Tuesday, 7 Mar 2017

Written Answers Nos. 489 - 506

Pension Provisions

Questions (489)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

489. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will address an issue regarding a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11312/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter.

Medical Card Data

Questions (490)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

490. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health the expected number of additional persons who are currently in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance who will receive a medical card once the necessary legislative changes are made, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11324/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The Health (Amendment) Bill 2017 was published last Thursday 2nd March 2017. This bill will enable the granting of full eligibility for general practitioner and other health services to all children in respect of whom a Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is paid. Granting a medical card to all children in respect of whom a DCA payment is made will benefit approximately 9,800 children in this cohort who do not currently qualify for a medical card. At present the HSE have not collated the breakdown of number by county. The legislation is scheduled to enter the Dail tomorrow, Wednesday, 8th March 2017, and it is hoped to complete all stages before the end of March.

Home Help Service Data

Questions (491)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

491. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health the total number of home help hours provided during 2016, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11328/17]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.

Hospital Waiting Lists

Questions (492)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

492. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the status of an operation in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11332/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

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.

Hospital Facilities

Questions (493)

David Cullinane

Question:

493. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if any renovations or upgrading works were carried out at the acute psychiatric department at UHW; if so, the nature and cost of such works; the unit bed size; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11333/17]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Mental Health Services Provision

Questions (494)

David Cullinane

Question:

494. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his plans to re-open psychiatric services at Wexford General Hospital, in view of capacity issues at UHW as identified by the Mental Health Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11334/17]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is a service issues, I am referring this questions to the HSE for direct reply.

Mental Health Services Provision

Questions (495, 496, 497, 498)

David Cullinane

Question:

495. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the way in which UHW will provide additional therapies at the acute psychiatric ward at the hospital, as identified by the Mental Health Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11335/17]

David Cullinane

Question:

496. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the way in which UHW will provide additional recreational facilities at the acute psychiatric ward at the hospital, as identified by the Mental Health Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11336/17]

David Cullinane

Question:

497. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the way in which UHW will provide additional dining space at the acute psychiatric ward at the hospital, as identified by the Mental Health Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11337/17]

David Cullinane

Question:

498. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the way in which UHW will provide additional staff at the acute psychiatric ward at the hospital, as identified by the Mental Health Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11338/17]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 495 to 498, inclusive, together.

As these are service issues, I am referring these questions to the HSE for direct reply.

Hospital Facilities

Questions (499, 500, 501)

David Cullinane

Question:

499. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the way in which UHW and the South/Southwest Hospital Group will provide both planned and emergency PPCI work at the cardiac unit at UHW with one laboratory; if this goes against the recommendation of the Herity report; his views on whether it is possible and safe to provide both planned and emergency work for the effective population with a single laboratory; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11339/17]

David Cullinane

Question:

500. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his views on comments made by a person (details supplied) at the Oireachtas Committee on Health that in hospitals that provide PPCI work, it is done on a 24/7 basis or not at all; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11340/17]

David Cullinane

Question:

501. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to acknowledge that the Herity report into cardiac services at UHW is not being implemented in full and that, in view of the decision to retain five-day-a-week PPCI work, this justifies the need for a second catheterisation laboratory; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11341/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 499 to 501, inclusive, together.

The Deputy will be aware that in his review of cath lab services in UHW, Dr Niall Herity recommended that the UHW cath lab should operate as an elective lab which provides all specialised cardiac services except interventional treatment for patients who are having heart attacks (PPCI). Dr. Herity recommended that the current 9 to 5 provision of these services should cease in order to allow the hospital to focus on the much larger volume of planned cath lab work.

I accept Dr Herity's findings and recommendations. However, as Minister for Health, I want to be sure that any services changes which we implement, will result in improved services for patients using that service. Therefore, I have asked my Department to address the implications of this recommendation by undertaking a national review of all PPCI services with the aim to ensure that as many patients as possible have access, on a 24/7 basis, to safe and sustainable emergency interventions following a heart attack.

The Deputy will also be aware that Dr Herity concluded that the needs of the effective UHW catchment population could be accommodated from a single cath lab. However, he recommended investment to enhance cardiac services at the hospital and to provide an additional 8 hours cath lab activity per week to address waiting times and to provide improved access for patients. At the time of the report's publication, I committed to providing the additional resources to UHW as recommended. I am pleased therefore to confirm that an additional €500,000 has been allocated to the hospital for 2017.

HIQA Reports

Questions (502, 503, 504, 505, 506)

David Cullinane

Question:

502. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if he has examined a report from HIQA into medication safety arrangements in hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11342/17]

David Cullinane

Question:

503. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his views on the absence of governance arrangements at UHW for medication safety; the action he and his Department will take to remedy this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11343/17]

David Cullinane

Question:

504. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his views on a HIQA finding that medication related clinical incidents were likely to be under-reported at UHW; the actions the HSE will take on foot of this finding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11344/17]

David Cullinane

Question:

505. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his views on a HIQA finding that there was outdated and potentially conflicting reference information for using intravenous medication in clinical areas at UHW; the actions he will take on foot of these findings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11345/17]

David Cullinane

Question:

506. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health when a medicine safety pharmacist was appointed in Waterford; the nature of the role; the duration of the contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11346/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 502 to 506, inclusive, together.

I welcome the publication of the HIQA Medication Safety Reports. The reports provide evidence that a number of the hospitals inspected have robust and effective governance systems in place for medicines management. When taken together, these reports improve visibility of current medication management practice, identify variation in practice, where present, and identify system requirements to reduce risks. This in turn provides a clear opportunity for improvement and further development of these systems.

Individual hospitals, including University Hospital Waterford, now have direction in terms of their requirements for improvement. As Hospital Groups continue to develop their governance structures, they are well placed to provide leadership and support to enable individual hospitals to address the findings of the HIQA reports. Hospital Group CEOs have an important role to play to ensure that medication safety is prioritised and to ensure that smaller hospitals are supported in terms of the development, application and evaluation of Group protocols, processes and practices, to promote and ensure medication safety. This approach will also ensure that resources required to underpin medication safety are optimised and maximised and that learning and expertise is shared across all hospitals and the system in general.

I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly in relation to your specific queries regarding University Hospital Waterford.