Written Answers Nos. 33-44
33. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Health the reason the number of persons waiting over a year for their consultation in Mayo University Hospital has almost doubled in the year to March 2017. [20777/17]
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 by 30 June 2017. In excess of 2,000 daycases will be managed through this process and patients are already receiving appointments. The main areas of focus of the daycase procedures will be those lists with large numbers of long waiters including: ENT, Ophthalmology, General Surgery, Dental, Urology and Vascular Surgery.
In order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, I asked the HSE to develop Waiting List Action Plans for 2017 in the areas of Inpatient/Daycase, Scoliosis and Outpatient Services. These plans have now been finalised and will be communicated shortly.
34. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the measures he has taken to address the significant shortfall in occupational therapist and speech and language therapists to provide the inputs for children with disabilities outlined in the service statement under the Disability Act; the way he plans to remedy this staff deficit, including the increased deficit which would occur if statutory deadlines were kept; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20805/17]
View answer71. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health the measures he has taken to address the significant staffing deficit leading to failure to keep to statutory deadlines for assessment and reporting on needs under the Disability Act; the way this staff deficit will be remedied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20804/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 71 together.
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.
35. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Health the status of the development of the rare disease register; the details of the progress made to date on implementing the rare disease plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20213/17]
View answerThe National Rare Disease Plan recommended that an Oversight Implementation Group of relevant stakeholders, including patients' groups, be established to oversee and monitor implementation of the plan's recommendations. This group was established by the Department of Health in 2015 and it has met on a number of occasions. One of the principal recommendations in the Plan was the establishment of a National Clinical Programme for Rare Diseases. This programme was to be responsible for, over time and among other functions, assisting with mapping and developing care pathways for rare diseases; facilitating timely access to centres of expertise – nationally and internationally; and developing care pathways with European Reference Centres for those ultra-rare disorders where there may not be sufficient expertise in Ireland.
In line with this recommendation, a National Clinical Programme for Rare Diseases was established in 2013 under the National Clinical Strategy and Programmes Division of the HSE. The programme is a joint initiative between the HSE and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. This clinical programme is the channel for assisting with the advancement of a number of other recommendations in the plan, such as those on National Centres of Expertise for rare diseases; and in this vein, the programme designed a framework for the designation of Irish Centres of Expertise in cooperation with the HSE Acute Hospitals Division in line with the recommendations stipulated in the national plan.
The Rare Diseases National Plan also recommended that ‘the National Clinical Programme for Rare Diseases through a National Office for Rare Diseases develop the clinical and organisational governance framework that would underpin care pathways and access to treatment for rare disease patients, particularly in the context of transition from paediatric to adult care'. As such the National Clinical Programme has developed a draft transition model of care which is currently in the public consultation stage.
The National Clinical Programme for Rare Diseases and the Department of Health encouraged designated centres of expertise to participate in European Reference Networks (ERNs) for Rare Diseases in line with the national plan. ERNs are European networks connecting health care providers and centres of expertise so that international expertise on specific rare diseases may be pooled together for the benefit of patients. Any centre applying for membership of an ERN must have strategies in place to ensure that care is patient-centred; that patients' rights and preferences are respected; and must show a research component to their work. Hence, the recommendations in the national plan that related to empowering and protecting patients and carers, and research on rare diseases will be fulfilled in part through this process. It is expected that ERNs will have a major structuring effect by linking thematic expert centres across the EU.
With the encouragement of the National Clinical Programme for Rare Diseases and the Department of Health, five centres of expertise were designated in June 2016 during the first round of calls from the European Commission for participation in European Reference Networks. Three of these designated centres applied for membership of ERNs and two were approved.
In 2014, the Minister for Health announced €850,000 for investment into charity-led research priorities, which particularly benefits rare disease research. Five charities were to provide matching funding bringing the total investment to €1.9 million. They were to share €850,000 in State funding to take part in international research into rare medical conditions. In 2016, the next cohort of projects was funded by the State with €1.686M, matched by charity funding of €1.224M. The total funding of €2.91M is shared between 11 charities. Six of the 15 projects with a total value of €1.1M address rare diseases. The next round of this joint funding initiative will open in autumn 2017. The EU commission now intends to explore the possibility to further strengthen the collaboration between Member States and the Commission in the area of research on rare diseases.
The establishment of a National Rare Disease Office (NRDO) featured prominently in the recommendations of the Rare Disease plan. The national office has now been established by the HSE. It is, among other functions, providing up-to-date information regarding new treatment and management options, including clinical trials. The NRDO has already performed a preliminary situation analysis of the existing rare disease registries and is in the process of assigning these known registries on our national Orphanet site, which is the international rare disease reference and information portal funded by the EU.
A number of recommendations about access to appropriate drugs and technologies were contained in the plan. One chief recommendation in this regard refers to the HSE developing a Working Group to bring forward appropriate decision criteria for the reimbursement of orphan medicines and technologies; and that the approach should include an assessment system similar to that for cancer therapies established under the National Cancer Control Programme. The HSE Acute Hospitals Division is developing the terms of reference, required membership and reporting relationship for this committee. This Committee will also be supported by the National Clinical Programme for Rare Diseases Clinical Advisory Group.
The national plan for rare diseases recommended that the Health Identifiers Bill and the Health & Patient Safety Bill be published. The former was published in 2013 and enacted in 2014. The Individual Health Identifier part of the project is now being implemented by the HSE. A revised and much expanded General Scheme of a Health Information and Patient Safety Bill was approved by the government in November 2015 and published on the Department's website. It is currently with the Attorney-General's Office for formal drafting and with the Oireachtas Committee on Health for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny.
Two recommendations referred to training in rare diseases for healthcare professionals. The Department of Health has contacted formally the various healthcare representative and professional bodies about implementing these recommendations.
The issue of rare diseases and of the creation of an all-island patient register has been raised in the context of ongoing discussions at North-South meetings. The determination of policy and practice in relation to registers in (the Republic of) Ireland is currently being examined in the context of a broader review of health information policy which is underway within the Department of Health.
36. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health the progress of the commitments he made in respect of reducing surgery waiting times for children suffering from scoliosis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20728/17]
View answerIn order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients for scoliosis surgery, I asked the HSE to develop an action plan for 2017. The plans have now been finalised and will be communicated shortly. Every patient, including children under the age of 14, who needs to be treated in 2017 has been considered and is included in the plan.
As a result of the recent recruitment campaigns, additional nurses are in posts which have facilitated an additional day a week of theatre in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin since 7 April 2017. A number of nurses have commenced work in April, and a consultant is due to take up post in June. This will increase theatre capacity by a further two days a week from July 2017.
37. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health his views on whether the disability complaints section in the HSE is adequately staffed to deal with the complaints that are currently being received, in view of the fact there were 1,600 complaints in 2016 and 900 are still outstanding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20691/17]
View answerThe 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.
38. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the action which will be taken to address the fact that more than 6,000 outpatient appointments are outstanding for more than 18 months in Cork hospitals as of March 2017. [20766/17]
View answerI acknowledge that waiting times are often unacceptably long and am conscious of the impact of this on people’s lives.
Reducing 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 order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, I asked the HSE to develop Waiting List Action Plans for 2017 in the areas of Inpatient/Daycase, Scoliosis and Outpatient Services. These plans have now been finalised and will be communicated shortly.
The plan to reduce outpatient waiting lists will include two work-streams to address both short-term achievement and long-term sustainable goals. The short-term actions will mainly focus on enhanced chronological scheduling, process improvements, as well as administrative and clinical validation. Longer-term measures will also be implemented, such as referral pathways and integrated referral management systems.
39. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health the measures being put in place to reduce outpatient waiting times in Beaumont and the Mater Hospital, at which more than 11,000 consultations were outstanding for more than a year in March 2017. [20792/17]
View answerI acknowledge that waiting times are often unacceptably long and am conscious of the impact of this on people’s lives.
Reducing 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 order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, I asked the HSE to develop Waiting List Action Plans for 2017 in the areas of Inpatient/Daycase, Scoliosis and Outpatient Services. These plans have now been finalised and will be communicated shortly.
The plan to reduce outpatient waiting lists will include two work-streams to address both short-term achievement and long-term sustainable goals. The short-term actions will mainly focus on enhanced chronological scheduling, process improvements, as well as administrative and clinical validation. Longer-term measures will also be implemented, such as referral pathways and integrated referral management systems.
40. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health when he expects to see a real and substantial improvement in hospital waiting lists. [20743/17]
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 by 30 June 2017. In excess of 2,000 daycases will be managed through this process and patients are already receiving appointments. The main areas of focus of the daycase procedures will be those list with large numbers of long waiters including: ENT, Ophthalmology, General Surgery, Dental, Urology and Vascular Surgery.
In order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, I asked the HSE to develop Waiting List Action Plans for 2017 in the areas of Inpatient/Daycase, Scoliosis and Outpatient Services. These plans have now been finalised and will be communicated shortly.
41. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health the reason overcrowding in the emergency department in the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise had doubled in March 2017 relative to March 2014. [20788/17]
View answerEmergency Department (ED) attendances at the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise to end March this year are down approximately 7.8% with admittances down approximately 12%. However, trolley numbers have increased approximately 25% year to date as compared to last year.
The HSE's Special Delivery Unit (SDU) undertook a site visit to the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise in February 2017. A number of areas for efficiency improvement were identified in managing patient flow. The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group is working closely with the SDU and staff at the hospital to address areas for improvement identified in the ED and inpatient medical services.
As the Deputy will be aware, in September the HSE launched its ‘Winter Initiative Plan 2016-2017’ which provided €40 million of additional funding for winter preparedness.
My Department and the HSE are committed to utilising the key learning from the Winter Initiative to develop a plan focused on working with hospitals including the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise, to improve performance in relation to reducing the number of patients that have to wait on trolleys and the overall patient ED experience. This important work will provide a framework around the preparation of the 2017/2018 plans for Winter preparedness.
42. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health the progress made to date regarding the provision of three primary care centres in Dublin Mid-West (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20452/17]
View answerAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
43. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health the status of work on the new national drugs strategy; when the strategy will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20456/17]
View answerGovernment is committed to putting a new National Drugs Strategy in place from 2017 onwards, when the current policy expires. A Steering Committee with an independent chair has been established to advise me on the new Strategy. This committee has been mandated to develop an integrated public health approach to substance misuse, which is defined as the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illegal drugs. It is envisaged that the new Strategy will be based on a health-led approach to the drug problem and build on progress achieved under previous drug strategies.
I understand that the Steering Committee is continuing with its deliberations with a view to presenting its final report to me shortly. I hope to bring my proposals to Government thereafter. Once approved by Government, the new strategy will then be published by the Department of Health.
