Written Answers Nos. 195-219
195. Deputy Michael Harty asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive respite for one to two nights per week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45116/17]
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.
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 an individual case, I have referred the Deputy's question to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
196. Deputy Michael Harty asked the Minister for Health the amount of HSE mental health division funding for 2017 that is expected to be used to cover agency staff and external placements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45117/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
197. Deputy Michael Harty asked the Minister for Health the amount of HSE mental health division programme for Government funding has been delayed in 2017 that is time related savings in order to meet the need to maintain existing levels of service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45118/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
198. Deputy Michael Harty asked the Minister for Health if there is still a difficulty in recruitment of mental health professionals to the HSE; the status of the difficultly; the way in which the HSE will address same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45119/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
199. Deputy Michael Harty asked the Minister for Health the reason the pilot scheme COSTMS continued for four practice sites in view of the fact it was to be stopped after nine months in 2004 and that there were no funds for the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45120/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
200. Deputy Michael Harty asked the Minister for Health the person or group that authorised that some of ophthalmologists in practices were able to open second practices and employ locum ophthalmologists to run same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45121/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
201. Deputy Michael Harty asked the Minister for Health the person or a group that authorised the funds for practices while doctors left on the COSS scheme were only allowed to carry out an eye examination after waiting for prior written approval for this test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45122/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
202. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive an appointment at Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45124/17]
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.
203. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health when a re-evaluation will be carried out on the drug Kuvan for persons suffering with PKU under the reimbursement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45137/17]
View answer217. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on the ongoing campaign to get Kuvan available for persons struggling with the metabolic medical condition of PKU (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45221/17]
View answer218. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health if he will request the HSE to reimburse the drug Kuvan used to treat phenylketonuria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45227/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 203, 217 and 218 together.
The HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines under the community drug schemes, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013.
In reaching a decision, the HSE examines all the evidence which may be relevant in its view for the decision and will take into account such expert opinions and recommendations which may have been sought by the HSE, including, for example, advice from the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE).
Sapropterin (Kuvan) was previously considered under the national pricing and reimbursement processes in 2009. At that time, insufficient evidence was available to support the pricing and reimbursement application submitted by Merck Serono.
In December 2015, Merck Serono advised the HSE that the market authorisation for sapropterin was transferring to Biomarin in 2016. The HSE met with the new market authorisation holder in May 2016 and was advised that it would be submitting a health technology assessment dossier in relation to sapropterin.
The NCPE assessment of the new dossier was completed on the 15 September 2017 and the NCPE did not recommend sapropterin for reimbursement as it was not deemed cost effective.
The HSE assessment process is ongoing and the HSE will take into account any relevant expert advice when making its decision, in line with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013.
204. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if myalgic encephalomyelitis forms part of the studies of student doctors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45138/17]
View answerIreland's Medical Schools are specifically designed to meet the World Federation for Medical Standards and the Irish Medical Schools now articulate an outcomes-based curriculum in line with this requirement.
All Irish university medical schools provide a programme of education which encourages students to adopt a patient centred approach, starting with careful history taking and evaluation of the patient's presenting problems, the generation of a differential diagnosis and formulation of a rational plan for further investigation and management as may be indicated.
I have been advised by the Medical Council that the main symptom of Myalgic Encephalomyletis, that of long term overwhelming fatigue with significant impact on daily activities, is explored in modules which address history taking and clinical skills, general practice, general internal medicine and a number of medical specialties such as endocrinology, rheumatology etc. It is extremely likely, though cannot be formally confirmed as per the caveats above, that Myalgic Encephalomyelitis would be covered in the teaching of many, if not all, of these subjects where it is a relevant potential diagnosis.
205. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Health if a replacement general practitioner has been identified to replace the existing retiring general practitioners in Waterville, County Kerry, in view of the fact locals fear the area will be left without a general practitioner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45139/17]
View answerAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
206. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the reasons for multiple delays in calling out the fire service for significant road accidents. [45141/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
207. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health further to parliamentary question number 95 of 18 October 2017, if the HSE holds data on the number of children with specific speech and language disorder by region or county, by school catchment area or other geographical criteria; and, if so, the data for each of the years 2010 to 2016 and to date in 2017. [45146/17]
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.
208. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the amount of the additional €37 million provided for home care packages and transitional care beds in budget 2018 that will be allocated to provide intensive home care packages for persons with dementia. [45147/17]
View answerBudget 2018 has provided additional resources for Services for Older People and we are in a position to strengthen supports, in particular to facilitate speedier discharge from acute hospitals this winter. The Department is working with the HSE to prepare the 2018 National Service Plan. Pending agreement of the Plan I am not in a position to comment either on the funding that will be made available for dementia care or the specific services that will be provided. I will be happy to update the Deputy once the Service Plan is finalised.
209. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the amount allocated in 2017 for intensive home care packages for persons with dementia; and the number of persons with dementia availing of these packages. [45148/17]
View answer210. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if the allocation of intensive home care packages for persons with dementia has been suspended due to a lack of funding; and if so, when additional funding for these intensive home care packages will be made available. [45149/17]
View answer211. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if a job description for carers delivering intensive home care packages for persons with dementia will be produced and made available to those availing of these packages and their families. [45150/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 209 to 211, inclusive, together.
As these are service matters I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
212. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the status of the commitment outlined in the programme for partnership Government to lower the cost of medicines and to examine opportunities to leverage the purchasing power of the State through national or European initiatives to make greater use of generic medicines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45155/17]
View answerMedicines play a vital role in improving the overall health of Irish patients. Securing access to medicines in a timely manner is a key objective of the Irish Health Service. However, the challenge is delivering on this objective in an affordable and sustainable way.
The new four-year Framework Agreement on the Supply and Pricing of Medicines, signed in July 2016 is an agreement between the State and the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA), and is expected to deliver approximately €600 million in savings over the lifetime of the Agreement from IPHA companies and €150 million in savings from non-IPHA companies. These savings have been taken into account in the 2017 HSE National Service Plan.
The new Agreement contains a number of features which represent clear additional value over the terms of the previous 2012 Agreement. The reference basket of countries used to set prices in Ireland has been expanded from 9 to 14 countries and, importantly, includes lower cost countries. For the first time, the Agreement provides for an annual price realignment, which will ensure that the prices of medicines in Ireland reduce in line with price reductions across the reference countries. This will ensure the State achieves better value for money on the cost of medicines as prices in other basket countries are adjusted downwards over time.
In addition, the Agreement secured a 30% reduction in the price of biologic medicines when a biosimilar medicine enters the market. The HSE included a savings target of €148m in the National Service Plan 2017 for drug related savings arising from the agreement and the launch of a biosimilar for Embrel in 2016.
My Department is currently developing a National Biosimilar Medicines Policy to promote the rational use of biosimilar medicines and to create a sustainable environment for biological medicines in Ireland. Biosimilar medicines provide an opportunity for long term sustainable savings on the public medicines bill, savings which can be then redirected into procuring approved new medicines. I expect this policy to be published in early 2018.
The Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 provided for the introduction of a system of generic substitution and reference pricing. The Act permits pharmacists to substitute medicines prescribed, provided they have been designated as safely interchangeable by the Health Products Regulatory Authority. Reference pricing involves the setting of a common reimbursement price, or reference price, for a group of interchangeable medicines, and this is the price that the HSE will reimburse to pharmacies for all medicines in this group, regardless of the individual medicines’ price.
My Department continues to examine new ways to achieve efficiencies in the cost of medicines. There is a major long term and strategic programme of work underway within the HSE Medicines Management Programme and the National Drugs Management Programme to maximise return from the investment in new medicines. The HSE has established the HSE Drugs Management Portfolio with the aim of ensuring equitable access to medicines for patients, value for the taxpayer and the cost-effective provision of medicines in Ireland.
Ireland is participating in a number of voluntary EU forums, including the Roundtable meetings with EU Health Ministers and the Pharmaceutical Industry, High Level Pharmaceutical Policy Meetings and the Valletta Technical Committee. These platforms are currently exploring possible areas for cooperation including information sharing, horizon scanning and possible price negotiations and joint procurement. Such platforms could also lead to faster access for patients for some treatments.
213. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Health if orthodontic treatment for a person (details supplied) will expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45156/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
214. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health his plans to introduce paediatric interventional radiology prior to the establishment of the national children's hospital; if so, the location of same; if funding will be made available for same; the measures being taken to hire the required staff; the timeframe involved in commencing this service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45162/17]
View answerArrangements are currently in place to provide for a small number of paediatric radiology interventions to be carried out by an adult radiologist and some of the paediatric radiologists on a case-by-case basis. However, the HSE acknowledges there is a need to further develop these services in Ireland. The development of the new children’s hospital and the two OPD and Urgent Care Centres at Tallaght and Connolly provides an opportunity to progress operational integration of the three existing children’s hospital radiology services and to plan for the appropriate provision of these services well in advance of the move to the new facilities. The integration programme involves a gap analysis of current and planned service provision, and the required development in paediatric interventional radiology will be addressed through this programme over the next few years.
I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly with additional information concerning the integration programme and plans for future development of paediatric interventional radiology services.
215. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health his views on whether the job shadow initiative for persons with mental health difficulties is succeeding; the current initiative and plans for the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45195/17]
View answerThe Job Shadow Initiative is an initiative of the Irish Association of Supported Employment (IASE) "to promote equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities". I welcome any initiative which helps to support people in reaching their potential.
In terms of mental health employment initiatives, Integrating Employment and Mental Health Support is a pilot project developed with Genio and Department of Social Protection funding. The project is based on the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model, an internationally evidence-based approach. The IPS model facilitates people with mental health difficulties to gain mainstream competitive employment either full time or part time. IPS involves eight key principles, including allowing any individual to avail of supported employment regardless of ‘job readiness’, providing time-unlimited support, and integrating the employment specialists into multidisciplinary mental health teams. The IPS model aims to improve the mental health outcomes for the participating individual as well as increase the likelihood they will access work. This pilot has recently come to an end and a final report is currently being produced.
216. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when he will release funds owed to Dublin City Council totalling €4 million and overdue to ambulance services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45208/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
219. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health the national criteria and the process and procedures involved in respect of examination of emergency departments in hospitals throughout the country in which services are being reviewed; the number of emergency departments being considered as part of this review; the criteria for selecting particular emergency departments for review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45240/17]
View answerMy Department is not undertaking a national review of accident and emergency departments. The Deputy may wish to note that the Smaller Hospitals Framework defines the role of smaller hospitals and outlines the need for smaller hospitals and larger hospitals to operate as Hospital Groups. It identifies the activities that can be performed in smaller, or Model 2, hospitals in a safe and sustainable manner, including extended day surgery, selected acute medicine, a local injuries service, a large range of diagnostic services, specialist rehabilitation medicine and palliative care. In developing our smaller hospitals, as set out in the Smaller Hospitals Framework the first and over-riding concern is the safety of patients. Through continued progress in the implementation of Hospital Groups, hospitals are starting to work together to support each other, providing a stronger role for smaller hospitals in delivering less complex care and ensuring that patients who require true emergency or complex planned care are managed safely in larger hospitals.
