Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Question:143. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health the facilities provided and supported by the HSE for persons with dementia in Dublin 6, 8, 10 and 12. [15511/19]
View answerMental Health Services Provision
Questions (143)
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.
Primary Care Centres Data
Questions (144, 145)
Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Question:144. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health the primary care centres in Dublin 6, 8, 10 and 12; the services provided within each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15512/19]
View answerAengus Ó Snodaigh
Question:145. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health his plans for other primary care centres in Dublin 6, 8, 10 and 12 that are in conception, planning and construction phases and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15513/19]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 144 and 145 together.
As 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.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Data
Questions (146)
Pat Buckley
Question:146. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health the waiting list to access CAMHS services by region, CHO; the length of time each person has been waiting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15523/19]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Data
Questions (147)
Pat Buckley
Question:147. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health the number of children and adolescents waiting for an initial mental health assessment by region and CHO; the length of time each has been waiting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15524/19]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Data
Questions (148)
Pat Buckley
Question:148. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health the rate of referral to additional mental health services following initial assessment for children and adolescents by the service they were referred to, region and CHO. [15525/19]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Hospital Services
Questions (149)
Niamh Smyth
Question:149. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health his plans for a service (details supplied) in counties Cavan and Monaghan; the stage reached; the timeframe for introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15526/19]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Nursing Homes Support Scheme
Questions (150, 151)
Carol Nolan
Question:150. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health when the legislative changes to the fair deal scheme, to cap the time charge on farm and small business assets, will come into effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15536/19]
View answerCarol Nolan
Question:151. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the reason for the ongoing delays regarding the legislative changes pertaining to the fair deal scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15537/19]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 151 together.
The proposed policy change to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), to cap contributions based on farm assets at 3 years where a family successor commits to working the productive asset, has been approved by Government. My Department is working on the development of draft Heads of Bill while considering a number of complex ancillary policy and operational matters which may need to be addressed in the proposed legislation.
It is intended that this proposed policy change, the 3 year cap, will be extended to eligible existing participants in long term residential care so that they are not disadvantaged, but that there would be no retrospective recoupment of contributions for those who have paid contributions over and above the 3 year period.
The General Scheme of a Bill has been drafted and we are currently working closely with legal advisers on advice and legal quality control. The focus on matters relating to Brexit, including planning and preparing in a legal and legislative context, has unfortunately had an impact on progressing the Heads of Bill. However, subject to legal advice, I expect to bring the Heads of Bill to Government in May. The changes to the Scheme will come into effect in 2019 subject to the legislative process.
Nursing Homes Support Scheme Administration
Questions (152)
Carol Nolan
Question:152. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health when the review of the system for setting nursing home prices, under the nursing home scheme, will be published. [15538/19]
View answerWritten answers
The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as Fair Deal, is a system of financial support for people who require long-term residential care. Participants contribute to the cost of their care according to their means while the State pays the balance of the cost. The Scheme aims to ensure that long-term nursing home care is accessible and affordable for everyone and that people are cared for in the most appropriate settings.
The Report of the NHSS Review published in 2015 identified a number of issues for more detailed consideration, including a review of the pricing mechanism used by the NTPF, with a view to:
- Ensuring value for money and economy, with the lowest possible administrative costs for clients and the State and administrative burden for providers;
- Increasing the transparency of the pricing mechanism so that existing and potential investors can make as informed decisions as possible; and
- Ensuring that there is adequate residential capacity for those residents with more complex needs.
A Steering Group was established to oversee and manage the pricing review. The Steering Group is chaired by the NTPF and includes representatives from the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER). As part of its work on the review the NTPF sought various inputs including external expertise and stakeholder engagement to inform the review. These inputs are being considered in detail.
I understand that the NTPF is now close to completing the report and it is expected that the Steering Group will be provided with a final draft very shortly. Once complete the report of the review will then be submitted to the Department of Health.
It is recognised that any change to any part of the Scheme must be considered in terms of the short- and long-term impact on the viability of the Scheme and accessibility of long-term residential care in general. It is therefore important that the relevant issues are considered thoroughly through the review process.
Health Services Staff
Questions (153)
Carol Nolan
Question:153. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if the healthcare assistant role will be removed from the ineligible categories of employment on the employment permits list on a controlled basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15541/19]
View answerWritten answers
The State’s general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of the State and other EEA states. Where specific skills prove difficult to source within the State and EEA, an employment permit may be sought from the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation by an employer to hire a non-EEA national. It should be noted that the overall policy is that recruitment of workers from non-EEA countries should be a last resort and all other avenues should be first exhausted.
Ireland operates a managed employment permits system which maximises the benefits of economic migration while minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market. It operates a list system for in-demand occupations (the highly skilled list) and those for whom a ready source of labour is available (the ineligible list).
Care workers (including healthcare assistants) are currently included on the ineligible list of employments. Changes to access to the Irish labour market for specific occupations via the employment permits system are made on the basis of evidence which involves research undertaken by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs and the National Skills Council in tandem with an extensive public consultation process with Government Departments, agencies, industry and social partners invited to provide observations.
Retention issues in the State’s labour market should not be addressed through the deployment of the employment permits system. There would need to be a clear demonstration that recruitment difficulties are solely due to shortages and not to other factors such as salary and/or working conditions.
There has been engagement between the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and my Department regarding the healthcare assistant role in this regard. My Department also met with the sectoral representatives and considered a business case in relation to this role. The sector has been advised that more evidence is required of the labour shortages rather than recruitment difficulties and to demonstrate full engagement with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. On provision of the evidence required by the sector, this matter may be reconsidered further.
General Practitioner Contracts
Questions (154)
Carol Nolan
Question:154. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if the new and revised general practitioner contract will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15543/19]
View answerWritten answers
Talks between the State and the IMO on the development of a package of measures and reforms to modernise the current GMS contract resumed in October 2018.
There has been intensive engagement in recent weeks which has resulted in good progress being made, however there are a number of issues that remain to be finalised.
Agreement on the delivery of service improvements and contractual reform would provide substantial benefits for patients and facilitate a very significant increase in the resourcing of general practice on a multi-annual basis.
In line with the long-established approach to such processes, and by agreement of the parties concerned, I am not in position to give further details while engagement between the parties is under way.
Health Services
Questions (155)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:155. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the services provided to persons in County Kerry who suffer from Parkinson's disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15553/19]
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 (156)
Niamh Smyth
Question:156. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has not received their medical reports from the Mater Hospital; when they will receive same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15555/19]
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.
Medical Aids and Appliances Provision
Questions (157)
Billy Kelleher
Question:157. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health when funding will be provided for a replacement wheelchair for a child (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15556/19]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (158)
Robert Troy
Question:158. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if an emergency appointment will be expedited for a person (details supplied). [15557/19]
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.
Nursing Homes Support Scheme
Questions (159)
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Question:159. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health when he plans to publish the report on the pricing review of the nursing homes fair deal scheme that was to conclude on 1 June 2017. [15559/19]
View answerWritten answers
The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as Fair Deal, is a system of financial support for people who require long-term residential care. Participants contribute to the cost of their care according to their means while the State pays the balance of the cost. The Scheme aims to ensure that long-term nursing home care is accessible and affordable for everyone and that people are cared for in the most appropriate settings.
The Report of the NHSS Review published in 2015 identified a number of issues for more detailed consideration, including a review of the pricing mechanism used by the NTPF, with a view to:
- Ensuring value for money and economy, with the lowest possible administrative costs for clients and the State and administrative burden for providers;
- Increasing the transparency of the pricing mechanism so that existing and potential investors can make as informed decisions as possible; and
- Ensuring that there is adequate residential capacity for those residents with more complex needs.
A Steering Group was established to oversee and manage the pricing review. The Steering Group is chaired by the NTPF and includes representatives from the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER). As part of its work on the review the NTPF sought various inputs including external expertise and stakeholder engagement to inform the review. These inputs are being considered in detail.
I understand that the NTPF is now close to completing the report and it is expected that the Steering Group will be provided with a final draft very shortly. Once complete the report of the review will then be submitted to the Department of Health.
It is recognised that any change to any part of the Scheme must be considered in terms of the short- and long-term impact on the viability of the Scheme and accessibility of long-term residential care in general. It is therefore important that the relevant issues are considered thoroughly through the review process.
Hospitals Data
Questions (160)
Brian Stanley
Question:160. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health the number of elective surgeries and procedures cancelled, by specialty, at the Midlands Regional Hospital, Tullamore, in each month in 2017, 2018 and to date in 2019, by patient did not attend, self-cancellation and cancellation by hospital. [15560/19]
View answerWritten answers
Maintaining scheduled care access for all patients is a key priority for hospitals. I fully acknowledge the distress and inconvenience for patients and their families when elective procedures are cancelled, particularly for clinically urgent procedures.
The HSE's annual service plan sets out the totality of Acute Hospitals' Inpatient and Day Case Activity to be delivered in the year. The HSE advise that preliminary inpatient and day case activity in 2018 was 1,699,559. The expected inpatient and day case activity to be delivered in 2019 is 1,706,875.
While very effort is made to avoid cancellation or postponement of planned procedures, the HSE advise that planned procedures and operations can be postponed or cancelled for a variety of reasons including capacity issues due to increased scheduled and unscheduled care demand, medical reasons, and patient choice.
Furthermore, the planning approach for peak periods, such as winter, anticipates that individual hospitals do not book or schedule patients for non-urgent elective admissions and procedures to ensure that available capacity is focussed on the predicted increase in emergency admissions through HSE emergency departments during these periods. Usually this results in hospitals not booking, as distinct from actually cancelling, elective admissions and procedures.
The HSE have further advised my Department that they do not collect detailed information centrally in relation to the reasons for cancellations and numbers per specialty.
However, some local information on cancellations may be available at hospital group level and I have asked the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group to provide the Deputy with a response based on the information available to them at the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore.
Services for People with Disabilities
Questions (161)
Niamh Smyth
Question:161. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has been waiting a long time for an appointment with an organisation; when the person will receive same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15561/19]
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 (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (162)
Niamh Smyth
Question:162. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if an appointment will be expedited for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15562/19]
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.