Written Answers Nos. 500-511
500. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Health to provide data on the number of missed outpatient appointments in St. Vincent’s hospital in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14971/16]
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.
501. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Health to provide data on the number of missed outpatient appointments in the Midlands Regional Hospital, Mullingar, County Westmeath in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14972/16]
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.
502. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health his plans to ensure that career opportunities in the mental health service are appealing to graduates in the key areas of psychiatry, psychology, family therapy and other mental health roles to ensure that such graduates compete for posts in the Irish mental health service as opposed to abroad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14987/16]
View answerAdditional ring-fenced mental health funding of €160 million was provided over the years 2012 to 2016 inclusive. Up to 1,150 posts have already been filled up to end 2015 from the developmental funding provided since 2012 with 270 posts approved for the Child & Adolescent Services.
Mental Health services are being developed in line with A Vision for Change and Programme for Government commitments. In 2016, it is proposed to advance the following development priorities from the additional funding: continued development of counselling services across both primary and secondary care including the provision of three new Jigsaw mental health services in Cork, Dublin city centre and Limerick; the continued development of Community Mental Health teams; improved 24/7 response and Liaison Services; Psychiatry of Later Life; Perinatal Mental Health, and two new mental health clinical programmes, specifically ADHD in Adults and Children and Dual Diagnosis of those with Mental Illness and Substance Misuse.
The HSE has the 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.
There is an international nursing and medical manpower shortage, leading to difficulties in recruiting nurses, doctors and consultants. This difficulty is being experienced by other English speaking countries including the UK, Australia, and Canada. The ability of the HSE and the health service to attract and retain high quality frontline staff shapes the extent to which the HSE can maintain and develop the range of health services required.
The MacCraith Group, established in 2013 to carry out a strategic review of medical training and career structures, made a series of recommendations aimed at improving the retention of medical graduates in the public health system and planning for future needs. The implementation of the Group's recommendations is being actively pursued and monitored.
As the question is a service issue and in order to answer the question more fully, I have asked the HSE to respond in more detail to the Deputy directly on the issues raised above. 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.
503. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health the reason the €12 million which was taken from the mental health budget was not invested in other under resourced areas of mental health such as the child and adolescent services, nursing or community supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14988/16]
View answerThe last Government provided additional ring-fenced mental health funding of €160 million over 2012 to 2016 inclusive. In 2015, the National Service Plan Budget for mental health was €791 million and the outturn was €785 million. The €826 million budget for mental health in the 2016 National Service Plan therefore represents an increase of €41 million or 5.2% over the 2015 outturn. The 2016 budget includes €35 million in heldback funding for new developments.
The €35m allocation for mental health will fund new service developments. The HSE National Service Plan 2016 identifies priorities for allocation of the €35 million, including the continued development of early intervention and counselling services across both primary and secondary care; the provision of new Jigsaw mental health services in Cork, Dublin City Centre and Limerick; the continued development of Community Mental Health teams; improved 24/7 response and Liaison Services; services for Psychiatry of Later Life; Perinatal Mental Health, and two new mental health clinical programmes, specifically for ADHD in Adults and Children, and for Dual Diagnosis of those with Mental Illness and Substance Misuse. The Department of Health is currently examining proposals from the HSE relating to the development of these specific enhanced priority services, as well as proposals for the ongoing development of a range of existing and new specialist mental health services. It is expected that a decision on the release of the 2016 development funding will be made shortly.
Staff recruitment is a key element of these developments. I am informed that, as staff recruitment takes time, the 2016 HSE National Service Plan envisages that time-related savings of approximately €12m from the mental health development funding will be used, on a once-off basis, to maintain services in home care and transitional care beds, and for vaccine procurement. The detailed use of all development funding is currently being examined and will be the subject of decisions shortly.
504. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health his plans to resolve the situation in respect of the ambulance service in Edenderry; his proposed plans to repair or replace the existing ambulance building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15007/16]
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.
505. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the reason the condition homocystinuria, related to the condition phenylketonuria, PKU, is not covered under the long-term illness scheme similar to PKU; his plans to include this condition under the terms of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15008/16]
View answerThe Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act, 1970 (as amended). Regulations were made in 1971, 1973 and 1975 specifying the conditions covered by the LTI Scheme, which are as follows: acute leukaemia; mental handicap; cerebral palsy; mental illness (in a person under 16); cystic fibrosis; multiple sclerosis; diabetes insipidus; muscular dystrophies; diabetes mellitus; parkinsonism; epilepsy; phenylketonuria; haemophilia; spina bifida; hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide. There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the LTI Scheme.
Under the Drugs Payment Scheme, no individual or family pays more than €144 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The scheme significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals incurring ongoing expenditure on medicines.
Under the provisions of the Health Acts, medical cards are provided to persons who are unable, without undue hardship, to arrange health services for themselves and their dependants. In the assessment process, the HSE can take into account medical costs incurred by an individual or a family.
506. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health the reason there is no register of Alzheimer's patients here; and if there is a reason for the prevention of such a register being established. [15015/16]
View answer507. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health to establish a national register of Alzheimer's sufferers; and to explain the absence of such a register. [15016/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 506 and 507 together.
The Irish National Dementia Strategy was launched in December 2014, with the objective of increasing awareness, ensuring timely diagnosis and intervention and developing enhanced community based services for people with dementia.
The Strategy is accompanied by a resourced implementation programme between the Department of Health, the HSE and the Atlantic Philanthropies totalling €27.5 million. The implementation programme includes the provision of dementia-specific intensive homecare packages, dementia-specific resources for GPs and primary care teams, and measures to raise public awareness, address stigma and promote the inclusion and involvement of people with dementia in society. The HSE has established a National Office for Dementia to coordinate the implementation of the Strategy.
The Strategy clearly distinguishes between actions that can be progressed within current resources and those which will require additional resources to implement. Section 8 of the Strategy, which is devoted to research and information systems , acknowledges the need for better evidence in relation to dementia, including, inter alia, improved estimates of prevalence across all care settings, diagnostic rates, sub-types and clinical outcomes for people with dementia. The following actions are outlined:
- The HSE will ensure that data from the Single Assessment Tool is factored into research to inform dementia care in Ireland;
- The HSE will take measures to ensure appropriate recording and coding of dementia in primary care and the development of practice-based dementia registers; and
- Hospitals will take measures to encourage better recording and coding of a primary or secondary diagnosis of dementia in hospital records and charts to ensure that admissions, re-admissions, lengths of stay and discharge for people with dementia are captured on HIPE (Hospital In-Patient Enquiry).
It is anticipated that actions in all of these areas together with the planned development of the Electronic Health Care Record will lead to better information on dementia patients in primary, secondary and long term care.
508. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health when he will establish a primary care centre in Fermoy, County Cork; and the timeline for such a centre to be established. [15017/16]
View answerAs this is a service issue, 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
509. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health when he will establish a primary care centre in Cobh, County Cork; and the timeline for such a centre to be established. [15018/16]
View answerAs this is a service issue, 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
510. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Health the options available to the family of a person (details supplied) for the fair deal scheme who are in straitened financial circumstances, to cover the cost of full-time care in the intermittent period, approximately four weeks, until the fair deal grant is delivered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15019/16]
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.
511. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health his plans for the provision of a second magnetic resonance imaging scanner at Galway University Hospital in view of the long waiting list for scans in the hospital; the progress made to date with this project; the estimated cost of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15024/16]
View answerI am advised that Galway University Hospitals have been taking a range of actions to address the diagnostic waiting lists at the hospitals.
The hospitals have introduced an extended MRI working day. The service performs 12 additional MRIs on patients each week to clear those patients waiting longest. An MRI out of hour’s service commenced in April and is now working well.
Also a weekend MRI initiative commenced recently. It is undertaking a validation process to identify suitable patients for weekend scans.
The Saolta Group is in the process of preparing a business case for a second MRI scanning machine, to be formally submitted to the HSE for funding.
Further, 400 MRI scans were outsourced to the Merlin Park Imaging Centre. The majority of these were completed by April; the remaining are being completed currently.
The Saolta Group advise that an overall capacity planning exercise, to build sustainable plans with respect to expansion of diagnostic services at Galway University Hospitals, will be undertaken.
