Kevin O'Keeffe
Question:888. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied). [13481/17]
View answerHospital Appointments Status
Questions (888)
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.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
Primary Care Centres Provision
Questions (889)
Colm Brophy
Question:889. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Health the status of the provision of a primary health care centre (details supplied) in Dublin; the timeline for its construction and completion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13482/17]
View answerWritten answers
It was intended that this primary care centre would be one of the locations to be delivered through the PPP project. While planning permission has been awarded, unfortunately this location was one of two locations which did not complete the planning process within the timeframe for inclusion in the PPP project.
Delivery of primary care infrastructure is a dynamic process, constantly evolving to take account of changing circumstances including the feasibility of implementation. While the Government's objective is to deliver a high quality, integrated and cost effective health care service the mechanism and timescale for delivery of primary care centres is dependent on a number of factors. Some of these factors are outside the control of the Health Service Executive. Regardless of the delivery mechanism, all potential primary care infrastructure is subject to suitable locations being offered/provided/available, to successful planning processes and GP commitment to sharing accommodation and delivering health care services with HSE staff. In addition the operational lease mechanism is subject to market pressures such as the developers' access to adequate financing.
Future investment in healthcare infrastructure must be considered within the overall capital envelope available to the health service. The HSE will continue to apply the available funding for infrastructure development in the most effective way possible to meet current and future needs, having regard to the level of commitments and the costs to completion already in place. During 2017 my Department will work with the HSE and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to conduct a mid-term review of the capital programme.
Long Stay Residential Units
Questions (890)
Kevin O'Keeffe
Question:890. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health if he will have a long-term stay bed made available to a person (detail supplied) in County Cork. [13486/17]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
General Practitioner Services
Questions (891)
Seamus Healy
Question:891. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Health his views on the proposal from general practitioners in Thurles, County Tipperary to replace a general practitioner that is due to retire very soon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13488/17]
View answerWritten answers
As this question relates to a service matter, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
Services for People with Disabilities
Questions (892)
Danny Healy-Rae
Question:892. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the reason there is no physiotherapist in a school (details supplied) since September 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13490/17]
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 questions relate to service matters, I have arranged for the questions to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
Ministerial Meetings
Questions (893, 1002)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:893. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if he has met with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, including representatives of individual companies, in the past year; if the Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016 was discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13492/17]
View answerRichard Boyd Barrett
Question:1002. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if he, or officials of his Department, have met with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry or other interested parties to discuss the Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016; if so, if there are minutes of these meetings; if so, the outcomes of such meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14093/17]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 893 and 1002 together.
I, and my officials, do on occasion meet representatives of the pharmaceutical industry including individual companies. The Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016 has not been discussed at any of these meetings.
Hospital Services
Questions (894)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:894. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the consultations he has had on the development of MRH Portlaoise emergency department; the consultations he has had regarding 24-7 mental health cover, including child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, to MRH Portlaoise emergency department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13493/17]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
Respite Care Services Provision
Questions (895)
Billy Kelleher
Question:895. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the actions being taken (details supplied) to resolve the respite issues of disabled children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13495/17]
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.
The Programme for Partnership Government states that the Government wishes to provide more accessible respite care to facilitate full support for people with a disability.
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.
Health Services Staff Recruitment
Questions (896)
Tony McLoughlin
Question:896. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Health when funding will be provided to an organisation (details supplied) in order to allow it to recruit a person, who was appointed pending funding, for the position of enhanced home care support officer in the north-west region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13503/17]
View answerWritten answers
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.
Medical Card Applications
Questions (897)
Charlie McConalogue
Question:897. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health the reason the HSE is now requesting weekly travel receipts from students that are attending third level overseas (details supplied) in the assessment of their medical card application, in view of the fact that they remain citizens of the State and return home outside of term time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13511/17]
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 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 was issued to Oireachtas members.
National Children's Hospital Location
Questions (898)
Clare Daly
Question:898. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health his views regarding the logic to developing the new children's hospital, without ensuring the co-location of the new maternity hospital, in view of the scientific evidence which exists of the need to co-locate and the particular unsuitability of the St James's site for those purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13515/17]
View answerWritten answers
As announced in June 2015, the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital will relocate in time to the St James's campus, achieving tri-location of adult, paediatric and maternity services. The National Maternity Strategy, published in January 2016, reaffirms the delivery of tri-located maternity services on the campus with the new children's hospital and St James's Hospital.
A site for the proposed maternity hospital is identified in the Site Master Plan for the St James's campus, and the new children's hospital design has incorporated the required operational links with both maternity and adult hospitals.
A planning application has not yet been submitted in relation to the relocation of the Coombe Maternity Hospital to the St James's Hospital Campus. While the construction of the new maternity hospital on the campus will not commence until the new children’s hospital is completed, consideration will be given to the work required to advance the new maternity hospital design, which must be done before a planning application is prepared.
Occupational Therapy
Questions (899)
Fiona O'Loughlin
Question:899. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) can access an appointment with an occupational therapist to assess accommodation needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13526/17]
View answerWritten answers
As this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (900)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:900. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13530/17]
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.
Ministerial Meetings
Questions (901)
Fergus O'Dowd
Question:901. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health further to the meeting that took place on 6 December 2016 with a person (details supplied), if he will contact the person directly and outline any steps that have been taken since the meeting took place in relation to the primary medical certificate assessment criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13531/17]
View answerWritten answers
The Drivers and Passengers with Disabilities Tax Relief Scheme, which is operated by the Revenue Commissioners, is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Finance. To qualify for the scheme, an applicant must be permanently and severely disabled within the terms of the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Regulations Act 1994 and be in possession of a primary medical certificate. The Deputy will be aware from the meeting I had with him on the 6th December, 2016, that the medical criteria for a primary medical certificate are set be the Department of Finance. While applications for primary medical certificates are processed through the Health Service Executive (HSE) Local Health Offices, HSE personnel have no role in setting or amending the criteria.
I can assure the Deputy that my office will contact the person concerned in the coming days.
Disabled Drivers Grant
Questions (902)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:902. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) with regard to grant funding for persons with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13532/17]
View answerWritten answers
My Department does not provide funding towards the purchase of a car.
The Deputy may be interested to note that the Revenue Commissioners operate the Drivers and Passengers with Disabilities Tax Relief Scheme, which is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Finance. To qualify for the scheme, an applicant must be permanently and severely disabled within the terms of the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Regulations Act 1994 and satisfy a range of conditions. Details of the scheme can be found on www.revenue.ie.
Child Abuse Reports
Questions (903)
Michael McGrath
Question:903. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of allegations of sexual abuse made to the HSE or the previous health boards by persons that were fostered or by their families in respect of time spent at a foster home, with the exception of the specific home in the south east which is now the subject of a commission of investigation for each year since 1990; when the allegation was made for each case; the action that was taken; if the allegation was referred by the HSE or health board to the Garda; the outcome of any internal HSE or health board investigation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13540/17]
View answerWritten answers
This matter may be more appropriately answered by my colleague the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. I am liaising with Minister Zappone on this issue and depending on the outcome of these discussions the matter will be referred to either Tusla or the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
Hospital Procedures
Questions (904)
Sean Fleming
Question:904. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will arrange to have an urgent date provided for a medical procedure in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13548/17]
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.
Health Services Data
Questions (905)
Seán Haughey
Question:905. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health the length of time persons have to wait from general practitioner referral for an appointment for initial examination and breast screening check at the Mater Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13558/17]
View answerWritten answers
Comprehensive symptomatic breast services are available for women in the eight designated cancer centres. These centres, together with a satellite centre in Letterkenny, provide a range of services, including for women who have been referred by their general practitioner. National key performance indicators have been set in relation to waiting times for women referred to these clinics. The target is to see 95% of urgent referrals within two weeks, and 95% of non-urgent referrals within 12 weeks.
In 2016, the symptomatic breast disease clinic at the Mater Hospital saw 99% of urgent referrals within two weeks, and 64% of non-urgent referrals within 12 weeks.
Separately BreastCheck, the national breast screening programme, provides free mammograms to all women aged 50-64 every two years and is available nationwide. It is currently being extended to women aged 65-69.
Medical Aids and Appliances Provision
Questions (906)
Robert Troy
Question:906. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if there is a grant available to help persons with sight issues to purchase equipment (details supplied). [13574/17]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
Health Services Funding
Questions (907)
Lisa Chambers
Question:907. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the level of funding that has been provided by his Department or agencies under its remit to individual local authorities for the provision of life-saving equipment such as defibrillators, in tabular form for each of the past six years; the level of funding sought by local authorities over the corresponding period; his plans in relation to this area of safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13581/17]
View answerWritten answers
This year, the Health Service Executive established an Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Steering Group. The purpose of this project is to improve survival rates for those who suffer an out of hospital cardiac arrest through the development and implementation of an out of hospital cardiac arrest strategy. This work will support the National Ambulance Service (NAS) and Community First Responder Ireland (CFR Ireland) in their commitment to improve clinical outcomes for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA).
Both the NAS and CFR Ireland are working with other partners to enable a sustainable response to such events.
The HSE National Community First Responder framework for Ireland declared that CFRs offer a valuable and complementary resource to emergency ambulance provision, positively impacts NAS response time and achieves improved survival for OHCA. It demonstrated how the NAS and CFR Ireland intend to consolidate, enhance and implement further CFR schemes over the next five years through a National Community First Responder Framework. Its ambitions over the next few years include increasing the availability of training in CPR in schools, work places and local groups and making Public Access Defibrillators more easily accessible with people knowing how to use them. It also aims to:
- Work in partnership with all relevant organisations (statutory, voluntary, community and private sectors) to increase the availability of Public Access Defibrillators
- Put in place effective arrangements to ensure that Public Access Defibrillators are mapped, maintained and accessible to the public
- Commence a public awareness campaign to increase the level of provision of CFR Schemes in geographical areas of priority.
And so one of the means to help improve outcomes in this area is CFR groups. These are people from local communities who are trained in basic life support and the use of defibrillators that attend a potentially life threatening emergency in their area. They are then able to provide an early intervention in situations such as heart attack or cardiac arrest by providing, among other things, resuscitation and defibrillation.
Cardiac First Responders (CFR) Ireland, launched in 2015, is the national umbrella organisation for Community First Responders Groups. CFR Ireland works with the National Ambulance Service, Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council and the Centre for Emergency Medical Science UCD. Both the NAS and CFR Ireland currently support over 145 Community First Responder schemes throughout Ireland, who train community members to provide emergency care support.
If an emergency 999/112 call for cardiac arrest, choking, chest pain or breathing difficulties is made to the National Ambulance Service in an area where a CFR group is established, the on-duty CFR member gets a text from the National Ambulance Service at the same time that an ambulance is despatched with location and call details. The First Responder then goes straight to the scene and administers initial care (defibrillation if required) until the National Ambulance Service Emergency resources arrive.
National Lottery funding has been in the past the means of my Department to provide funding along the lines referred to by the deputy. However, applications for this funding stream have been primarily from individual groups in the local community and not local authorities.
The question of such funding from the HSE is a service matter so I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
Health Services Funding
Questions (908)
John Brady
Question:908. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Health if he will approve funding for a person (details supplied) that has been accepted into a facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13602/17]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
Medical Card Applications
Questions (909)
Michael McGrath
Question:909. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health if an application for a medical card by a 21 year old full-time student living at home with their parents is assessed on household income or only on the income of the student; his plans to revise policy in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13603/17]
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 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 was issued to Oireachtas members.