Written Answers Nos. 497-519
497. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health the progress of the primary care centre for Finglas; if a date has been set for construction and the opening of the facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24426/17]
View answerAs the HSE has responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres and other Primary Care facilities, the Executive has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy.
498. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health the status of a surgery appointment for a person (details supplied); if the person is eligible under the cross-Border scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24428/17]
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.
499. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health the status of an appointment for a person (details supplied) to meet an occupational therapist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24429/17]
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.
500. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health the status of an appointment for surgery for a person (details supplied); if the person is eligible under the cross-Border scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24430/17]
View answerThis matter will be addressed once clarification sought from the Deputy is received.
501. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health the status of an appointment for surgery for a person (details supplied); if the person is eligible under the cross-Border scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24431/17]
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 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.
502. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will schedule an appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24432/17]
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 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.
503. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health if he has considered using the private sector to address the waiting lists for services in view of reported difficulties in recruiting mental health staff. [24449/17]
View answerThe HSE acknowledges that existing difficulties in recruiting mental health professionals, including Consultant cover, can in certain circumstances impact on accessing services at local level. However, the Executive continues to focus on filling existing vacancies for this specialist care programme. It should be noted that, while difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff pertains generally across the health system, the core problem for Mental Health relates to securing suitably qualified professionals rather than funding availability. In this context, additional funding of €15 million has been provided for 2017, rising to €35 million in a full year to develop mental health in line with implementing A Vision for Change. This reflects a realistic approach to ensuring that both funding and new staff are delivered to best meet the changes required for mental health into the future.
While the HSE may, in certain circumstances, complement its own mental health service by partnership arrangements with private providers, this is on a limited basis. The focus of the Department of Health, and the HSE, for mental health is to deliver the priorities and targets agreed under the HSE Service Plan 2017. Referral of cases to private providers remains an option where HSE cannot, for good operational reasons, meet capacity pressures on the public system at certain times.
Bearing in mind all the circumstances, I am satisfied that the HSE, in partnership as appropriate with non-statutory providers, is maximising the potential to provide the best possible mental health care to both adults and those under age 18. The Department, and the Executive, will continue to address staff recruitment and retention issues, including regular monitoring of access to the HSE service.
504. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health the status of a medical assessment appointment for a person (details supplied); the reason for the delay in issuing a date for this appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24473/17]
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.
505. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the status of an appointment with a consultant for a person (details supplied). [24474/17]
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 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.
506. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the status of a medical appointment for a person (details supplied). [24475/17]
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 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.
508. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24487/17]
View answerThe specialty of rheumatology continues to be one of the most rapidly growing services within Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin and now accounts for the highest number of medical day care patients per year. This increase in demand has had a corresponding effect on waiting lists for paediatric rheumatology services.
The HSE has developed a new National Model of Care for Paediatric Healthcare Services, which includes the development of a hub and spoke model of care for paediatric rheumatology as part of a national clinical network for paediatrics. The new children’s hospital will have a central role in this national model of care which will include the provision of outreach clinics to regional centres to improve access for those children living outside the greater Dublin area. The development of the new children’s hospital and satellites provides an opportunity to progress operational integration of the three existing children’s hospital rheumatology services and to plan for the appropriate provision of these services well in advance of the move to the new facilities. The Children’s Hospital Group has confirmed that facilities for rheumatology services in the new children's hospital will include clinical examination rooms in one of the Outpatient suites as well as day beds in the Day Care Unit which will be assigned to rheumatology in light of the fact that rheumatology is predominately an outpatient and day care based service. Admissions to inpatient services will be accommodated in the medical ward.
Minister McEntee recently met with representatives from the Irish Children’s Arthritis Network to discuss services for people with juvenile arthritis, and I am due to meet with representatives from Arthritis Ireland in the coming weeks to further discuss the service needs.
509. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health his views on if it is acceptable for nurses and prescribing nurses working in general practitioner practices to charge medical card holders for visits. [24488/17]
View answerUnder the terms of the current GMS contract, GPs are required to provide eligible patients with "all proper and necessary treatment of a kind usually undertaken by a general practitioner and not requiring special skill or experience of a degree or kind which general practitioners cannot reasonably be expected to possess." There is no provision under the GMS contract for persons who hold a medical card or GP visit card to be charged for such services provided by their GP, or the practice nurse on behalf of the GP.
Furthermore, GPs must not seek or accept money from eligible patients for whom they have provided services under the GMS contract. Consultation fees charged by GPs outside the terms of the GMS contract are a matter of private contract between the clinicians and their patients.
If a patient who holds a medical card or GP visit card believes they have been incorrectly charged for routine services by their GP, or the practice nurse on behalf of their GP, they should contact their Local Health Office, who can investigate the matter in accordance with the HSE complaints policy.
510. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the status of a medical appointment for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare. [24496/17]
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 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.
511. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Health the status of a needs assessment by a multidisciplinary team for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24552/17]
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 an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
512. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Health the number of children on waiting lists for occupational therapy and speech and language therapy services in County Wexford; if occupational and speech and language therapists on maternity or long-term sick leave are replaced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24513/17]
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.
513. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the services that will be provided in the new primary care centre in Balbriggan; the services which will be new and require additional staff; the number and grades of each staff member; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24521/17]
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.
514. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health if services will be transferring into the new primary care centre in Balbriggan from the surrounding area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24522/17]
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.
515. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the services that will be moving or relocating from north County Dublin into the new primary care centre in Balbriggan; the nature of these services; the number and grade of staff that will be transferring; the details of the buildings that will be closing and changes of use for the buildings that they will be leaving; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24523/17]
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.
516. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the specific areas from which staff will be transferring to the new primary care centre in Balbriggan by grade and by area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24525/17]
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.
517. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the private services excluding general practitioner services which will be provided in the new primary care centre in Balbriggan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24526/17]
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.
518. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Health the regulations, policies and procedures for allocated exercise time or outside recreational time for persons who are admitted to County Roscommon psychiatric services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24530/17]
View answerAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
