Written Answers Nos. 690-709
690. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health his plans to extend the age of retirement for general practitioners to 72 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1041/19]
View answerIn July 2015, retirement provisions under the GMS scheme were changed to allow GPs to hold GMS contracts until their 72nd birthday.
691. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health if assurances will be given to an organisation (details supplied) on the funding of services it provides to the deaf community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1047/19]
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 a service issue, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive, HSE, for direct reply to the Deputy.
692. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health his views on the Rotunda Hospital placing an 11-week limit on terminations; if he will address the matter to bring clarity for hospitals and those who may be seeking terminations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1048/19]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, Section 12 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 provides that a termination of pregnancy may be carried out by a medical practitioner where, having examined the woman, he or she is of the reasonable opinion formed in good faith that the pregnancy concerned has not exceeded 12 weeks of pregnancy, after a period of not less than three days has elapsed from the date on which a medical practitioner has certified that the pregnancy has not exceeded 12 weeks.
Officials in my Department continue to engage with the Health Service Executive on a regular basis to facilitate the smooth-running of the service and to resolve any issues that may arise.
I am advised that the HSE has contacted the hospital group in question to bring to their attention that section 12 of the Act allows for termination where the pregnancy has not exceeded 12 weeks, and they are engaging with the hospital to resolve the matter.
693. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health if medical card applicants are considered exempt from medical expenses such as hospital stay charges until a decision is made on their application. [1050/19]
View answerThe Health Act 1970 (as amended) provides that all persons ordinarily resident in the country are eligible, subject to certain charges, to public in-patient hospital services. The current public hospital statutory in-patient charge is €80 per day, up to a maximum of €800 in any period of 12 consecutive months. All persons accessing public in-patient services in a public hospital are liable for the statutory public-inpatient charge, subject to a number of exemptions, including where a person is a medical cardholder.
The legislative framework therefore obliges the HSE to levy the statutory in-patient charge on all patients not covered by an exemption. As noted, medical card holders are exempt from hospital charges, however the exemption is only valid from the date of issue of the medical card. Therefore patients continue to be liable for any charges which occurred before a medical card has been issued.
694. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 355 of 27 November 2018, when a reply will issue. [1054/19]
View answerThe HSE have confirmed to my Department that a response to the initial parliamentary question was issued to the Deputy on 11 January 2019.
695. Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Health when all aspects of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 concerning the legal recognition of parentage for same sex couples that are not covered under the Act will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1057/19]
View answerParts 2 and 3 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 contain provisions relating to the regulation of donor-assisted human reproduction, DAHR, procedures carried out in the State, including dealing with the rights of children born as a result of those procedures. The enactment of the Children and Family Relationships (Amendment) Act 2018 was necessary to correct typographical and technical errors in the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, to enable the subsequent commencement of Parts 2 and 3 of the Act. It is intended that Parts 2 and 3 of the Act will be commenced as soon as possible.
Parts 2 and 3 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 specifically relate to DAHR procedures where the intending mother is also the birth mother and the child is born in the State. After commencement of Parts 2 and 3, the provisions of the Act are confined to DAHR procedures carried out in the State and where the child is born in the State.
The commencement of Parts 2 and 3 of the Act will also allow for the granting of a retrospective declaration of parentage in relation to a child born as a result of a DAHR procedure, subject to certain conditions.
As Parts 2 and 3 of the Children and Family Relationships Act specifically relate to procedures where the intending mother is also the birth mother, this Act does not encompass surrogacy. Provisions relating to the regulation of surrogacy in Ireland are included in Part 6 of the General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill 2017.
In October 2017 the Government approved the drafting of a Bill on assisted human reproduction (AHR) and associated areas of research, based on the published General Scheme, The Joint Committee on Health is currently conducting a review of the General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill 2017 as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny process, and the Committee intends to publish its report early in 2019.
The process of drafting this Bill will be completed in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General. As part of this process officials in my Department will ensure that there is coherent interaction between the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill and Parts 2 and 3 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015. However, it is not possible at this time to give a definitive timeline for the completion of the draft Bill and its subsequent passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas.
696. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health his plans to expand services in Louth County Hospital, Dundalk in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1070/19]
View answerThe establishment of hospital groups has enabled a better configuration of hospital services with benefits relating to safety, quality, access, cost and sustainable medical staffing. The structure ensures that hospitals working together in a group will be able to support each other, providing a stronger role for smaller hospitals in delivering less complex care, and ensuring that those who require emergency or complex planned care are managed safely in larger hospitals.
The RCSI Hospital Group, which includes both Cavan General Hospital, has identified the need for development of the resuscitation area in Cavan Emergency Department. Future investment in Cavan General Hospital will be considered within the overall acute hospital infrastructure programme, the prioritised needs of the hospital groups and within the overall capital envelope available to the health service.
I recently met with the RCSI Hospital Group to discuss how all hospitals within the group can develop and contribute to improvements in both scheduled and unscheduled care for patients.
I am committed to securing and further developing the role of our smaller hospitals with the expansion of services delivered in these hospitals, especially in services such as day surgery; ambulatory care; medical services and diagnostics.
The national development plan provides €10.9 billion for Health capital developments across the country, including both national programmes and individual projects, across acute, primary and social care. Health capital projects and programmes currently underway will continue. As to be expected with a ten year plan, many proposals are at an early stage and will require to progress through appraisal, planning design and tender before a firm timeline or funding required can be established.
As these are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly as soon as possible.
697. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a hip operation for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1073/19]
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, 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.
698. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the status of the proposed 100-bed unit at the St. Mary's Hospital site, Dublin Road, Drogheda, County Louth; if specific commencement dates have been agreed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1074/19]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
699. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for cataract procedures on national public waiting lists for 2017 and 2018; the average waiting time to undergo required cataract procedures; his plans to further reduce the waiting times in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1077/19]
View answerImproving access to hospital treatment is a key priority for Government.
It is acknowledged that cataract surgery is among the most common surgical procedures carried out in the ophthalmology specialty. It was in this knowledge that when proposals for the joint HSE-National Treatment Purchase Fund Inpatient and Day Case Action Plan were under development last year, I sought a particular focus on reducing waiting times for a number of high volume specialties including cataracts. The Action Plan, allocated a quarter (5,000 out of 20,000) of the planned NTPF procedures to cataract treatments.
Waiting list figures for December 2018, published last week by the NTPF show that considerable improvements have been made to the number of patients waiting for an Inpatient or Day case procedure which have fallen to 70,204 from 81,500 in December 2017. This represents a reduction of over 14% in the overall number of patients waiting for a procedure.
In terms of the number of people waiting for cataract treatment in 2017 and 2018 and the average waiting times, the NTPF advise that at the end of 2017 there were 8,027 people waiting for a cataract procedure, with an average waiting time of 195 days, while at the end of 2018 there were 6,440 people waiting for a cataract procedure, with an average waiting time of 131 days. This represents a decrease in numbers waiting of 20% and a reduction in average waiting time of 33%.
The action plan also recommended that the HSE and NTPF identify sustainable initiatives to improve waiting times. In this context, a dedicated centre for cataract surgery in Nenagh opened last July, and at full capacity will be capable of delivering up to 2,000 procedures annually. The centre is ideally located to enable the UL hospital group, in collaboration with the HSE and NTPF, to maximise the use of the Centre through collaboration with hospital groups so that patients from surrounding regions can be referred to the centre for their treatment.
My Department is working closely with the NTPF and the HSE to finalise a scheduled care access plan for inpatients/daycase and outpatients for 2019. In this regard, the NTPF and HSE will continue to work closely with hospital groups, inviting proposals to improve access for patients waiting for hospital procedures.
700. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the status of the Versatis pain relief plasters under the long-term illness scheme; his further plans to reintroduce the plasters on the scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1078/19]
View answerMedicines play a vital role in improving the health of Irish patients. Securing access to existing and new and innovative medicines is a key health service objective. However, the challenge is to do this in a safe and sustainable manner. Treatment must be appropriate and proportionate and clinical decision-making, such as prescribing, should be based on both patient needs and sound medical evidence.
Lidocaine 5% medicated plasters are licensed for localised relief of post-shingles pain in adults. This is the patch's only licensed use in Ireland. It has been reimbursed in the community drug schemes since 2010.
Clinical concern arose as usage increased significantly, to the point where more plasters were being used in Ireland than in the entire UK National Health Service. In such situations, it is important and appropriate for clinicians to review usage and, in 2016, the HSE Medicines Management Programme, MMP, reviewed the use of the plasters. The review estimated that only 5-10% of prescribing was for the licensed indication.
From September 2017, following the clinical review, the HSE introduced a new reimbursement approval system for the patches, to support appropriate use and patient care. Under these arrangements, the patient's GP or consultant applies to the MMP for reimbursement approval on behalf of the patient. If an application is refused, the clinician may submit an appeal to the MMP, making a clear clinical case for the patient. Information for patients and practitioners is on the HSE MMP website at: hse.ie/yourmedicines.
The outcome of an application or an appeal for reimbursement of lidocaine patches is a matter between the MMP and the treating clinician. The Deputy will appreciate that, as Minister for Health, I cannot intervene in individual cases.
The decision to introduce a new reimbursement approval process for a particular treatment is a matter for the HSE. However, I fully support the objectives of the HSE Medicines Management Programme.
701. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the position in relation to access for all type 1 diabetes patients to the FreeStyle Libre device under the reimbursement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1082/19]
View answerUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
702. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the status of the new ambulance base announced in Project Ireland 2040 for Ardee, County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1086/19]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
703. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a scan for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1089/19]
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, 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.
705. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the reason for the €20 blood test cost for individuals as in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1115/19]
View answerUnder the terms of the current GMS contract, GPs are required to provide eligible patients with ''all proper and necessary treatment of a kind usually undertaken by a general practitioner and not requiring special skill or experience of a degree or kind which general practitioners cannot reasonably be expected to possess." There is no provision under the GMS GP contract for persons who hold a medical card or GP visit card to be charged for routine phlebotomy services provided by their GP which are required to either assist in the diagnosis of illness or the treatment of a condition.
The HSE has advised GPs that where a blood test forms part of the investigation or necessary treatment of a patient’s symptoms or conditions, this should be free of charge for patients who hold a medical card or GP visit card. Notwithstanding this, I am aware that some GPs are charging GMS patients for phlebotomy services in some circumstances.
This is a matter of concern for me as it has long been the position, under successive Governments, that no user charges should apply to GP services provided to GMS and GP visit card patients. If a patient who holds a medical card or GP visit card believes he or she has been incorrectly charged for routine phlebotomy services by his or her GP, then that patient should report the matter to their HSE Local Health Office.
706. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to prevent rogue pregnancy agencies from misleading the public with regard to the HSE My Options website; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1116/19]
View answerAs the Deputy's question concerns a service issue, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
707. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the amount allocated in budget 2019 for personal assistant services to enable persons with disabilities to live independent lives; the way in which this allocation compares with the spending on services in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1125/19]
View answer708. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the amount of expenditure allocated in the 2019 national service plan of the HSE for personal assistant services to enable persons with disabilities to live independent lives; the way in which this allocation compares with the spending on services in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1126/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 707 and 708 together.
It is the policy of the HSE to provide personal assistant services that are person-centred, equitable and transparent to people with a physical and/or sensory disability. The HSE is committed to protecting the level of personal assistant services and home support services to persons with disabilities.
No additional funding was provided in Budget 2019 for personal assistant hours however the HSE's National Service Plan aims to provide 1.63 million hours of personal assistance to almost 2,500 people, representing an increase of 170,000 hours over the 2018 target. In addition, home support services will provide 3.08 million hours to both adults and children with a disability this year, an increase of 150,000 hours over the target for 2018. Since 2013 the number of personal assistance hours and home support hours has increased by 25% and 28% respectively.
709. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the cost of postal services to the HSE each year; the price paid for letters, envelopes and stamps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1149/19]
View answerIn response to the Deputy's question, I am not in a position to give you an exact figure for the cost of postal services solely to the HSE. The Department does not keep a breakdown of letters leaving the building nor does it keep a count of envelopes sent to individual recipients.
Our main contact format with the HSE is through electronic methods.
