Written Answers Nos. 351-364
351. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Health to set out the number of medical detoxification beds for adults and adolescents, respectively; the location of each; the cost per annum of a medical detoxification bed for adults and adolescents, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31725/18]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
352. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Health to set out the number of community-based residential detoxification beds for adults and adolescents, respectively; the location of each; the cost per annum for a community based residential detoxification bed for adults and adolescents, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31726/18]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
353. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health when a procedure for a person (details supplied) will be provided; the reason for the delay in issuing a date for this procedure; if the person can undergo the procedure under the National Treatment Purchase Fund or in another way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31731/18]
View answerImproving waiting times for hospital procedures is a key commitment in the Programme for Government and in 2018 €50 million was allocated to the NTPF to provide treatment for patients.
The Inpatient/Day Case Action Plan outlines the combined impact of HSE and NTPF activity in 2018 to reduce the number of patients waiting for treatment. Under the Plan the NTPF will outsource 22,000 inpatient day cases, while the HSE will deliver 1.14 million hospital operations or procedures.
In terms of treatment offers, the NTPF authorises public hospitals to offer outsourced treatment to clinically suitable long waiting patients who are on an inpatient/day case waiting list for surgery, having been referred on to such a list following clinical assessment by a consultant/specialist at an outpatient clinic. NTPF authorisations are made in respect of the longest waiting patients first.
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.
The National Waiting List Management Policy, a standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, since 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 the Deputy directly.
354. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Health to outline the status of the roll-out of a training scheme in palliative care for carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31736/18]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
355. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Health to set out the number of licences granted under the compassionate access programme for medical cannabis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31737/18]
View answerUnder the Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977 – 2016, it is open to the Minister for Health to consider granting a licence for access to medical cannabis-based preparations for named patients, where this course of treatment has been endorsed by the consultant who is responsible for the management of the patient and who is prepared to monitor the effects of the treatment over time. To date, thirteen licences have been issued for the treatment of seven separate individual patients via the Ministerial licence application route.
Separate to the Ministerial licence scheme, on foot of the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) report ‘Cannabis for Medical Use – A Scientific Review’, I announced my intention to establish a ‘Cannabis for Medical Use Access Programme’ to facilitate access to cannabis-based products, that are not authorised as medicines but are of a standardised quality and meet an acceptable level of quality assurance. The programme will provide access to cannabis treatments for patients who are under the care of a medical consultant, for the following medical conditions which have failed to respond to standard treatments: spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis; intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy; severe, refractory (treatment-resistant) epilepsy.
An Expert Group has drawn up clinical guidance for healthcare professionals treating patients through the Access Programme. The guidelines will be published shortly on the Department’s website.
The Access Programme is not yet operational, as further work is required in relation to certain elements, in particular the availability of appropriate quality-approved medical cannabis products that are affordable to patients. This is a critical aspect in establishing the access programme. The Department is working intensively on finding solutions to the supply of appropriate products for Irish patients. Drafting of secondary legislation to underpin the access programme will be finalised once appropriate cannabis product supplies have been established.
In the meantime, prescribing of cannabis for medical treatment by medical consultants, for their individual patients is being facilitated via the Ministerial licence application route.
356. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health to outline the status of the delivery of a primary health care centre in Rowlagh, Clondalkin, Dublin 22; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31769/18]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of healthcare infrastructure projects, my Department has asked the HSE to provide the Deputy directly with the current position regarding the development of a primary care centre at Rowlagh, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.
357. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health to outline the status of the delivery of a primary health care centre in Clondalkin Village, Clondalkin, Dublin 22; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31770/18]
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.
358. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health to outline the status of the delivery of a primary health care centre in Lucan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31771/18]
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.
359. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health to set down the number of persons in receipt of home support services at 30 April 2018; the number that were approved and waiting for home support services for each community healthcare organisation area at 30 April 2018; the number of persons waiting for more than one, three and six months, respectively for home support services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31772/18]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
360. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health to outline the new initiatives and proposals taken to reduce the number of children waiting over a year for an outpatient appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31773/18]
View answerImproving waiting times for hospital procedures and outpatient appointments is a key commitment in the Programme for Government.
My Department is working with the HSE and the NTPF to finalise an Outpatient Action Plan for 2018. This plan will support the HSE’s compliance with their National Service Plan targets, reduce the growth in the number of patients waiting for outpatient services, improve the accuracy of the waiting list, and trial a number of NTPF funded interventions, including weekend and out of hours clinics.
More broadly and in order to tackle long waiting times for patients, the NTPF and the HSE are currently reviewing proposals from hospitals for outpatient initiatives and I would encourage all Hospitals to submit proposals.
In Budget 2018, CHG was allocated an additional €9 million for paediatric orthopaedics, including scoliosis services, to further reduce waiting times for paediatric orthopaedic services and support the development of a sustainable paediatric orthopaedic service. In addition, the Children's Hospital Group (CHG) continues to work with the NTPF to manage long waiting lists for clinically appropriate groups.
361. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health to set out the number of children who have had a surgical procedure carried out under the NTPF; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31774/18]
View answerThe National Treatment Purchase fund (NTPF) has advised that since 2017 and the re-establishment of the NTPF commissioning of inpatient and daycase procedures, 613 children have been treated under the NTPF Waiting List initiative.
362. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health to outline the progress being made by the HSE and the NTPF against the targets that were set; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31775/18]
View answerImproving waiting times for hospital procedures is a key commitment in the Programme for Government and there are a number of waiting list initiatives currently underway to improve access this year. In particular, the Inpatient and Day Case Action Plan which was launched in April 2018 and the allocation of €50 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) in Budget 2018 to secure treatment for patients and reduce waiting times.
The Action Plan targets a reduction in the waiting list for inpatient and day case treatment to below 70,000 by the end of 2018. Under the Plan, the HSE will deliver 1.14 million hospital procedures and the NTPF commits to deliver additionality to the health system with the provision of 20,000 Inpatient Day Case treatments through both outsourcing and HSE insourcing.
Several factors including the cancellation of elective treatment and the increase in emergency procedures due to significant emergency Department pressures, have resulted in fewer procedures for patients on waiting lists taking place in our public hospitals. However through the active monitoring of the Action plan by my Department and the close collaboration with the HSE and the NTPF, last month the NTPF at my request, brought forward a recovery plan setting out how to address the variance in activity. It has been agreed that the NTPF will now target an additional 2,300 procedures in 2018 – or a total of 22,300, to ensure that targets are met.
More broadly, my Department has placed a particular priority on performance improvement in scheduled and unscheduled care in order to improve access for patients. At the end of 2017, a new Unit was established in my Department with a remit to work with colleagues, HSE and NTPF to provide strategic direction and drive a whole-of-Department approach to performance oversight and innovation in this area.
363. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health if core annual funding to local and regional drug and alcohol task forces will be reviewed and reinstated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31776/18]
View answerThe Department of Health secured an additional €6.5 million for drug-related actions in Budget 2018, as a first step in implementing the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery. This additional funding is being used to expand the availability of drug and alcohol treatment services and to improve health services for drug-users who are homeless.
Drug and alcohol task forces play a key role in assessing the extent and nature of the drug problem and in initiating appropriate responses, so that there is a coordinated approach involving all sectors to the problem of substance misuse in local communities. In excess of €27.6 m has been allocated to Task Forces by the HSE and the Department of Health for community-based drugs initiatives this year. This level of funding is consistent with the amounts provided for the last four years.
An additional €250,000 was provided in Budget 2018 to improve the organisational effectiveness of the task forces in implementing the national drugs strategy. Individual task forces can receive up to €10,000 in additional funding. Payment of this funding is currently being processed by my Department and the HSE.
I recently announced a further €290,000 for task forces to support and enhance services addressing drug and alcohol misuse. This money will be allocated in quarter four of 2018. In addition, task forces will be consulted by the HSE on the provision of €710,000 for priority projects and services in CHO areas.
The provision of additional funding for drug and alcohol addiction services, including Drug and Alcohol Task Forces, must be considered in the context of the estimates process for 2019.
I strongly believe that resources should be directed towards interventions that are most effective in reducing problem substance use. Measuring the effectiveness of responses to the drug problem is therefore an important objective of public policy. Towards this end, my Department will develop a performance measurement system by 2020 which will improve accountability across all sectors, including the task forces.
364. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health to set out the number of persons on methadone treatment; the number on treatment for periods (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31777/18]
View answerThe national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, seeks to minimise the harms caused by the use and misuse of substances and to promote rehabilitation and recovery.
At the end of April 2018 there were 10,282 people availing of methadone treatment.
I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy with information in relation to the length of time that individuals have been in receipt of methadone treatment.
