Niamh Smyth
Question:805. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if the HSE will allocate home help hours to a person (details supplied) when needed at weekends; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36176/18]
View answerHome Help Service
Questions (805)
Written answers
As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Medical Card Eligibility
Questions (806)
Jackie Cahill
Question:806. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health if the need for persons who have had a serious spinal cord injury resulting in lifelong disability to receive a medical card on a needs not means basis will be investigated with an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36183/18]
View answerWritten answers
The HSE's Expert Group on Medical Need and Medical Card Eligibility examined the issue of awarding medical cards on the basis of illness and concluded that it was not feasible, desirable, nor ethically justifiable to list medical conditions in priority order for medical card eligibility. The expert group also concluded that a person’s means should remain the main qualifier for a medical card. This position remains unchanged.
Medical card provision is based on financial assessment. In accordance with the provisions of the Health Act 1970. as amended, eligibility for a medical card is determined by the HSE. The Act obliges the HSE to assess whether a person is unable, without due hardship, to arrange general practitioner services for himself or herself and his or her family, having regard to his or her overall financial position and reasonable expenditure and every application must be assessed on that basis. Under the legislation, having a particular illness, in itself, does not establish eligibility for a medical card and therefore, the medical conditions of applicants for this scheme are not monitored on that basis. Where the applicant's income is within the income guidelines, a medical card or GP visit card will be awarded.
Every effort is made by the HSE, within the framework of the legislation, to support applicants in applying for a medical card and, in particular, to take full account of the difficult circumstances in the case of applicants who may be in excess of the income guidelines. It should be noted, in certain circumstances, the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, even though an applicant exceeds his or her income threshold, where he or she faces difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from an illness. Social and medical issues are considered when determining whether undue hardship exists for an individual accessing general practitioner or other medical services. The HSE affords applicants the opportunity to furnish supporting information documentation to fully take account of all the relevant circumstances that may benefit them in the assessment, including medical evidence of cost and necessary expenses.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (807)
James Lawless
Question:807. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health if an ophthalmology appointment for a person (details supplied) will be expedited; the waiting times for such an appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36194/18]
View answerWritten answers
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.
Services for People with Disabilities
Questions (808)
Niamh Smyth
Question:808. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 159 of 30 May 2018, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that no contact has been made with the person regarding an upcoming appointment in August 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36197/18]
View answerWritten answers
The 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 for direct reply to the Deputy.
Question No. 809 answered with Question No. 787.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (810)
Barry Cowen
Question:810. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) can expect an appointment in the audiology department of the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore, County Offaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36200/18]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
Speech and Language Therapy Provision
Questions (811)
Barry Cowen
Question:811. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) can expect an appointment with a speech and language therapist at the Health Service Executive, Riverside, Tullamore, County Offaly. [36201/18]
View answerWritten answers
The 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.
Medical Aids and Appliances Provision
Questions (812)
Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Question:812. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health if funding will be made available through the HSE in order that a person (details supplied) is awarded a wheelchair that was applied for in March 2018. [36205/18]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
Medical Aids and Appliances Provision
Questions (813)
Clare Daly
Question:813. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if the definition of medical equipment will be amended such that it encompasses cooling equipment in circumstances in which an applicant for provision of medical equipment by the HSE suffers with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia in view of the fact that at present the HSE will reject such applications such as in a case (details supplied), despite the fact that cooling equipment is essential medical equipment for such persons. [36208/18]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (814)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:814. 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. [36209/18]
View answerWritten answers
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.
Long-Term Illness Scheme Coverage
Questions (815)
Róisín Shortall
Question:815. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the reason Huntington's disease is not included on the LTI scheme; if this condition will be added to the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36210/18]
View answerWritten answers
The long-term illness, LTI, scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act 1970, as amended. The conditions covered by the LTI are: acute leukaemia; mental handicap; cerebral palsy; mental illness in a person under 16; cystic fibrosis; multiple sclerosis; diabetes insipidus; muscular dystrophies; diabetes mellitus; parkinsonism; epilepsy; phenylketonuria; haemophilia; spina bifida; hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide. Under the LTI Scheme, patients receive drugs, medicines, and medical and surgical appliances directly related to the treatment of their illness, free of charge.
There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the scheme.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (816)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:816. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health when an audiology appointment date will be issued to a person (details supplied); the reason for the delay in issuing the appointment in view of the fact that several referrals have been made in this case; if further medical conditions will be taken into account; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36215/18]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (817)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:817. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health when an audiology appointment date will be issued to a person (details supplied); the reason for the delay in issuing the appointment in view of the fact that several referrals have been made in this case; if further medical conditions will be taken into account; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36216/18]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
Long-Term Illness Scheme
Questions (818)
Róisín Shortall
Question:818. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if the directive issued by his Department in 2004, stating the guidelines for the dispensing of prescribed medication for the LTI and hi-tech PCRS schemes, will be altered in order to allow persons who are working abroad for a set period to be furnished with prescriptions for periods of longer than three months as is currently the case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36228/18]
View answerWritten answers
My Department's view is that a maximum of a three-month supply provides sufficient time for Irish patients moving abroad to identify an appropriate practitioner and to arrange for the supply of required medication locally, under the supply arrangements prevailing in the country concerned. There are no plans to change this position.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (819)
Robert Troy
Question:819. Deputy Robert Troy 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. [36231/18]
View answerWritten answers
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.
Hospitals Data
Questions (820)
David Cullinane
Question:820. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of catheterisation laboratories operational in acute hospitals here in each of the years 2010 to 2017 and to date in 2018, by hospital in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36237/18]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly as soon as possible.
Hospitals Data
Questions (821)
David Cullinane
Question:821. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if the number of catheterisation laboratories operational here has changed since 2015; the hospitals that have secured an additional laboratory since 2015; his plans to increase the number of laboratories in hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36238/18]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly as soon as possible.
Hospitals Data
Questions (822)
David Cullinane
Question:822. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of cardiac procedures carried out in all acute hospitals here, including angiography, PCI, permanent pacemaker and implantable defibrillator, in each of the years 2013 to 2017 and to date in 2018, by hospital; the number of laboratories operational in each hospital; the number of procedures carried out in each laboratory in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36239/18]
View answerWritten answers
As the Deputy is aware, I established a national review of specialised cardiac services, which is now underway, with the aim of achieving the best patient outcomes at population level by establishing the need for an optimal configuration of a national adult cardiac service with a particular emphasis on the safety, quality and sustainability of the services that patients receive. To this end, the information on cath lab activities and procedures that the deputy is seeking is being collected by the national review to form part of its analysis and will be published as such in due course.
Hospitals Data
Questions (823)
David Cullinane
Question:823. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of catheterisation laboratories operational at St. Vincent’s University Hospital in each of the years 2010 to 2017 and to date in 2018; the number of procedures carried out in each laboratory by year and procedure in tabular form; his plans to increase laboratory activity at the hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36240/18]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly, as soon as possible.
Hospital Services
Questions (824)
David Cullinane
Question:824. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the make-up of a basic grade catheterisation laboratory C-arm unit; the way in which this differs from a fully functioning catheterisation laboratory carrying the full range of angiography, PCI and installation of pacemakers and so on; the number of such laboratories operational here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36241/18]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly as soon as possible.