Shane Cassells
Question:458. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Health if he will schedule a person (details supplied) for a procedure without further delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11198/17]
View answerHospital Appointments Status
Questions (458)
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.
Hospital Appointments Delays
Questions (459)
James Lawless
Question:459. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in receiving treatment in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11200/17]
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.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (460)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:460. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of an assessment appointment in CUH in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11201/17]
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.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Questions (461)
Marc MacSharry
Question:461. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the lack of focus on diagnostic waiting lists, such as those for MRI, resulting in the huge deficit in MRI capacity across the Saolta University Health Care Group; if he will make a decision on the proposal for a second MRI scanner in Galway to alleviate the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11202/17]
View answerWritten answers
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
Home Help Service
Questions (462)
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Question:462. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the status in law and practice of an EU directive that recognises travel time as payable work time for those engaged in the provision of home help and caring support in the home of the service recipient; his plans towards such a clear and undeniable entitlement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11204/17]
View answerWritten answers
I expect that the Deputy is referring to a ruling made in September 2015 by the European Court of Justice (CJEU) in the Tyco case. The decision made in the Tyco case was based on a set of facts relating to the particular circumstances of peripatetic workers in the context of a pre-existing arrangement in respect of those journeys.
In the Tyco case, the employer made a decision to abolish its regional offices and directed all regional workers to remotely report to its head office in Madrid. This decision to abolish the regional offices put these workers at a disadvantage compared to their previous working arrangements. The CJEU found that the fact that the journeys of the workers, at the beginning and end of each day to and from customers, had been regarded by Tyco as working time before the abolition of the regional offices, showed that the work consisting of driving a vehicle from a regional office to the first customer and from the last customer to that office was previously considered to be working time by the employer. The Court noted that the nature of those journeys had not changed since the abolition of the regional offices and it was only the departure point of the journeys that had changed. It is these distinct facts pertaining to the circumstances of these workers that informed the decision of the Court.
In relation to how this ruling affects employees in the Irish Health Service, I will be guided by how our national court interprets this ruling in the context of the provision of home help and home support services.
Health Services Provision
Questions (463)
Pearse Doherty
Question:463. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the additional supports in place for persons not in possession of, and who do not qualify for, a medical card while in receipt of illness benefit and who have regular medical expenses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11210/17]
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.
For persons who do not qualify for the medical card there are specific situations where they may be entitled to financial aid under the Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme or the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS):
The LTI Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act 1970 (as amended). The conditions covered by the LTI are: 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. Under the LTI Scheme, patients receive drugs, medicines, and medical and surgical appliances directly related to the treatment of their illness, free of charge.
Further details on the LTI can be found at: http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/schemes/lti/.
The cost of medicines for conditions not covered under the LTI Scheme may be reduced under the Drug Payment Scheme (DPS). The DPS provides protection from excessive ongoing expenditure on medicines. Under this scheme, an individual or family pays up to the first €144 each month for approved prescription items, with any cost above that threshold paid by the State. There is no prescription charge under the DPS.
Anybody who lives in Ireland and has a personal public service number is entitled to join the DPS. You can register at http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/schemes/ or at any community pharmacy.
You may also be able to claim tax relief on the cost of certain medical expenses. This includes medicines prescribed by a doctor, dentist, or consultant. Relief is at the standard tax rate of 20%. Details on how to claim are at http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/leaflets/it6.html.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (464)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:464. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will be issued with a date for an orthopaedic operation; the reason for the delay in issuing a date for surgery in view of the fact that this is an extremely urgent case; if the person will be able to undergo this surgery in another hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11217/17]
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.
Health Services Provision
Questions (465)
Robert Troy
Question:465. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will arrange for an emergency treatment place for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11219/17]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (466)
Alan Kelly
Question:466. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive a date for surgery. [11220/17]
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.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (467)
Barry Cowen
Question:467. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the status of the case of a person (details supplied); and when the person can expect an appointment at Our Lady's Children's Hospital. [11221/17]
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.
Hospital Appointments Delays
Questions (468)
Lisa Chambers
Question:468. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in a hip operation in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11225/17]
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.
Services for People with Disabilities
Questions (469)
Martin Kenny
Question:469. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will have a diagnosis for their condition. [11226/17]
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. This 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.
As 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.
Mental Health Services Provision
Questions (470, 471)
Martin Kenny
Question:470. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has been seen only once in two and a half years by CAMHS in Sligo. [11227/17]
View answerMartin Kenny
Question:471. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Health when a person (detail supplied) will be assessed by CAMHS and receive a diagnosis. [11228/17]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 470 and 471 together.
As these are service issues, I am referring these questions to the HSE for direct reply.
Ambulance Service Provision
Questions (472)
Michael Moynihan
Question:472. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the lack of ambulance cover in the town of Millstreet, County Cork, at night; the action he will take to ensure that there is 24-hour ambulance provision in Millstreet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11233/17]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.