Written Answers Nos. 295-312
295. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of ENT surgeries cancelled for children nationally by hospital in each of the years 2016 to 2018, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3721/19]
View answer296. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of children on ENT surgery waiting lists nationally by hospital in each of the years 2016 to 2018, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3722/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 295 and 296 together.
Reducing waiting times for hospital appointments and procedures is a key commitment of Government. The last two years have seen ongoing improvements in the number of children waiting for ENT surgeries, with a reduction of 52% in the number of children waiting for an inpatient or day case procedure in the last two years.
The 2019 Scheduled Care Access Plan is currently being finalised by my Department and will set out HSE activity levels to reduce waiting lists across specialties and improve access. The Access Plan will also set out activity levels for the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, who, following an increase in funding in Budget 2019 to €75 million, will supply additionality to HSE activity by arranging both insourced and outsourced appointments and treatments to reduce waiting times experienced by patients.
The Access Plan is being developed to ensure an appropriate balance between high volume activities and offering treatment to complex long waiting patients. The NTPF will do this by inviting public hospitals to seek solutions for very long waiters either in the private sector or through insourcing. The NTPF will provide funding to the solutions proposed if appropriate.
A breakdown of the IPDC paediatric ENT waiting list for December 2016, December 2017, and December 2018 is provided for the Deputy. In relation to the number of procedures cancelled, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to provide the Deputy with a direct response.
297. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the length of time each person has been on the waiting list for cataract surgery nationally by hospital; the length of time they have been waiting and by month in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3723/19]
View answer298. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the medically advised waiting time for cataract surgeries compared to the waiting times for cataract surgeries nationally by hospital in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3724/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 297 and 298 together.
Improving access to hospital treatment is a key priority for government. Budget 2019 announced a funding increase from €55 million to €75 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, to provide treatment for patients.
My Department is working closely with the NTPF and the HSE to finalise a Scheduled Care Access Plan for inpatients, day cases and outpatients for 2019. In this regard, the NTPF and the HSE will continue to work closely with Hospital Groups, inviting proposals to improve access for patients waiting for either inpatient, day case or outpatient procedures.
In relation to the particular query raised, the HSE National Clinical Programme for Ophthalmology has advised that there is no specific medically advised waiting time for cataract surgery. A patient with cataract is advised to have it removed when it significantly impacts on their activities of daily living and this can obviously vary from patient to patient. Once the patient's vision drops to below 6/12 in the better eye, patients are advised to have their cataract removed if they wish to continue driving. They are not in a position to continue driving if their vision is below this level.
The following table of figures provided by the NTPF, shows the numbers waiting by hospital nationally by time band for cataract surgery as of 20 December 2018.
Cataract waiting list as of 20 December 2018:
|
Sum of Count |
Column Labels |
|||||||
|
Row Labels |
0-3 Months |
3-6 Months |
6-9 Months |
9-12 Months |
12-15 Months |
15-18 Months |
18+ Months |
Grand Total |
|
Galway University Hospitals |
388 |
453 |
65 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
4 |
922 |
|
Letterkenny University Hospital |
16 |
17 |
8 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
48 |
|
|
Louth County Hospital |
1 |
1 |
||||||
|
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital |
537 |
348 |
71 |
14 |
14 |
13 |
29 |
1026 |
|
Nenagh Hospital |
18 |
23 |
28 |
2 |
71 |
|||
|
Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital |
655 |
457 |
142 |
26 |
9 |
4 |
3 |
1296 |
|
Sligo University Hospital |
181 |
132 |
112 |
146 |
11 |
14 |
10 |
606 |
|
South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital |
256 |
144 |
113 |
8 |
4 |
1 |
526 |
|
|
St. Vincent's University Hospital |
131 |
82 |
33 |
4 |
250 |
|||
|
Temple Street Children's University Hospital |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
||||
|
University Hospital Limerick |
244 |
155 |
16 |
13 |
15 |
4 |
13 |
460 |
|
University Hospital Waterford |
404 |
369 |
283 |
61 |
40 |
28 |
45 |
1230 |
|
Grand Total |
2833 |
2181 |
872 |
278 |
100 |
69 |
107 |
6440 |
Figures provided by the NTPF.
299. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on the speech and language therapy assessment waiting list; and the number waiting fewer than four, four to 12 and more than 12 months, respectively, by local health office, LHO, in tabular form. [3725/19]
View answer301. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on the speech and language therapy initial assessment waiting list; and the number waiting fewer than four, four to 12 and more than 12 months, respectively, by local health office, LHO, in tabular form. [3727/19]
View answer302. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on the speech and language therapy further treatment waiting list; and the number waiting fewer than four, four to 12 and more than 12 months, respectively, by local health office, LHO, in tabular form. [3728/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 299, 301 and 302 together.
As these questions relate to service matters, I have arranged for them to be referred to the Health Service Executive, HSE, for direct reply.
300. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on the occupational therapy first time assessment waiting list in each local health office area; the number waiting fewer than four, four to 12 and more than 12 months, respectively, and the number waiting aged zero to four, five to 17, 18 to 64 and 65 or more years of age in each category in tabular form. [3726/19]
View answer303. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on the occupational therapy first time assessment waiting list; the number waiting fewer than four, four to 12 and more than 12 months, respectively, and the number waiting aged under four, five to 17, 18 to 64 and more than 65 years of age, respectively, by category and by local health office, LHO, in tabular form. [3729/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 300 and 303 together.
As these questions relate to service matters, I have arranged for them to be referred to the Health Service Executive, HSE, for direct reply.
304. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has not received an appointment in Monaghan Hospital. [3731/19]
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 inpatient, 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.
305. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if emergency funding will be allocated to assist with the provision of home help hours (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3738/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
306. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason women, particularly in counties Cavan and Monaghan, are waiting in excess of four months for the cervical screening results; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3739/19]
View answerIn May 2018, I asked CervicalCheck to make the necessary arrangements to provide that any woman who had a CervicalCheck smear test, and whose GP considered that they should have a further test, can access such a further test without charge. This decision was made in good faith to address the considerable fears of the many anxious women in Ireland as a result of significant media coverage of the issues that emerged in late April.
In the months since then, there has been a significant increase in the volume of women presenting for smear tests. This includes women who have availed of the out of cycle tests, but also a greater number of women presenting for scheduled screening.
This increased level of engagement with the programme is very welcome. However, the increased demand has undoubtedly put immense pressure on lab capacity and the HSE has advised that, currently, results of smear tests may take up to 22 weeks from the time of the test. Although many results are returned in less time, some may take longer.
The HSE has been working actively with the labs to manage this issue and to improve turnaround times for smear tests. The HSE reports that laboratories have agreed to undertake additional recruitment, provide for overtime and manage annual leave in an effort to minimise the backlog. In addition, the HSE is aiming to source additional screening capacity, which would improve the turnaround time of results. However, sourcing capacity and resources is a global challenge as countries start to move to primary HPV screening, which vastly reduces the requirement for cytology screening staff.
The HSE is currently developing a capacity plan to take account of available capacity and expected demand, with the aim of bringing the programme into stabilisation this year. This is a priority concern for my Department and the HSE.
307. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health when a hospital appointment will be scheduled for a person (details supplied). [3741/19]
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 inpatient, 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.
308. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his plans to reopen a facility (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3757/19]
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 service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive, HSE, for direct reply to the Deputy.
309. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the private companies and consultancies that have been paid for the tendering and procurement process of the national children's hospital; and the amount paid to these companies for the tendering and procurement process in each of the years since the process began for the hospital. [3764/19]
View answerOperational responsibility for delivery of the construction project lies with the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, NPHDB, charged with planning, designing, building and equipping the new children’s hospital and outpatient and urgent care centres. As this query relates to NPHDB expenditure, I have asked the NPHDB to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
310. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the reason HIQA in its health technology assessment, HTA, report on extending the HPV vaccine to boys published in December 2018 used a Norwegian definition of a serious adverse reaction instead of the EU/EMA/HPRA definition of a serious adverse reaction as set out in guidelines (details supplied). [3765/19]
View answer311. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the reason HIQA or his officials consider Norwegian data to be more accurate or relevant than HPRA data; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3766/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 310 and 311 together.
The Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, has advised that, in relation to its HTA report on extending the HPV vaccine to boys, a comprehensive, independent safety assessment was conducted by it. A systematic review of all relevant international literature was performed that encompassed 70,000 trial participants and surveillance of many millions of individuals in cohort studies, and had a follow up of up to ten years. Ireland-specific safety data from the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA, were reported in the HTA.
A Norwegian definition of, "serious adverse events", was not used in HIQA’s safety assessment of HPV vaccines. The review noted that a single agreed definition of serious adverse event is not applied across safety studies. Consistent with all national adverse reaction reporting schemes, HPRA safety data must be interpreted with caution, as they relate to "suspected" adverse events that are not always medically confirmed. In the absence of validated Irish data on hospitalisation rates for HPV-associated adverse events, Norwegian data was used to inform estimates of these costs in the economic model.
312. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Health the consideration given to moving audiology services to a qualified provider system that would assist with the waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3780/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
