Written Answers Nos. 367-380
367. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) will be considered for treatment under the National Treatment Purchase Fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5523/18]
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.
Reducing waiting times for patients is one of the Government's key priorities. October's Budget announced a total 2018 allocation of €55m for the National Treatment Purchase Fund for 2018. In this context, the HSE and NTPF are working together to develop Waiting List Action Plans for 2018. These plans will see a continued focus on long-waiting patients and overall waiting lists. In 2018 the NTPF will continue to arrange the provision of treatment for Inpatient/Daycase patients across a range of specialties.
In response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly.
368. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied) will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5525/18]
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.
369. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the number of staff who will be employed at the primary care centre in Claremorris, County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5527/18]
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.
370. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive a medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5537/18]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information was issued to Oireachtas members.
371. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the closure of a swimming pool which provides instruction to children with disabilities and is housed at a facility (details supplied) in County Donegal; his plans to provide additional supports to the service provider with the view to ensuring that the pool can remain open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5540/18]
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.
372. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has been waiting over two years for an appointment at Beaumont Hospital [5546/18]
View answerThe 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 follows 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 response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly.
373. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the five-year waiting list in the ENT department at University Hospital Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5551/18]
View answerReducing waiting times for patients is one of the Government's key priorities.
I am advised by the HSE that the numbers of patients waiting for an in-patient or day case procedure at University Hospital Limerick reduced in 2017. This was achieved through a number of separate initiatives, including increased theatre sessions, outsourcing and a validation exercise for all patients waiting greater than 6 months.
Furthermore, there has been a significant improvement in the wait time for ENT outpatient appointments across UL Hospitals Group in the last two years, with the current wait time for an ENT outpatient appointment at 24 months. There are currently four patients in the 21 – 24 month wait time category and it is expected they will be offered appointments this month (February).
Outpatient waiting lists, including ENT lists, are managed centrally at UL Hospitals Group. All patients who are waiting are prioritised according to clinical need. Beyond this, UL Hospitals Group will continue to focus on seeing and treating those who have been waiting the longest.
I acknowledge that the Outpatient Waiting List remains a challenge that needs to be addressed. A number of steps, including the commencement of a national waiting list validation project by the HSE, are being taken to ensure that the lists are accurate and these efforts are to intensify in the coming months.
Finally, UL Hospitals Group will continue to work closely with the HSE and NTPF during 2018 to manage waiting lists across the Group.
374. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health his plans to expand availability of Naloxone to persons who use drugs as stated in the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery 2017 to 2025; the level of availability for naloxone; the locations in which it is available; the number of occasions it has been used in an emergency situation in 2016, 2017, and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5567/18]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
375. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health the measures in place to warn drug users regarding the dangers of a drug (details supplied); the number of drug overdose cases in which this drug has been linked; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5568/18]
View answerThe National Drug Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) is an epidemiological database administered by the Health Research Board which records cases of death by drug and/or alcohol poisoning and death among drug users and those who are alcohol dependent. The Health Research Board published a report on the NDRDI in December 2017, which shows deaths up to 2015, the latest year for which data is available. According to the NDRDI, there were seven Fentanyl related poisoning deaths in 2015.
The other issues raised by the Deputy have been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to him.
376. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) was denied a discretionary medical card. [5579/18]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information was issued to Oireachtas members.
377. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the National Office for Suicide Prevention’s decision to cut funding to a mental health charity (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5583/18]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
378. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health the percentage of persons from Ennis who are inpatients in the department of psychiatry at St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny. [5588/18]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
379. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if a third ANP post has been approved for the emergency department at a hospital (details supplied); if so, when this post is expected to be filled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5590/18]
View answerIn relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
380. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health the reason the National Office for Suicide Prevention is no longer providing funding to an organisation (details supplied); if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the organisation has counselled more than 7,000 women and partners since 2011; if the National Office for Suicide Prevention will review this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5593/18]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
