Written Answers Nos. 356-371
356. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the way in which rent is calculated for a person living in State care at a location (details supplied) and on disability allowance of €188; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32580/17]
View answerAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
357. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health if he will provide extra funding to a day care centre (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32617/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
358. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if a condition (details supplied) is covered under the long-term illness scheme or another scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32067/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
359. 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. [32068/17]
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.
360. 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. [32069/17]
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.
361. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health his plans to introduce a statutory right to care in the home for elderly or infirm persons that wish to avail of home care packages in circumstances in which it is medically safe to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32070/17]
View answerThe Government is committed to promoting care in the community for older people so that they can continue to live in their own homes for as long as possible. In this regard, the Department of Health is currently engaged in a detailed process to develop plans for a new statutory scheme and system of regulation for home care services.
The statutory scheme for home care will introduce clear rules in relation to what services individuals are eligible for and how decisions are made on allocating services. For that reason, developing a new statutory scheme will be an important step in ensuring that the system operates in a consistent and fair manner for all those who need home care services. It will also help to improve access to the home care services that people need, in an affordable and sustainable way.
I, along with Minister Harris, launched a public consultation on home care services on 6 July. The purpose of this consultation is to allow all those who have views on this topic to have their say, including older people themselves, their families, and healthcare workers. It will also help us to find out what people think about current home care services as well as the public’s views on what the future scheme should look like. I strongly urge all those with an interest in home care services to make a submission to the consultation which closes on 31 August.
A report of the findings of this consultation process will be published and the findings will be used by the Department in the development of the new home care scheme.
362. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the steps which are being taken to identify and secure an appropriate long-stay placement for a person (details supplied) in Cork University Hospital [32074/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
363. 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. [32075/17]
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.
364. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite an appointment for surgery for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32076/17]
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.
365. 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. [32084/17]
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.
366. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if the two cases referred to in his 2016 annual review of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 resulted in early deliveries; and if those two cases are included or excluded in the annual report total of 25 cases. [32096/17]
View answerThe Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 Report on Reviews in 2016 was compiled and published by the Health Service Executive under section 15 (1) of the Act. It confirms that two cases were the subject of review under the Act during 2016, and that both applications were found to meet the criteria for a lawful termination of pregnancy under the provisions of the Act.
The Department of Health does not hold records on reviews carried out under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 or on whether or not medical procedures took place as a result of such reviews. Records held in the Department of Health are limited to notifications of procedures carried out under the Act. Reports under the Act are anonymised so as to protect women who have had terminations and their medical practitioners.
Medical procedures carried out under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 are subject to strict patient confidentiality, in line with guidance on confidentiality in medical practice as set out in the current Medical Council Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners. It is not appropriate for the Department of Health to be involved in or to comment on individual medical cases.
367. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Clare whose operation was cancelled on 26 June 2016 will receive confirmation of a new date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32114/17]
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.
368. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the estimated full year cost current and capital of providing a mobile catheterisation lab for University Hospital Waterford. [32119/17]
View answerI have formally approved the deployment of a mobile cath lab at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) for a specific period during 2017. As recommended by the Herity report, an additional €500,000 has been allocated to the hospital for 2017. I have asked the HSE to maximise the benefit for patients from that funding, in respect of both additional sessions at the existing cath lab and the temporary use of the mobile cath lab, which is currently being procured in line with the normal HSE procurement process.
In relation to the specific query concerning the full year cost of a mobile cath lab for UHW, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
369. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) can expect to receive an appointment in Cork University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32124/17]
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.
370. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the way in which the €3 million allocated to maternity services in 2016 to allow for the implementation of the national maternity strategy was spent [32133/17]
View answer371. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the way in which the extra €6.8 million allocated to maternity services in 2017 to allow for the implementation of the national maternity strategy will be or has been spent [32134/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 370 and 371 together.
Ireland's first National Maternity Strategy - Creating A Better Future Together 2016 - 2026 - will be implemented on a phased basis led by the National Women & Infants Health Programme.
€3 million development funding provided for maternity services in 2016 was allocated in line with the Strategy, and included funding for additional staff, including 100 midwives, the development of specialist bereavement teams and for the implementation of the Maternal and Newborn Clinical Management System. Increased funding of €6.8m has been provided for maternity services in 2017 and will cover the full year costs of the following 2016 developments:
Appointment of Directors of Midwifery to all maternity units, as recommended by the HIQA Report on Portlaoise;
Establishment of the National Women and Infants’ Health Programme Office:
Implementation of the Flory Report into South Tipperary General Hospital;
100 additional midwives, as recommended by the Birth Rate Plus report;
14.5 bereavement counsellors, to support families after perinatal death, or traumatic event;
Additional posts to facilitate the establishment of the managed clinical network between the Coombe Women and Infants’ University Hospital and Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise, within the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group.
Support the implementation of the Maternity and Newborn Clinical Management System.
The HSE National Women and Infants’ Health Programme is currently developing an implementation plan for the Strategy. The implementation plan is due to be completed shortly and will form the basis of the HSE’s estimates submission for maternity services in 2018.
