Written Answers Nos. 161-197
161. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if a series of matters in relation to the employment of agency staff (details supplied) will be examined; if there is a dispute regarding the rates and charges between an organisation and a company; if the HSE is aware of the issues involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40243/19]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond to you directly on this matter.
162. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if funding will be expedited by the HSE to cover the cost of urgent corrective treatment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40244/19]
View answerIn relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
163. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if treatment for breast cancer is prioritised for patients with the BRCA gene and an immediate and extended family history of breast and ovarian cancers; the number of such patients being treated at St. James's Hospital, Dublin; and the waiting list for same. [40245/19]
View answerThe HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme established a Hereditary Cancer Programme in 2012 in response to advances in diagnostics and an increasing demand for services. St. James’s Hospital and Crumlin Children’s Hospital provide risk assessment, genetic counselling and genetic testing services for patients with a possible cancer predisposition gene, including the BRCA gene.
The majority of referrals to this service are healthy individuals concerned about their genetic predisposition to cancer. Those who are tested and found to carry a gene mutation are offered strategies to reduce their risk. Depending on the type of cancer, this may involve surveillance, drug treatment, surgery, or a combination of these.
Due to increased doctor and patient awareness of the potential of cancer genetics, there has been an exponential growth in referrals in recent years. Approximately 1,800 new patients attend the ‘family risk’ clinics in St. James’s Hospital annually.
The number of people on the waiting list for the service in St. James’s Hospital as of 24 September was 191.
164. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health the process for accessing a community hospital bed in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40267/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
165. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health if funding under the winter initiative will be released to provide respite services in nursing homes to allow for the discharge of older persons from acute hospital beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40272/19]
View answerThe Department has been engaging extensively with the HSE in relation to planning for Winter 2019/2020. In that respect, the HSE have been asked to consider actions/initiatives over and above non-funded actions, and to look at building capacity and options available to them to alleviate the expected overcrowding. The HSE are engaged in a process of consultation with Hospital Groups and Community Healthcare Organisations and the Department expects to receive a draft Winter Plan resulting from this process in the coming weeks.
The HSE provides a variety of different types of social care support which can facilitate the discharge of older persons from the acute hospital and into community care.
Transitional care supports acute hospitals across the country in discharging patients who have completed their acute care and who require long stay residential care under the Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS) or who require convalescence up to 4 weeks prior to returning home. This facilitates the patient discharging to a private nursing home to finalise their NHSS application or to take up convalescence.
Respite care is provided in several different ways and settings across the health system. It is provided through designated respite beds in Public Residential centres and also ‘contracted’ by the HSE in private nursing homes – where it is used to increase the availability of such beds to meet demand – within the resources available in the local area. Respite can be provided on an emergency basis for unforeseen circumstances that occur due to bereavement/illness of carers or emergency environmental changes to the residence of the client. Planned Respite can be provided to people, which allows carers a planned break throughout the year. This is planned in conjunction with the person and their carers and is seen as a part of the continuum of care for the person.
In the context of planning and preparing for the challenges of the winter period, the Department and the HSE have been considering a comprehensive approach to the current the high-level of delayed transfers of care (DTOCs). However, recognising the urgency of the situation, approval was provided to the HSE to begin actions immediately to the value of €5m in 2019. As part of these measures the HSE released a significant number of funding approvals within NHSS this month in order to bring the waiting time back to 4 weeks, and to provide additional home support and transitional care beds. This has seen a reduction in the number of DTOCs over the last month.
166. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the steps which have been taken to implement recommendation 21 of the trauma steering group report; the plans to fully implement this recommendation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40273/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly as soon as possible.
167. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the reason children receiving dental care under the HSE can only receive extractions and cannot receive repair work such as crowns or fillings. [40303/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
168. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health when the Smile agus Sláinte – National Oral Health Policy will be implemented. [40304/19]
View answerOn 3 April 2019, I published Smile agus Sláinte, the new National Oral Health together with my colleague, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
The Policy supports a preventive approach. It includes proposals for the introduction of packages of care for children from birth to 16 years of age to be delivered by contracted local dental practices and preventive packages of care to be made available for all eligible adults at different intervals during their life course.
The timeframe for the delivery of the Policy is 2019 to 2026 and the roll-out of these packages of care will take place incrementally over the next number of years. As the Deputy will be aware, the 2020 Estimates are currently under development and the funding of initial service measures targeted at younger children is being considered in this context.
Other priorities include a focus on vulnerable groups with the development of appropriate oral health interventions and clinical care pathways and a full review of education and training to ensure that the skill levels of the profession are commensurate with today’s requirements.
169. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the dental care available to children under the HSE. [40305/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
170. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health when he plans to bring forward legislation to replace the Dentists Act 1985 and reform the regulation of the dental profession in view of concerns that the current legislation is deficient and failing to protect the patients of dental services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40324/19]
View answerThe Dentists Act 1985 provides for the promotion of high standards of professional education and professional conduct among dentists so that patient health and safety are safeguarded and legislates for the regulation of dentists in Ireland. The Act makes provision for the conduct of fitness to practise inquiries into complaints of professional misconduct or of unfitness to engage in the practice of dentistry.
While the drafting of the Scheme of a new Dental Bill to modernise the Dentists Act 1985 has begun within my Department, priority has had to be given to the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Bill, which completed Dáil Committee Stage on 25 September 2019. This Bill provides for amendments to all five health professional regulatory Acts, including the Dentists Act, as a consequence of the transposition of the Modernised Professional Qualifications Directive, and to address a number of other issues. In relation to the Dentists Act, the Bill provides for the introduction of a number of significant patient protection measures. These include:
- Providing for the mandatory publication of sanctions, unless publication has been restricted by the Court, thereby allowing patients to make informed decisions regarding their choice of healthcare professional.
- Providing for the separation of qualification recognition from registration in the Dentists Act. Currently where a dentist’s qualification has been recognised, he or she must be registered. This separation will allow the Dental Council to introduce language and fit and proper person controls before registration, further safeguarding public health and safety.
- Requiring dentists to make declarations, at registration and annually, about sanctions or restrictions imposed by regulators in other jurisdictions which can be used as grounds for complaint in fitness to practise proceedings in Ireland.
- Providing that information on sanctions or convictions in another State will, for the first time, be admissible as evidence in fitness to practise inquiries in Ireland.
The work on the modernisation of the Dentists Act in its entirety will progress once the Regulated Professions Bill has completed its passage through both Houses of the Oireachtas, and has been enacted.
171. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Health the status of a development (details supplied). [40332/19]
View answerAs previously advised, a design team has been engaged and planning permission has been granted for the proposed extension to the radiology department at Regional Hospital Mullingar, which includes the provision of a new MRI. The development requires the decant of the existing ambulance base on the hospital site and a planning application for a new ambulance base in Mullingar has been submitted recently.
These projects have been included in the recently published HSE Capital Plan for 2019-2021 and will continue to be progressed.
The delivery of capital projects is a dynamic process and is subject to the successful completion of a number of approval stages, in line with the Public Spending Code, which can impact on the timeline for delivery.
172. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health the number of community hospital beds in County Kerry; the number of beds in each community hospital in the county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40334/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
173. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in each LHO area waiting for a counselling appointment in primary care at the end of September 2019 or the latest date available by the number of weeks waiting (details supplied). [40338/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
174. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in each LHO area waiting for a child and adolescent mental health services appointment at the end of September 2019 or the latest date available; and the number waiting by the number of weeks waiting (details supplied). [40339/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
175. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in each LHO area waiting for a psychology appointment in primary care at the end of September 2019 or the latest date available; and the number waiting by the number of weeks waiting (details supplied). [40340/19]
View answerAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
176. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of children admitted to adult mental health units between 1 January 2019 and 30 September 2019. [40341/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
177. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for a CT scan in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40347/19]
View answer178. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for a bone scan in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40348/19]
View answer179. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an angiogram in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40349/19]
View answer180. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an electroencephalogram in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40350/19]
View answer181. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for cholangiopancreatography in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40351/19]
View answer182. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an ultrasound scan in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40352/19]
View answer183. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an MRI scan in the South/South West Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40353/19]
View answer184. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for a CT scan in the South/South West Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40354/19]
View answer185. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for a bone scan in the South/South West Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40355/19]
View answer186. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an angiogram scan in the South/South West Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40356/19]
View answer187. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an electroencephalogram in the South/South West Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40357/19]
View answer188. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for cholangiopancreatography in the South/South West hospital group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40358/19]
View answer189. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an ultrasound scan in the South/South West Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40359/19]
View answer190. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an MRI scan in the Saolta Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40360/19]
View answer191. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for a CT scan in the Saolta Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40361/19]
View answer192. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for a bone scan in the Saolta Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40362/19]
View answer193. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an angiogram in the Saolta Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40363/19]
View answer194. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an electroencephalogram in the Saolta Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40364/19]
View answer195. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for cholangiopancreatography in the Saolta Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40365/19]
View answer196. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an ultrasound scan in the Saolta Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40366/19]
View answer197. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an MRI scan in the University of Limerick Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40367/19]
View answer205. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for a CT scan in the University of Limerick Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40405/19]
View answer206. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for a bone scan in the University of Limerick Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40406/19]
View answer207. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an angiogram in the University of Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40407/19]
View answer208. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an electroencephalogram in the University of Limerick Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40408/19]
View answer209. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for cholangiopancreatography in the University of Limerick Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40409/19]
View answer210. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an ultrasound scan in the University of Limerick Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40410/19]
View answer211. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for a bone scan in the RCSI Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40411/19]
View answer212. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an angiogram in the RCSI Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40412/19]
View answer213. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an electroencephalogram in the RCSI Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40413/19]
View answer214. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for cholangiopancreatography in the RCSI Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40414/19]
View answer215. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an ultrasound scan in the RCSI Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40415/19]
View answer216. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an MRI scan in the Ireland East Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40416/19]
View answer217. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for a CT scan in the Ireland East hospital group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40417/19]
View answer218. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for a bone scan in the Ireland East Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40418/19]
View answer219. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an angiogram in the Ireland East Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40419/19]
View answer220. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an electroencephalogram in the Ireland East Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40420/19]
View answer221. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for cholangiopancreatography in the Ireland East Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40421/19]
View answer222. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an ultrasound scan in the Ireland East Hospital Group for periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40422/19]
View answer236. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an MRI scan in the RCSI Hospital Group for waiting periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40436/19]
View answer237. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for a CT scan in the RCSI Hospital Group for waiting periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40437/19]
View answer238. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting as of 30 September 2019 or the nearest available date for an MRI scan in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group for waiting periods (details supplied) in tabular form. [40438/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 177 to 197, inclusive, 205 to 222, inclusive, and 236 to 238, inclusive, together.
The information requested by the Deputy is outlined in the documents attached, which set out waiting list data for CT, MRI and Ultrasound for Quarter 2 2019. The HSE advises that, at present, the further diagnostic scans requested by the Deputy (including cholangiopancreatography, electroencephalogram, angiogram, and bone scan), are not yet captured as part of this project.
The HSE advises that a pilot project commenced in 2016 by the HSE Acute Hospitals Division to progress the collection of national radiology waiting list data. The project has been supported by the Radiology Clinical Care Programme and has involved key stakeholders across the system including the National NIMIS Team, Hospital Groups, and the support of the National Treatment Purchase Fund for data collection and data management expertise.
The information that is currently being collected is presently being tested and validated at hospital; hospital group and national level and as such should be used/reported in conjunction with the caveats set out below:
- Data is subject to inclusions and exclusions which are documented in the Data Profile Document. This document is available from Acute Operations and has been circulated to all Hospital Groups.
- Data contains urgent, routine and surveillance/planned activity which is currently not broken down in detail, as such this includes surveillance/planned activity which may not be exceeding planned date.
- Data is still undergoing validation at Hospital and Hospital Group level.
- Data does not take into account local nuances at site level (Site profile developed to support understanding of same).
- The purpose of this aggregate data is to provide a National Level overview of the number of patients waiting for modalities of CT, MR and Ultrasound.
- This report is not intended to be used for the active management of hospital diagnostics waiting list, local reports and mechanisms should continue to be used for the management of diagnostics waiting lists at hospital level.
- In Q2 there were a total of 173,036 patients reported on the waiting list from all sites, this 173,036 patients represents all outpatients waiting, urgent, semi urgent, routine and planned/surveillance (where diagnostic access is planned at particular time intervals).
