Written Answers Nos. 211-220
211. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the degree to which precise costings have been identified in respect of the new children’s hospital with particular reference to the need to ensure that the hospital when completed will be in line with best international, modern practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12613/19]
View answerThe vision for the children's hospital project remains to provide modern and appropriate infrastructure to best serve the needs of children, their families and the staff who care for them.
The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) has statutory responsibility for planning, designing, building and equipping the new children's hospital and outpatient and urgent care centres. The size, complexity and specialist nature of the new children's hospital project informed the decision by the NPHDB to adopt a two-stage procurement process comprised of:
Procurement Stage 1: A full tender and contract for Phase A (below ground including basement works) on the basis of a detailed design with the tendering of Phase B (the main above ground works) on a Preliminary 1st stage design with an approximate and remeasurable bill of quantities reflecting the Preliminary 1st stage design. Contract Awarded to main and specialists contractor 3rd August 2017.
Procurement Stage 2: While the basement Phase A works were under construction, the 2nd stage detailed design for the above ground Phase B works was completed with a full bill of quantities priced at the 1st stage Preliminary design tendered rates. Phase B works instructed 8 January 2019.
That procurement approach resulted in estimated 2-year saving in total project delivery time, and brought issues on cost to the fore, and to be resolved, much earlier in the life of the project than is the case where traditional procurement approaches are deployed.
Following completion of the second stage of the two-stage tender procurement process in November 2018, the capital build cost of the project is now at €1.433b. There is also additional investment from other sources associated with broader programme which is outside of these capital costs. This relates to investment in ICT and the Electronic Health Record rollout funded through the ICT capital programme, the comprehensive Children's Hospital Integration Programme which is well underway, funded through revenue, to ensure the successful clinical and operational merging of three paediatric hospitals, pre-2013 project expenditure relating to the former Mater project, and the planned construction of the Children’s Research and Innovation Centre to be funded through philanthropic funding.
In relation to cost certainty , the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) procurement process agreed with the contractors requires the contractors to take all risk for quantities following completion of the GMP process, and, as per the contract, limits their recovery of additional costs incurred by them to clearly defined scope changes, in excess of 4% inflation (as per the average of three published tender price indices) which may occur post July 2019 and changes in legislation (e.g. VAT, PRSI, statutory labour rates, building regulations). Other than in respect of exclusions, the GMP ceiling cannot be exceeded with any amount in excess not recoverable by contractors.
As the Deputy will be aware, in light of the concerns over the major and sudden cost escalation associated with the finalisation of the GMP, Government also approved the commissioning of an independent review of the escalation in cost at the same time. As part of its Terms of Reference, the review will comment on the major residual risks and the robustness/completeness of the current forecasts and, where possible, quantify those risks contractually excluded from the GMP/adjusted contract sum.
212. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the number of extra nurses, doctors, consultants and all other staff employed by the public health sector in each of the past five years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12614/19]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
213. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting orthopaedic surgical appointments; the extent to which this number has fluctuated over the past five years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12615/19]
View answerI am conscious that waiting times are often unacceptably long and of the burden that this places on patients and their families. In this regard, I am committed to improving waiting times for hospital appointments and procedures.
The recently published National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) Waiting List figures show that at the end of February 2019, there are 10,949 patients on the Orthopaedics Inpatient and Daycase (IPDC) waiting list. Of these, 62% (6,837) are waiting 6 months or less, 77% (8,402) are waiting 9 months or less and 15% (1,657) are waiting over 12 months.
Budget 2019 announced that the Government had further increased investment in tackling waiting lists, with funding to the NTPF increasing from €55 million in 2018 to €75 million in 2019.
I published the joint Department of Health, Health Service Executive (HSE) and National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) Scheduled Care Access Plan earlier this week. This Plan sets out a number of commitments aimed at improving access for patients waiting for hospital operations or procedures as well as patients waiting for a first Outpatient appointment.
The data requested by the Deputy is contained in the following table. These figures are published by the NTPF on their website ntpf.ie.
Orthopaedic IPDC Waiting List -Dec 2014 - February 2019
|
0-3 Months |
3-6 Months |
6-9 Months |
9-12 Months |
12-15 Months |
15-18 Months |
18 + Months |
Total |
|
|
February 2019 |
3783 |
3054 |
1565 |
890 |
518 |
362 |
777 |
10949 |
|
February 2018 |
3868 |
3029 |
1924 |
1277 |
668 |
496 |
708 |
11970 |
|
December 2017 |
4257 |
2784 |
1811 |
1102 |
637 |
349 |
593 |
11533 |
|
December 2016 |
4330 |
2608 |
1923 |
1164 |
763 |
333 |
110 |
11272 |
|
December 2015 |
4156 |
2479 |
1549 |
866 |
500 |
60 |
113 |
9723 |
|
December 2014 |
4099 |
2565 |
1564 |
782 |
546 |
183 |
103 |
9842 |
214. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the number of persons currently on public hospital waiting lists for various procedures; the length of time they have remained on these lists; when they can expect to receive treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12616/19]
View answerI am conscious that waiting times are often unacceptably long and of the burden that this places on patients and their families. In this regard, I am committed to improving waiting times for hospital appointments and procedures.
The latest published National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) Inpatient and Daycase waiting list figures, show that at the end of February 2019 there are 71,205 patients on the IPDC waiting list. From a peak of 86,100 in July 2017, this represents a decrease of over 17% in the overall number of patients waiting for a procedure.
Since July 2017 the number of patients waiting longer than 3 months has fallen from just under 58,000 to 44,800 at the end of February 2019. This represents a reduction of 23% in the number of patients waiting.
I published the joint Department of Health, Health Service Executive (HSE) and National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) Scheduled Care Access Plan earlier this week. This Plan sets out a number of commitments aimed at improving access for patients waiting for hospital operations or procedures as well as patients waiting for a first Outpatient appointment. It includes a high level activity target from the HSE in line with the National Service Plan to deliver 1.155 million elective inpatient and day case discharges and 3.3 million outpatients appointments in 2019. While the NTPF will provide additionality through arranging treatments for 25,000 elective inpatient and day case procedures; 5,000 Gastro Intestinal Scopes; and 40,000 outpatient first appointments.
The data requested by the deputy is outlined in the tables. These figures are published by the NTPF on their website ntpf.ie
All National Hospitals - National Waiting list by Speciality.
|
Row Labels |
0-3 Mths |
3-6 Mths |
6-9 Mths |
9-12 Mths |
12-15 Mths |
|
Anaesthetics |
80 |
75 |
50 |
45 |
55 |
|
Breast Surgery |
35 |
15 |
17 |
16 |
6 |
|
Cardiology |
1702 |
1135 |
423 |
179 |
102 |
|
Cardio-Thoracic Surgery |
225 |
117 |
57 |
30 |
11 |
|
Clinical Immunology |
67 |
70 |
35 |
141 |
27 |
|
Dental Surgery |
92 |
63 |
30 |
34 |
31 |
|
Dermatology |
429 |
160 |
48 |
17 |
13 |
|
Diabetes Mellitus |
1 |
1 |
|||
|
Endocrinology |
22 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
|
Gastro-Enterology |
138 |
60 |
14 |
5 |
1 |
|
Gastro-Intestinal Surgery |
111 |
85 |
78 |
59 |
36 |
|
General Medicine |
117 |
39 |
20 |
10 |
4 |
|
General Surgery |
4213 |
2537 |
1278 |
651 |
378 |
|
Geriatric Medicine |
4 |
8 |
4 |
10 |
4 |
|
Gynaecology |
1875 |
1242 |
725 |
380 |
208 |
|
Haematology |
8 |
1 |
0 |
||
|
Hepato-Biliary Surgery |
20 |
21 |
13 |
13 |
9 |
|
Immunology |
14 |
22 |
5 |
16 |
13 |
|
Infectious Diseases |
0 |
||||
|
Maxillo-Facial |
254 |
207 |
142 |
61 |
48 |
|
Metabolic Medicine |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
Neonatology |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
Nephrology |
26 |
17 |
11 |
13 |
2 |
|
Neurology |
128 |
50 |
26 |
20 |
14 |
|
Neurosurgery |
153 |
124 |
74 |
62 |
42 |
|
Obstetrics |
7 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
Oncology |
15 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Ophthalmology |
3344 |
2934 |
1504 |
552 |
318 |
|
Oral Surgery |
101 |
99 |
92 |
104 |
50 |
|
Orthopaedics |
3783 |
3054 |
1565 |
890 |
518 |
|
Otolaryngology (ENT) |
1695 |
1111 |
569 |
380 |
314 |
|
Paed Cardiology |
126 |
78 |
46 |
42 |
17 |
|
Paed Endocrinology |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Paed Gastro-Enterol |
8 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
|
|
Paed Haematology |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
Paed Nephrology |
1 |
3 |
0 |
||
|
Paed Oncology |
0 |
0 |
|||
|
Paediatric ENT |
59 |
36 |
10 |
7 |
0 |
|
Paediatric Neurology |
6 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
|
Paediatric Respiratory Medicine |
81 |
78 |
63 |
60 |
29 |
|
Paediatric Surgery |
19 |
16 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
|
Paediatrics |
108 |
63 |
43 |
56 |
36 |
|
Pain Relief |
1123 |
878 |
579 |
473 |
243 |
|
Plastic Surgery |
1302 |
855 |
396 |
246 |
157 |
|
Psychiatry |
0 |
||||
|
Radiology |
8 |
8 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
|
Respiratory Medicine |
380 |
319 |
219 |
166 |
62 |
|
Rheumatology |
146 |
53 |
27 |
33 |
15 |
|
Urology |
3713 |
2353 |
1392 |
560 |
310 |
|
Vascular Surgery |
608 |
576 |
368 |
171 |
111 |
|
Paediatric Radiology |
0 |
||||
|
Rehabilitation Medicine |
0 |
1 |
1 |
||
|
Paediatric Urology |
32 |
24 |
17 |
21 |
17 |
|
Paediatric Neurosurgery |
3 |
||||
|
Paed Metabolic Medicine |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
Paediatric Dermatology |
1 |
0 |
1 |
||
|
Paediatric Infectious Diseases |
1 |
||||
|
Developmental Paediatrics |
2 |
1 |
|||
|
Grand Total |
26389 |
18602 |
9954 |
5538 |
3209 |
|
Row Labels |
15-18 Mths |
18-24 Mths |
24-36 Mths |
36-48 Mths |
48+ Mths |
Grand Total |
|
Anaesthetics |
15 |
320 |
||||
|
Breast Surgery |
5 |
2 |
96 |
|||
|
Cardiology |
77 |
110 |
76 |
1 |
3805 |
|
|
Cardio-Thoracic Surgery |
3 |
8 |
10 |
461 |
||
|
Clinical Immunology |
11 |
351 |
||||
|
Dental Surgery |
21 |
20 |
1 |
292 |
||
|
Dermatology |
17 |
5 |
3 |
692 |
||
|
Diabetes Mellitus |
2 |
|||||
|
Endocrinology |
2 |
1 |
39 |
|||
|
Gastro-Enterology |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
224 |
|
|
Gastro-Intestinal Surgery |
14 |
31 |
33 |
14 |
461 |
|
|
General Medicine |
3 |
6 |
1 |
200 |
||
|
General Surgery |
264 |
389 |
344 |
69 |
32 |
10155 |
|
Geriatric Medicine |
15 |
45 |
||||
|
Gynaecology |
148 |
142 |
56 |
11 |
4 |
4791 |
|
Haematology |
9 |
|||||
|
Hepato-Biliary Surgery |
15 |
12 |
23 |
1 |
127 |
|
|
Immunology |
22 |
41 |
21 |
154 |
||
|
Infectious Diseases |
0 |
|||||
|
Maxillo-Facial |
35 |
82 |
75 |
1 |
1 |
906 |
|
Metabolic Medicine |
0 |
1 |
||||
|
Neonatology |
0 |
|||||
|
Nephrology |
0 |
69 |
||||
|
Neurology |
10 |
16 |
26 |
0 |
290 |
|
|
Neurosurgery |
41 |
75 |
108 |
2 |
681 |
|
|
Obstetrics |
0 |
11 |
||||
|
Oncology |
20 |
|||||
|
Ophthalmology |
197 |
198 |
128 |
8 |
0 |
9183 |
|
Oral Surgery |
24 |
27 |
43 |
13 |
1 |
554 |
|
Orthopaedics |
362 |
434 |
305 |
33 |
5 |
10949 |
|
Otolaryngology (ENT) |
196 |
295 |
314 |
38 |
2 |
4914 |
|
Paed Cardiology |
16 |
7 |
7 |
1 |
340 |
|
|
Paed Endocrinology |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
||
|
Paed Gastro-Enterol |
0 |
0 |
11 |
|||
|
Paed Haematology |
0 |
|||||
|
Paed Nephrology |
0 |
4 |
||||
|
Paed Oncology |
0 |
|||||
|
Paediatric ENT |
0 |
2 |
1 |
115 |
||
|
Paediatric Neurology |
9 |
|||||
|
Paediatric Respiratory Medicine |
11 |
322 |
||||
|
Paediatric Surgery |
0 |
0 |
41 |
|||
|
Paediatrics |
34 |
98 |
85 |
13 |
536 |
|
|
Pain Relief |
189 |
114 |
27 |
1 |
3627 |
|
|
Plastic Surgery |
158 |
247 |
225 |
27 |
0 |
3613 |
|
Psychiatry |
0 |
|||||
|
Radiology |
2 |
3 |
29 |
|||
|
Respiratory Medicine |
48 |
21 |
1 |
1216 |
||
|
Rheumatology |
26 |
11 |
1 |
312 |
||
|
Urology |
170 |
239 |
218 |
32 |
1 |
8988 |
|
Vascular Surgery |
95 |
111 |
55 |
4 |
2099 |
|
|
Paediatric Radiology |
0 |
0 |
||||
|
Rehabilitation Medicine |
2 |
|||||
|
Paediatric Urology |
3 |
7 |
1 |
122 |
||
|
Paediatric Neurosurgery |
3 |
|||||
|
Paed Metabolic Medicine |
6 |
|||||
|
Paediatric Dermatology |
2 |
|||||
|
Paediatric Infectious Diseases |
1 |
|||||
|
Developmental Paediatrics |
3 |
|||||
|
Grand Total |
2248 |
2758 |
2191 |
270 |
46 |
71205 |
National Waiting List by Hospital
|
Row Labels |
0-3 Mths |
3-6 Mths |
6-9 Mths |
9-12 Mths |
12-15 Mths |
15-18 Mths |
|
Bantry General Hospital |
110 |
7 |
||||
|
Beaumont Hospital |
2271 |
1800 |
830 |
519 |
217 |
102 |
|
Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital |
633 |
596 |
186 |
57 |
8 |
3 |
|
Cavan General Hospital |
374 |
210 |
42 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Cork University Hospital |
483 |
276 |
169 |
113 |
50 |
51 |
|
Cork University Maternity Hospital |
170 |
120 |
57 |
39 |
16 |
10 |
|
Croom Orthopaedic Hospital |
161 |
40 |
8 |
|||
|
Ennis Hospital |
268 |
193 |
176 |
64 |
9 |
0 |
|
Lourdes Orthopaedic Hospital Kilcreene |
172 |
69 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Louth County Hospital |
257 |
82 |
23 |
1 |
||
|
Mallow General Hospital |
45 |
34 |
21 |
6 |
5 |
3 |
|
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital |
1994 |
1692 |
885 |
395 |
264 |
181 |
|
Mercy University Hospital |
464 |
210 |
100 |
54 |
37 |
35 |
|
Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar |
155 |
131 |
52 |
5 |
0 |
|
|
Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise |
161 |
120 |
78 |
54 |
34 |
28 |
|
Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore |
477 |
368 |
226 |
136 |
71 |
69 |
|
Naas General Hospital |
88 |
44 |
16 |
10 |
6 |
2 |
|
Nenagh Hospital |
620 |
487 |
253 |
66 |
27 |
7 |
|
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda |
258 |
230 |
115 |
12 |
1 |
|
|
Our Lady's Hospital Navan |
371 |
204 |
115 |
38 |
10 |
2 |
|
Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital |
824 |
533 |
233 |
66 |
34 |
6 |
|
South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital |
1236 |
755 |
316 |
107 |
53 |
41 |
|
South Tipperary General Hospital |
89 |
50 |
2 |
0 |
||
|
St. Columcille's Hospital |
213 |
178 |
115 |
16 |
18 |
18 |
|
St. James's Hospital |
1148 |
944 |
511 |
388 |
236 |
171 |
|
St. John's Hospital Limerick |
430 |
242 |
147 |
102 |
40 |
23 |
|
St. Luke's General Hospital Kilkenny |
304 |
189 |
95 |
58 |
27 |
6 |
|
St. Vincent's University Hospital |
1008 |
538 |
333 |
167 |
88 |
82 |
|
University Hospital Limerick |
825 |
505 |
257 |
125 |
105 |
64 |
|
University Hospital Waterford |
1689 |
1356 |
926 |
515 |
333 |
240 |
|
Wexford General Hospital |
172 |
48 |
6 |
0 |
||
|
Tallaght University Hospital |
1045 |
756 |
490 |
364 |
308 |
173 |
|
Letterkenny University Hospital |
853 |
510 |
266 |
99 |
48 |
35 |
|
Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown |
494 |
334 |
219 |
105 |
40 |
10 |
|
CHI at Crumlin |
721 |
562 |
288 |
250 |
158 |
134 |
|
Galway University Hospitals |
2722 |
2228 |
1265 |
830 |
480 |
405 |
|
Sligo University Hospital |
985 |
650 |
388 |
248 |
179 |
131 |
|
CHI at Tallaght |
164 |
122 |
75 |
97 |
47 |
39 |
|
CHI at Temple St |
340 |
230 |
117 |
90 |
53 |
35 |
|
University Hospital Kerry |
139 |
74 |
22 |
11 |
||
|
Portiuncula University Hospital |
119 |
55 |
35 |
31 |
7 |
2 |
|
Mayo University Hospital |
625 |
513 |
359 |
240 |
177 |
109 |
|
St. Michael's Hospital |
345 |
133 |
85 |
50 |
10 |
13 |
|
Roscommon University Hospital |
367 |
184 |
45 |
10 |
13 |
18 |
|
Grand Total |
26389 |
18602 |
9954 |
5538 |
3209 |
2248 |
|
Row Labels |
18-24 Mths |
24-36 Mths |
36-48 Mths |
48+ Mths |
Grand Total |
|
Bantry General Hospital |
117 |
||||
|
Beaumont Hospital |
94 |
110 |
2 |
5945 |
|
|
Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital |
4 |
2 |
0 |
1489 |
|
|
Cavan General Hospital |
626 |
||||
|
Cork University Hospital |
70 |
69 |
11 |
1292 |
|
|
Cork University Maternity Hospital |
20 |
10 |
2 |
444 |
|
|
Croom Orthopaedic Hospital |
209 |
||||
|
Ennis Hospital |
1 |
711 |
|||
|
Lourdes Orthopaedic Hospital Kilcreene |
248 |
||||
|
Louth County Hospital |
363 |
||||
|
Mallow General Hospital |
3 |
0 |
117 |
||
|
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital |
326 |
279 |
56 |
5 |
6077 |
|
Mercy University Hospital |
27 |
33 |
2 |
962 |
|
|
Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar |
0 |
343 |
|||
|
Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise |
23 |
2 |
500 |
||
|
Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore |
108 |
94 |
2 |
1551 |
|
|
Naas General Hospital |
1 |
167 |
|||
|
Nenagh Hospital |
5 |
2 |
1467 |
||
|
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda |
0 |
0 |
616 |
||
|
Our Lady's Hospital Navan |
0 |
740 |
|||
|
Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital |
6 |
1 |
1703 |
||
|
South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital |
35 |
9 |
2 |
2554 |
|
|
South Tipperary General Hospital |
141 |
||||
|
St. Columcille's Hospital |
11 |
8 |
12 |
5 |
594 |
|
St. James's Hospital |
275 |
225 |
0 |
1 |
3899 |
|
St. John's Hospital Limerick |
18 |
0 |
1002 |
||
|
St. Luke's General Hospital Kilkenny |
0 |
679 |
|||
|
St. Vincent's University Hospital |
94 |
69 |
33 |
19 |
2431 |
|
University Hospital Limerick |
71 |
48 |
1 |
2001 |
|
|
University Hospital Waterford |
283 |
185 |
6 |
5533 |
|
|
Wexford General Hospital |
226 |
||||
|
Tallaght University Hospital |
210 |
182 |
16 |
1 |
3545 |
|
Letterkenny University Hospital |
49 |
25 |
0 |
1885 |
|
|
Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown |
1 |
1203 |
|||
|
CHI at Crumlin |
195 |
152 |
20 |
0 |
2480 |
|
Galway University Hospitals |
479 |
470 |
77 |
15 |
8971 |
|
Sligo University Hospital |
176 |
154 |
21 |
2932 |
|
|
CHI at Tallaght |
48 |
25 |
1 |
618 |
|
|
CHI at Temple St |
36 |
11 |
1 |
913 |
|
|
University Hospital Kerry |
0 |
246 |
|||
|
Portiuncula University Hospital |
249 |
||||
|
Mayo University Hospital |
61 |
15 |
5 |
2104 |
|
|
St. Michael's Hospital |
4 |
1 |
641 |
||
|
Roscommon University Hospital |
24 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
671 |
|
Grand Total |
2758 |
2191 |
270 |
46 |
71205 |
215. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the position in regard to the upgrading and extension of facilities as Naas General Hospital, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12617/19]
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 Naas General Hospital, County Kildare.
216. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which he can extend the lifespan of a nursing home (details supplied) having particular regard to the high quality service and care provided there, the presence of a dedicated staff and the locally supported proposal to provide extra care facilities for the region there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12618/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
217. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the number of primary care centres operating throughout County Kildare; the extent to which it is expected to provide more throughout the county or in lieu thereof provide upgraded health centres to meet the needs of the various communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12619/19]
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.
218. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which staffing levels in all categories at Naas General Hospital are adequate to ensure the effective, efficient and safe operation of the hospital; the number of positions available waiting to be filled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12620/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
219. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the action he has taken or can take to ensure the availability of a ready supply of general practice doctors nationally in both urban and rural settings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12621/19]
View answerThe Government is aware of workforce issues generally facing general practice, including the influence of demographic factors, and has implemented a number of measures to improve recruitment and retention in general practice.
These include changes to the entry provisions to the GMS scheme to accommodate more flexible/shared GMS/GP contracts, and to the retirement provisions for GPs under the GMS scheme, allowing GPs to hold GMS contracts until their 72nd birthday. Enhanced supports for rural GP practices have also been introduced. 257 GP practice units encompassing 347 individual GPs are now in receipt of financial supports under this framework, a significant increase on the 167 GPs who received a rural practice allowance prior to the introduction of this measure. These steps should help to address the future demand for GPs by enticing GPs who may have ceased practicing for family or other reasons back into the workforce, facilitating GPs to work past the standard retirement age and encouraging more GPs to work in rural areas.
There has been a huge expansion in the number of training places on GP training programmes in recent years. In 2009, there were 120 GP training places available and in 2018 193 places were filled, an increase of around 60% over this nine year period.
It is acknowledged that there are many challenges in general practice. That is why Government remains committed to engaging with GP representatives on the development of a package of measures and reforms to modernise the current GMS contract.
Talks between the Department of Health, the HSE and the Irish Medical Organisation are continuing. Agreement on the delivery of these service improvements and contractual reforms has the potential to facilitate a substantial increase in the resourcing of general practice on a multiannual basis.
220. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if an appointment will be expedited for a person (details supplied). [12622/19]
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.
