Written Answers Nos. 592-603
592. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total number of vacant posts in the radiology department at University Hospital Waterford, broken down by grade and title; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4434/17]
View answerIn relation to this particular query, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
593. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the amount of the €5 million allocated to develop mental health services in primary care which was spent in 2016; the number of additional staff who were appointed for mental health services in primary care in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4455/17]
View answerIn 2016, funding of €5 million was allocated to develop mental health services in primary care. As part of this initiative, the HSE submitted a Business Case for the introduction of around 114 Assistant Psychologist posts on a two-year pilot basis across the primary care psychology services. The role of the Assistant Psychologist will be to support services and enhance the service provision and research capacity of qualified Psychologists. Sanction has now been given for this initiative and the recruitment process will begin shortly. This will cost approximately €3.5 million.
In addition, approximately €1.5 million will be used for the recruitment of 20 Staff Grade Psychologists for Children in geographical areas where there are none or inadequate numbers of posts in place. This will provide the necessary clinical governance framework required to oversee stepped care provision by Assistant Psychologists. These posts are currently being recruited.
The balance of this funding will be used to fund the delivery of a computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT) programme for young people.
These additional posts will provide services to service users under 18 years of age to address those waiting for treatment in the Mental Health and Primary Care Divisions. The online resource will also be developed for adolescents with mild to moderate mental health presentations.
These initiatives are central to the commitment in the 2016 National Service Plan (Mental Health) to continue to develop early intervention and prevention counselling services by mental health and primary care, specifically for young people under 18 years of age.
594. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4470/17]
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.
595. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Health further to his view that the waiting list for gynaecological appointments in Cork University Maternity Hospital is appalling and unacceptable, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the waiting time for such gynaecological appointments at the Coombe hospital is a year; his views on whether this is appalling and unacceptable also; and if he will provide funding to reduce the waiting time at the Coombe Hospital in view of his commitment to do so for Cork University Maternity Hospital. [4483/17]
View answerReducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. Consequently, Budget 2017 allocated €20 million to the NTPF, rising to €55 million in 2018.
In December 2016, I granted approval to the NTPF to dedicate €5m to a daycase waiting list initiative with the aim of ensuring that no patient will be waiting more than 18 months for a daycase procedure, including those on the gynaecology waiting list, by 30 June 2017. Around 3,000 daycases will be managed through this process and outsourcing of treatment will commence shortly.
In addition to the current NTPF daycase initiative, in December 2016, my Department wrote to the HSE requesting that it submit in January a Waiting List Action Plan for 2017 in respect of both the Inpatient/Daycase Waiting List and the Outpatient Waiting List. The focus of these plans should be to ensure that no patient is waiting more than 15 months on either list by the end of October, including those awaiting gynaecological appointments and procedures. The HSE has been requested to develop the Inpatient/Daycase Waiting List Action Plan in conjunction with and supported by the NTPF's proposal for utilisation of the remaining €10m of 2017 funding for patient treatment. I expect to make known the details of both plans in the coming weeks.
As part of these plans the HSE has been asked to target specialties, services and hospitals with the highest numbers of long waiters as well as improving in-sourcing in public sector, within and across Hospital Groups.
596. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health if his Department has evaluated the impact the introduction of free general practitioner care for children aged under six years has had on practices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4511/17]
View answerThe first two phases of universal GP care without fees were successfully introduced in 2015, firstly for all children under the age of 6 years and secondly for all people aged 70 years and older. This has resulted in approximately 800,000 people now being eligible for GP care without fees without having to undergo a means test.
The introduction of GP care without fees to children under 6 represents a major step forward in improving access, quality and affordability of health care in Ireland. The under 6s service contract, which includes age-based preventive checks focused on health and well-being and a dedicated cycle of care for children with asthma, underlines the Government's commitment to enhancing primary care and keeping people well in their community. To date, almost 364,000 children have access to GP care without fees through a medical card or GP visit card and approximately 94% of GMS GPs have entered into agreements with the HSE for the provision of services to children under 6.
I wish to acknowledge the contribution of general practitioners to meeting the heavy demand on our health service, particularly during the peak winter period. The management by GPs of seasonal pressures is an example of how primary care plays a critical role in our healthcare system. However, GPs do not currently provide information to the HSE in relation to patient visit activity, waiting times etc. In the absence of such general practice activity data, it is not possible to evaluate the impact the introduction of free GP care to all children under 6 has had on GP practices.
The Government is committed to the continued development of GP capacity and in 2017 the training intake will increase for the second successive year, from 172 to 187 places. In addition initial engagement has commenced with GP representatives in the development of a new and modernised set of contractual arrangements for GMS and other public GP services.
597. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the amount of extra funding that will be required to open the new emergency department in University Hospital Limerick in May 2017 as intended and to fund the running of the unit up to the end of the year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4518/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
598. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health when he plans to publish the completed national drugs strategy in view of the fact that the previous one ceased in 2016; and if prevention and recovery will have meaningful roles in the forthcoming strategy with matching resources allocated to them. [4527/17]
View answerGovernment is committed to putting a new National Drugs Strategy in place from 2017 onwards, when the current policy expires. As the Deputy will be aware, a Steering Committee with an independent chair, has been established to advise me on the development of a new National Drugs Strategy.
While the format of the new Strategy has not yet been agreed by the Steering Committee, I very much agree on the importance of maintaining a focus on prevention and recovery in the new Strategy. The provision of resources to support the implementation of the new Strategy will be determined in the context of the estimates process.
I understand that the Steering Committee is continuing with its deliberations and is expected to submit its final report to me by the end of March. I hope to bring my proposals to Government on the new Strategy thereafter.
599. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on whether the FEMPI cuts as applied to general practitioners were discriminatory in that they were applied to the total allowances rather than just income which resulted in a 75% cut to the income thereby causing the current crisis in general practice; his plans to address this while awaiting the new general practitioner contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4530/17]
View answerUnder the General Medical Services (GMS) contract, GPs are reimbursed for a range of services they provide to medical card and GP visit card holders. GPs are remunerated for these services primarily on a capitation basis, with a range of additional support payments and fees for specific items of service. The amount payable in respect of certain of these supports is related to the doctor's panel size. GPs can also provide services to private patients if they wish. The arrangements and fees charged for such consultations are a matter of private contract between the patient and the GP and I have no role in relation to such private income for GPs.
As a consequence of the severe difficulties arising from the economic and fiscal crisis of recent years, between 2009 and 2013 a number of reductions were applied under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009 (FEMPI) to the fees and allowances paid to healthcare professionals, including GPs who provide services under the GMS scheme.
There have been significant developments in general practice service in recent years, with more services being made available to our citizens and additional financial support provided by the HSE. Developments include a universal GP service for all children under 6 years and all persons over 70 years, the introduction of a Diabetes Cycle of Care for adult patients with Type 2 Diabetes, an enhanced support framework for rural GPs and a revised list of special items of service to encourage the provision of more services in the primary care setting. Additional funding of over €100 million per annum has been provided to general practice to support the roll-out of these initiatives.
I envisage that, subject to the overall resources available to Government, commitments to the provision of additional State resources to general practice will be linked to the outcome of contractual negotiations on the expansion of the range of services encompassed by the GMS contract.
600. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of negotiations with general practitioners' representative organisations regarding a new contract (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4531/17]
View answerThe development of primary care is central to the Government's objective to deliver a high-quality, integrated and cost effective health service. The Programme for Government commits to a decisive shift within the health service towards primary care in order to deliver better care close to home in communities across the country. The development of a new, modernised contract for the provision of general practitioner services will be a key element in facilitating this process.
Previous engagements have resulted in a number of service developments including the introduction of a Diabetes Cycle of Care for adult patients with Type 2 Diabetes, an enhanced support framework for rural GPs, and a revised list of special items of service under the contract to encourage the provision of more services in the primary care setting. These measures, combined with the under-6s and over-70s universal GP care initiatives, have increased the financial support for general practice.
The next phase of discussions on a new GP contract is under way and initial meetings with GP representative bodies were held in January. As with any negotiation-type process, and given the range and complexity of the issues to be discussed, the engagement may take some time. While I am of course anxious to see good progress made, it is not my intention to set a deadline for completion of discussions. It would be premature, in advance of substantive progress being made on the development of a new contract, to make statements in relation to funding.
601. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health if he will reverse the decision to exclude medical card holders and families with coeliac disease from availing of gluten-free products under the scheme. [4532/17]
View answerUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
602. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the financial hardship endured by many persons and families with coeliac disease due to the costs of purchasing many gluten-free products; and his plans to either directly or in co-operation with other Departments improve supports to these persons and families. [4533/17]
View answerUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
603. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Health the progress to date on the initiatives undertaken by the HSE and his Department following his visit to Letterkenny University Hospital; the success of these initiatives to date; the reason the situation is worsening on a daily basis; the additional plans which will be put in place to solve these problems within the hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4585/17]
View answerIn relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
