Martin Ferris
Question:446. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Health if a portable concentrator will be provided for a person (details supplied). [14627/16]
View answerMedical Aids and Appliances Provision
Questions (446)
Written answers
The 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.
Dental Services Waiting Lists
Questions (447)
Martin Ferris
Question:447. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) will have to wait a year and a half for a dental procedure. [14628/16]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, it 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.
Nursing Staff Provision
Questions (448)
Brendan Griffin
Question:448. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) with regard to nursing support in a school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14635/16]
View answerWritten answers
The particular issue raised by the Deputy 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.
Orthodontic Services Waiting Lists
Questions (449)
Jack Chambers
Question:449. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health the waiting times for applications for orthodontic services to be processed for the past five years in Dublin West in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14636/16]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, it 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.
Orthodontic Services Data
Questions (450)
Jack Chambers
Question:450. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health for a breakdown of staff in the orthodontic services in Dublin West, including those in active service and those on leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14637/16]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, it 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.
HSE Investigations
Questions (451)
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Question:451. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the status of each of the four investigations into the loss of newborns at the maternity unit at Cavan General Hospital from 2012 to 2014; if any of the investigations have not yet concluded and if so, why they have not concluded; if the final report has been received in any of these cases and if so, why these reports have not yet been published and released into the public domain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14638/16]
View answerWritten answers
I would firstly wish to express my deepest sympathy to the families of the four babies who died at Cavan General Hospital during the period 2012-2015. Each of these cases is the subject of a review. I would like to stress the importance of patient confidentiality and sensitivity to the families’ needs.
One review has been completed and the report handed over to the family, however they indicated that they did not wish to see the report published. Two of the reports are at an advanced stage, while the fourth review has commenced recently.
It is important to note that the results of all reviews will be conveyed to the families first and their right to confidentiality will be maintained throughout the review process and after report production. The completion of these reviews is also important in order that any learning is embedded in our maternity services as swiftly as possible.
I would like to assure the Deputy that the safety and quality of maternity services is a priority for the Department. Since December 2015, each maternity hospital has been publishing a monthly Maternity Patient Safety Statement as recommended by the Chief Medical Officer's Portlaoise Perinatal Report of 2014. The recent publication of Ireland’s first Maternity Strategy demonstrates a new and enhanced focus on maternity care at both policy and service delivery level. It provides a roadmap for how we can improve maternity and neonatal care in the years ahead ensuring that it is safe, standardised and of high quality. This creates significant opportunity to build and develop the services we provide for women and babies over the next ten years. My Department is working with the HSE to ensure its full implementation.
Hospital Staff Recruitment
Questions (452)
Pearse Doherty
Question:452. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the details of current vacancies at Letterkenny University Hospital in respect of medical personnel in tabular form; the time these posts have remained vacant; the positions for which approval to commence recruitment to fill an identified staffing deficit has been sought by the hospital; if approval has yet been granted in respect of such positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14644/16]
View answerWritten answers
I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter. 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 Staff Recruitment
Questions (453)
Pearse Doherty
Question:453. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health his views on the impact, which the recently introduced interim measures restricting recruitment within the health service pending the approval of a new HSE pay and numbers strategy, will have on an individual hospitals' ability to fill staffing vacancies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14645/16]
View answerWritten answers
Recent measures taken in relation to service areas in the HSE remaining within budget have been portrayed, incorrectly, as a recruitment freeze.
These measures do not impact on a hospital’s ability to recruit where funding exists to facilitate that recruitment; for example in the case of funded replacement posts or where additional funding has been allocated for new positions under the HSE service plan. Recruitment can also take place in areas of critical care and emergency services.
The HSE has continuously increased staffing levels since the beginning of 2015. By the end of April this year, overall health service employee numbers had increased by over 6,000 whole time equivalents since the start of last year, with an extra 1,600 WTEs in the first four months of 2016 alone. The vast majority of these employees are in front line positions. Numbers in the Medical and Dental category increased by almost 600 WTEs or 6.5% since the start of 2015 while nursing figures rose by over 1,700 or 5% during the same timeframe.
It is this government’s intention to continue to grow the health budget as the economy improves and to obtain further resources to deliver the level of service that we all want to provide to our patients.
Medical Card Eligibility
Questions (454)
Gino Kenny
Question:454. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) receiving €144 per week jobseeker's allowance has been turned down for a medical card because he or she does not reach the €164 which would entitle him or her to one; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14649/16]
View answerWritten answers
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 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.
HSE Staff
Questions (455)
Robert Troy
Question:455. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the procedure for Health Service Executive employees who wish to apply for a transfer from the Dublin to the midland regions; and the length of time the employee should expect to wait for a transfer. [14663/16]
View answerWritten answers
I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter. 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.
Services for People with Disabilities
Questions (456)
Darragh O'Brien
Question:456. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the level of funding he has allocated in 2016 to Praxis Care and Prosper Fingal services in North County Dublin for services to adults with intellectual disabilities; specifically to identify the split between capital items, that is fit-out, refurbishment, equipment, planning and associated costs and ongoing revenue, that is for staffing resources, additional services such as occupational therapy, respite care and speech and language staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14665/16]
View answerWritten answers
The Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. The commitment is outlined in the Programme for Partnership Government, which is guided by two principles: equality of opportunity and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. With regard to the provision of day services for school-leavers with disabilities, the Programme for Partnership Government says that the Government is committed to ensuring that all 18 year old school leavers with intellectual and physical disabilities have continued education or training opportunities.
The process of planning for the needs of around 1,500 young people with disabilities and autism who will require continuing health-funded supports on leaving school or rehabilitative (life-skills) training this year commenced in September 2015. To ensure these needs are met, funding of €7.25m is being allocated by the HSE to provide appropriate services and supports. Once off funding of €2 million is also being provided for the refurbishment and fit-out of buildings to provide suitable service locations by September, based on an assessment of the physical capacity within existing services to accommodate the additional numbers. A standardised process for the identification of support needs has been put in place and a profiling exercise has now been completed with each individual in order to ascertain their needs and preferences.
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.
Hospital Services
Questions (457)
Brendan Griffin
Question:457. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health the reason University Hospital Kerry is one of just three out of 27 hospitals providing acute stroke care that does not have the recognised elements of a stroke unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14691/16]
View answerWritten answers
The National Clinical Programme for Stroke (NCPS) commenced in 2010. The vision is to design standardised models of integrated care pathways for the delivery of clinical care to embed sustained quality clinical operational management. Overall, the NCPS aims to improve quality, access and cost-effectiveness of stroke services.
The findings of the National Stroke Audit 2015 provide a snapshot of the acute stroke service. The audit’s purpose was to assess current practice against both national and international guidelines. Twenty-seven sites participated in both the organisational and clinical audit, with each of the participating sites managing at least 20 new patients with stroke per annum.
In relation to the Deputy's query regarding University Hospital Kerry, 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.
Hospital Services
Questions (458)
Brendan Griffin
Question:458. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will prioritise the provision of a stroke unit at University Hospital Kerry to stop the occurrence of preventable deaths and cases of permanent or severe disability as a result of stroke; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14692/16]
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.
Hospital Services
Questions (459)
Brendan Griffin
Question:459. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will address the deficits in the stroke team at University Hospital Kerry, which, when audited, included having no specialist stroke consultant, no clinical nurse specialist, no medical social work input, no clinical psychologist, no early supported discharge programme and deficits of over 50% in occupational therapy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14693/16]
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.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (460)
Brendan Griffin
Question:460. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if a date for a cataract operation will be provided for a person (details suppled); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14706/16]
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 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.