Written Answers Nos. 367-385
367. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Health if he will include phase 3C of Naas General Hospital in his priorities under the mid-term review of the capital plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22800/17]
View answerMy Department's mid-term review submission includes this project and many others. Funding for this project will be considered in the context of the future capital envelope for the health service and the overall priorities for future service development in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group.
368. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Health if he will prioritise funding under the waiting list action plan for outpatient gynaecological appointments in view of the fact that to date in 2017 the waiting list is a year at the Coombe hospital and in view of the fact that such appointments can detect potential cancers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22801/17]
View answerThis government is committed to reducing waiting times for patients whether for in-patient, day-case procedures or out-patient appointments. In November 2016 the HSE launched a 'Strategy for the design of integrated outpatients services 2016-2020', which aims to improve access for non-admitted patients to the best modern healthcare, in the most appropriate setting, when it is needed. The strategic plan involves consultation with managers, clinicians, patients and primary care services to redesign services and maximise efficiencies which is particularly important as the population increases and ages, resulting in even greater demands on our health service. The strategy aims to improve access to diagnostics, consultations, in-patient procedures and on-going community support by restructuring referral pathways and utilising technology to improve service delivery.
In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
369. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the numbers of persons resident here who have attended the emergency department at Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, County Down, in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and the number of admissions that resulted from these attendances. [22802/17]
View answerIn response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
370. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of babies born in Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, County Down, to mothers resident here in each of the past five years. [22803/17]
View answerIn response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
371. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of persons resident here who are currently receiving renal treatment at Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, County Down; and the numbers receiving this treatment for each of the past five years. [22804/17]
View answerIn response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
372. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of persons resident here who have accessed ENT services at Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, County Down, for each of the past five years. [22805/17]
View answerIn response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
373. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of persons resident here who have accessed ophthalmology services at Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, County Down, for each of the past five years. [22806/17]
View answerIn response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
374. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of persons resident here who have accessed dental services at Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, County Down, for each of the past five years. [22807/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
375. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if persons resident here have access to other services other than dental services, ophthalmology services, ENT services and renal treatment at Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, County Down; his views on cross-Border health care activity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22808/17]
View answerI and my Department are committed to expanding provision of Cross-Border and All-Island initiatives for the benefit of patients in both jurisdictions. My Department continues to work with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland in this regard.
Three initiatives are currently operational. The All Island CHD Network was officially launched in 2016, will be progressed in phases over approximately five years and will be fully implemented by 2020. This service provides emergency surgery to babies born with CHD on an all island basis. The transfer of urgent NI cases to OLCHC has commenced, while NI elective cases are scheduled to be transferred at the end of 2018.
Activity from January to the end of December 2016 is as follows:
- 607 Cardiac Catheterisation procedures ( 546 RoI / 62 NI);
- 423 cardiac surgical patients (415 RoI / 8 NI).
The new North West Cancer Centre at Altnagelvin Area Hospital opened in November 2016 and offers radiotherapy services to patients from County Donegal, reducing their travel time significantly. A total of 20 patients from County Donegal have been referred to the service to date (as of May 5th, 2017). The service initially offered radiation therapy to patients with prostate cancer. Radiation therapy for patients with breast cancer has also now begun, with other cancer types coming on stream on a phased basis over the coming months.
Since late May 2016, all patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI; in other words, a heart attack) from County Donegal are now transferred to Altnagelvin. From May 2016 to the end of February 2017, 28 patients from County Donegal with a diagnosed ST-Elevation myocardial infarction (heart attack) have been transferred to the Altnagelvin catheterisation laboratory and have received pPCI treatment.
In addition to the substantive projects outlined above, Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) also contracts a range of additional services from Altnagelvin on a cross border basis, meaning that patients can be treated much closer to home.
I and my Department are in regular contact with our counterparts in Northern Ireland regarding the implementation of Cross Border services for patients.
In response to the particular query raised regarding Daisy Hill Hospital, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
376. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive a rheumatologist appointment in Beaumont Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22810/17]
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 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.
377. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the way in which action 3.2 of A Healthy Weight for Ireland is being advanced; the position regarding the development, implementation and evaluation of a code of practice for food and beverages promotion, marketing and sponsorship; if his Department will work with other relevant Departments to develop a system of data collection regarding food marketing and targeted advertising; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22814/17]
View answerNon-Broadcast Advertising and Marketing of Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, including Sponsorship and Retail Product Placement: Voluntary Codes of Practice, is one of the 60 actions of 'A Healthy Weight for Ireland - Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016 - 2025. In developing the Code the Department has involved all relevant sectors and stakeholders including, but not limited to, IBEC, FSAI, DFAM, ASAI, FDI, Safefood, BAI etc. The development also included presentations from the academic sector and retailers. The Codes have been presented to the Minister for consideration and will be launched in the near future.
The Code will be evaluated and monitored for its effectiveness.
378. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 481 of 7 March 2017, if the proposed surgery for a person (details supplied) will take place here as part of the National Treatment Purchase Fund; and if he will provide further clarification on a possible date for the procedure. [22816/17]
View answerI acknowledge that waiting times are often unacceptably long and I 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 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.
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.
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.
379. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health his views on the implementation of the report of the vaccine damage steering committee of 2009, which recommended a three-tiered structure of ex gratia payments (details supplied); the number of persons who have received such payments to date in 2017; the steps future claimants need to take to apply for such payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22818/17]
View answerMy Department is considering how to implement the Programme for a Partnership Government commitment. This includes the nature of any such scheme, whether it would be on a statutory or non-statutory basis, whether it would apply retrospectively, the arrangements for eligibility, the vaccines that would be included in such a scheme, the criteria for determining an adverse effect, the burden of proof required, the assessment of the level of disability and how this would be conducted, the levels of award, the mechanisms for appealing any decision and how the scheme might interact with the legal process and litigation rights. Regard is being given to the international experience with such schemes and to their potential applicability to Ireland. In the course of its considerations, my Department is engaging with other Government Departments and relevant State agencies. It is not appropriate for me, at this stage in the development of this proposal, to speculate about the detailed design or implementation of any future scheme.
380. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 239 of 3 May 2017, if the HSE instructed section 39 organisations to reduce their pay scales in line with the HSE and section 38 organisations' pay scales following FEMPI adjustments; the way in which the HSE has withheld 20% of funding from an organisation (details supplied); the way in which the HSE will administer personal assistant services if the organisation is unable to continue in operation due to the HSE withholding funding; the measures he is taking to remedy the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22821/17]
View answerThe Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) is funded under Section 39 of the Health Act 2004. The Health Service Executive (HSE) has in place Service Level Agreements with providers funded under Section 39 of the Health Act 2004, that set out the level of service to be provided for the grant to the individual organisation and requirements in relation to standards of care. The HSE has established a Governance Framework to cover funding relationships with all Non Statutory Agencies. It is the policy of the HSE that all funding arrangements with Section 39 agencies are formalised by complying with this Governance Framework.
The HSE has implemented a measure of withholding 20% of funding from agencies which have not completed the necessary Governance Arrangement process within the required timeframe of 1 March 2017. Every effort has been made by the HSE to encourage agencies to complete this process within the timeframe, including extending the timeframe to 1 April for some agencies. Refusal to complete the Governance Arrangement due to pay restoration issues, is not acceptable to the HSE.
With regard to the IWA specifically, this organisation was unable to complete these governance arrangements outlined above. Consequently, 20% of their funding under their Service Level Agreement has been withheld. The full funding will be returned to the agency on completion of the Governance Arrangement process.
As outlined to the Deputy in my reply of the 3rd May last, staff in Section 39 agencies were not subject to the provisions of the Public Service Agreements or the FEMPI legislation which imposed the associated pay reductions. Accordingly, any arrangements offered by each service provider in relation to its employees terms and conditions, including rates of pay, may vary.
As the Deputy's question in relation to the provision of personal assistant services relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
381. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 239 of 3 May 2017 (details supplied), if section 39 organisations' pay scales have been linked to those of the HSE and section 38 organisations for over 15 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22822/17]
View answerAs previously advised, staff employed by Section 39 organisations are not HSE employees and, therefore, the HSE has no role in determining the salaries or other terms and conditions applying to these staff. It is incorrect to state that the payscales of such organisations are 'linked' to those of the HSE. Should they wish, Section 39 organisations or any private employers are free to choose to apply pay rates which are contained in the health sector pay scales, which are a matter of public record, to their staff.
382. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm receipt of correspondence from a health campaign and patient advocacy group (details supplied) in County Donegal requesting that he agree to facilitate a meeting between himself, the members of the group and Houses of the Oireachtas Members based in County Donegal; if he will facilitate same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22839/17]
View answerMy office has no record of having received a recent request for a meeting from this particular group. If the group submits a meeting request to my Private Office, it will be considered in line with normal procedures.
383. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if he will grant further home help hours to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22862/17]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
384. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of additional beds he plans to open in each of the years 2018 to 2022; the estimated capital spend on opening these beds; the number of beds this would result in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22870/17]
View answer385. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the estimated number of additional hospital beds that will be provided by the capital investment programme; the timeframe and locations of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22871/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 384 and 385 together.
90 newly-opened additional hospital beds were delivered as part of the range of practical measures to address ED overcrowding implemented as part of the 2016/2017 Winter Initiative. 300 beds were delivered as part of the 2015/2016 Winter Initiative. The Department and the HSE are committed to utilising the key learning from the Winter Initiative to provide a framework around the preparation of similar initiatives in future years.
In line with the commitment made in the Programme for a Partnership Government, my Department has commenced the Health Service Capacity Review over recent weeks. This Review will have a wider scope than previous exercises and will examine key elements of primary and community care infrastructure in addition to hospital facilities. The Terms of Reference have been published on my Department’s website. While the review will consider capacity requirements over the next decade or so, I am also anxious that it also provides a short-term focus and determines how capital and other investment over the coming years can be best targeted, given the current pressures being experienced within our hospital services.
The review is being led by my Department and overseen by a Steering Group, which includes senior officials from my Department and the Departments of the Taoiseach and Public Expenditure and Reform, the HSE, and experts with a clinical and academic background. The Steering Group met for the first time in March, and is meeting again this month. Also, an independent peer group of international health experts has been established to review and validate the review methodology and findings. My Department has recently advertised a tender for technical, analytical and engagement expertise to assist in the Review process.
In addition, my Department is also working with the HSE and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to conduct a mid-term review of the capital programme. 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.
I look forward to the emerging findings of these Reviews later this year.
