ED) activity in comparison with the same period last year. Overall, there has been an increase of 6.9% in patient attendances. Despite sustained increase in attendances, the total year to date number of patients waiting on trolleys at 8am each morning shows a marginal increase of 1%.
In preparation for the expected surge in demand for emergency care, which usually arises around the Easter period, Hospital Groups in conjunction with Community Healthcare Organisations put in place preparedness plans for the holiday period. Measures implemented included optimising discharges in advance of the weekends, strengthening the senior decision making presence at wards and in Emergency Departments, increased diagnostics at the weekends and securing staff to open overflow areas. As a result of these measures, the ED performance over the Easter period was favourable compared with 2015.
355. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the degree to which waiting times can be reduced for elective procedures in hospitals throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7713/16]
View answerImproving waiting times for scheduled care for patients is a key priority. In January 2015, I put in place maximum permissible waiting times for inpatient and day case treatment and outpatient appointments of 18 months by 30 Jun 2015 and 15 months by year end. The HSE was provided with additional funding of €51m to ensure that these maximum waiting times would be achieved by maximising capacity across public and voluntary hospitals as well as outsourcing activity where the capacity is not available to meet patient needs. HSE figures for end December 2015 show positive progress against the 15 months maximum wait time. For in-patient and day case waiting lists, overall performance equates to 95% achievement of the 15 month maximum permissible wait time and for outpatient waiting lists, overall performance equates to 93% achievement of the 15 month maximum permissible wait time.
This year, the HSE will focus on a number of activities to manage patient waiting times, including:
- ensuring that chronological scheduling is adhered to;
- putting in place administrative and clinical validation procedures to ensure that patients are available for treatment;
- relocating high-volume low complexity surgeries to smaller hospitals;
- outsourcing a percentage of patients where there is limited capacity to treat them in the public system; and
- designating an improvement lead for each hospital group, to provide support in meeting national targets for appointments and treatment.
356. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which step-down public or private nursing home beds are available or are being made available throughout the country with particular reference to general hospitals that have experienced overcrowding at accident and emergency departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7714/16]
View answerAs 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.
357. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the number of persons currently awaiting attention in respect of various elective procedures at various public hospitals throughout the country; the number of those who have already been seen by a consultant and those still awaiting consultation; the number identified as being in need of surgical procedures but still on waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7715/16]
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.
358. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health why a person (details supplied) in County Dublin has been refused home help despite being severely disabled. [7759/16]
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.
359. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health why the home help hours of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin have been cut. [7760/16]
View answerAs 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.
360. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if there is a formal or informal policy operating within the health and emergency services of refusing care to mental health and suicidal cases if the individual is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. [7764/16]
View answerThe standard practice for patients presenting to Emergency Departments with mental health issues who have also misused substances is that the mental health assessment is postponed until the individual is no longer intoxicated and is medically fit to engage in the assessment process. In the interim, the patient remains under the care of the Hospital Emergency Department Team.
As part of the Self Harm Clinical Programme in operation since 2014, 33.5 Clinical Nurse Specialists have been allocated to Emergency Departments to provide a rapid response (assessment and follow up) to people presenting with self-harm and suicidal tendencies.
Service users presenting with co-morbid mental health and addiction problems are mostly seen by general adult Community Mental Health Teams, who offer both addiction counselling expertise and mental health intervention as part of an integrated care plan. These teams are also responsible for linking these service users to community-based recovery and support programmes as part of facilitating full community re-integration.
Additionally, the HSE Mental Health Directorate has plans to implement a new ‘Dual Diagnosis’ clinical programme in 2016 which aims to address those service users with co-morbid mental health and addiction problems. The overarching aim of this national programme is to standardise quality evidence based practice across the Mental Health Services, bringing together clinical disciplines and enabling them to share innovative solutions to deliver greater benefits to every user of HSE services.
361. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the opening of the 40-bed mental health unit at the Cherryfield site in Killarney, County Kerry; the timeframe for the opening; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7780/16]
View answerAs this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
362. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) in County Longford will be immediately admitted for an appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7782/16]
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.
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.
363. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health why cancer patients have to pay €1,400 for genetic testing; if he offers financial assistance to patients for this payment; if he will examine the case of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal. [7786/16]
View answerThe Deputy's question relates to service delivery matters and accordingly I have asked the HSE to respond directly to him.
If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow up the matter with them.
