Written Answers Nos. 365-389
365. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to a prenatal genetic misdiagnosis case that occurred at the Rotunda Hospital (details supplied); if other such cases have occurred; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43304/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
366. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the consultancy service providers engaged by his Department from 1 January 2018 to 1 January 2019; the costs associated with each (details supplied); the reason for each service engagement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43316/19]
View answerA list of the contractors engaged by my Department during the period of 1 January 2018 to 1 January 2019 under the A7 consultancy services subhead is in the following table. It is the policy in my Department only to engage the services of external consultants where highly specialised skills are not available within the Department and when such an approach is felt to be more appropriate and cost-effective.
2018
|
Consultant |
Brief description |
Value including VAT € |
|
Mazars |
Independent re-evaluation of the shared NI/ROI Congenital Heart Disease Network |
9,908 |
|
Q4 PR |
In relation to the launch of Sláintecare Reform Programme |
34,526 |
|
Morrow Gilchrist & Associates |
Review of A Vision for Change |
71,094 |
|
Ernst and Young |
Independent Expert Review of Delayed Discharges 2018 |
71,955 |
|
Mazars |
Investigation of a Protected Disclosure |
16,043 |
|
Centre for Effective Services |
National Patient Safety Office Training Programme |
24,850 |
|
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland & Irish College of General Practitioners |
Development of clinical guidelines for termination of pregnancy |
230,000 |
|
Grant Thornton |
Development of a strategic plan for National Healthy Cities and Counties Network |
17,909 |
|
Mazars |
Support GDPR Compliance in the Department |
73,346 |
|
University College Cork |
Research to inform guidance in relation to Patient Safety Bill |
87,484 |
|
Ms. Eithne Fitzgerald |
Policy analysis expertise and advisory services on a range of disability related issues. |
72,000 |
367. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the details of each value for money and policy review conducted by his Department from 1 January 2018 to 1 January 2019; the cost of each exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43333/19]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following table:
|
Name |
Details |
Cost |
|
Oversight group to review mental health policy, A Vision for Change. |
To review the existing mental health policy document, a Vision for Change. The oversight group comprising officials from the Department, the HSE and the voluntary sector was established in 2017. |
€20,000, includes an external review, research costs and anticipated publishing costs. |
|
Policy review of Sexual Health Treatment Units (SATUs). |
The purpose of the Review was to examine how policy in relation to SATUs was working in practice. The review was carried out by Department officials. |
No cost |
|
Mid-term review of the National Dementia Strategy. |
The work was conducted by the HSE’s National Dementia Office. |
€4,664. |
|
Regulatory Impact Analysis of the Patient Safety (Licensing) Bill |
A cost benefit analysis was produced by Indecon in 2018. |
€51,448. |
|
Nursing Home Care Costs - A comparison of private and public nursing home care costs |
The Department is currently carrying out this value for money review. The purpose of this review is to identify, quantify and analyse the reasons for any cost differential, and following analysis, to make recommendations for improving the value for money obtained by the Health sector. The first meeting of the VFM Steering Committee was held in May 2018 and the final report is expected to be finalised by the end of this year. |
No costs in 2018 |
368. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health his views on hospitals working outside the preferred methods of validating their waiting lists as outlined in the national waiting list management protocol, such as issuing letters to patients less than three months on the waiting list and giving them less than four weeks to reply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43340/19]
View answerGood practice around the management of hospital waiting lists recommends periodic validation. Validation is the process whereby hospital administration contacts patients on waiting lists at pre-planned intervals during the year to ensure that patients are ready, willing, suitable and available to attend a hospital appointment or wish to be removed.
In this context, the National Inpatient/Daycase Planned Procedure Waiting List Management Protocol sets out the national protocols for the management of waiting lists including validation and clinical suspensions.
The purpose of Validation is to:
- Maintain hospital-patient communication during the patient’s waiting list journey;
- Update the patient record;
- Reduce the rate of patient non-attendance and/or patient cancellations; and
- Provide clean, accurate, up to date waiting list data which reflects the true demand for hospital services.
Administrative validation is the process whereby hospital administration contacts patients on inpatient and day case waiting lists at pre-planned intervals during the year to ensure that patients are ready, willing, suitable and available to attend a hospital appointment or wish to be removed. When a patient is removed from a waiting list due to non-response to a written validation cycle, notification must be sent to the referring clinician and the patient. Importantly, the validation process allows for situations where, if requested by the GP/referring clinician, patients can be reinstated back to their original place on to the Waiting List.
For a number of years validation was conducted at individual hospital level in Ireland but last year, I approved the establishment of the National Centralised Validation Unit (NCVU) within the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). The new office delivers a standardisation of approach to validation across all waiting lists in line with the best patient-centred practices. The validation of waiting lists better informs the true demand for hospital services and enables improved efficiency and patient scheduling.
The NCVU commenced issuing waiting list validation correspondence on the 2nd November 2018. The core aim of the Validation Unit is to write to all patients waiting more than 6 months for hospital operations and procedures and all patients waiting more than 6 months for an outpatient appointment.
The NCVU advise that as of 27th September 2019, they had completed 124 validation cycles, across 35 hospitals, resulting in 193,092 patients being contacted and 33,720 patients being removed from the Inpatient/Day Case and Outpatient waiting lists.
A report on patients' reasons for requesting a removal from the Inpatient Waiting lists during administrative validation is being finalised by the Department of Health Research Unit and will be published on the Department’s website in November.
369. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if an analysis or interdepartmental analysis on the implications of introducing regulations governing posthumous reproduction as provided for in the Joint Committee on Health Report on Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill has been conducted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43347/19]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, 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 of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health published the report of its review of the General Scheme on 11 July 2019, as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny process, which began in January 2018. The Committee makes 11 main recommendations, which include proposals both related to broad policy objectives and more technical amendments.
Posthumous assisted reproduction (PAR) refers to the use of a person’s gametes, or an embryo created with his or her gametes in AHR treatment, after he or she has died. Part 4 of the General Scheme contains provisions relating to PAR. Under Head 24, a surviving spouse, civil partner, or cohabitant of a deceased person may engage in PAR, subject to certain conditions, only where the deceased had previously consented to PAR.
The recommendations in the Committee’s report, including those made in relation to PAR, are being considered during the ongoing process of drafting this Bill in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General. This process also involves discussions with officials from other Departments on relevant Parts of the General Scheme.
370. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Health if the cost of compartmentalised medication trays are covered under the medical card scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43349/19]
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.
371. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health the number of the 100 whole-time equivalent therapists promised for disability services in the 2019 HSE service plan employed as of 15 October 2019. [43350/19]
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.
372. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 140 of 3 October 2019, the reason periodontology is not recognised as a dental speciality by the Dental Council of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43351/19]
View answerTwo specialties in dentistry are recognised for specialist registration under the Dentists Act 1985 i.e. Oral Surgery and Orthodontics. This is in line with the majority of EU countries.
The determination of specialties to be recognised for the purpose of specialist registration is ultimately a matter for the Minister for Health in line with the provisions of the Dentists Act 1985. Training in periodontology is provided in Ireland and the Dental Council has arrangements in place for formal oversight of such training programmes so that highly skilled personnel are trained and available.
Smile agus Sláinte, the National Oral Health Policy which was published in April 2019, will support the provision of all levels of care, by appropriate oral healthcare professionals in the most suitable settings. The initial focus is on primary care, where the majority of care takes place. The need for support for primary care from appropriately skilled personnel in advanced oral healthcare centres is recognised and is an integral part of the Policy. This will include the provision of secondary and tertiary periodontal care that cannot be provided by primary oral healthcare professionals.
An assessment of the workforce and skills required for the provision of the full range of oral healthcare will be part of the Policy implementation. The question of recognition and registration of any additional specialties will, I expect, be considered in this context.
373. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health the reason autoimmune hepatitis is not listed under the long-term illness scheme; his views on whether it is a long-term illness that requires consistent management and impacts on health; if he will consider including it in on the eligibility qualifications under the long term illness scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43352/19]
View answerThe LTI Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act 1970 (as amended). The conditions covered by the LTI are: acute leukaemia; mental handicap; cerebral palsy; mental illness (in a person under 16); cystic fibrosis; multiple sclerosis; diabetes insipidus; muscular dystrophies; diabetes mellitus; parkinsonism; epilepsy; phenylketonuria; haemophilia; spina bifida; hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide.
Under the LTI Scheme, patients receive drugs, medicines, and medical and surgical appliances directly related to the treatment of their illness, free of charge.
There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the Scheme at this time. However, I wish to inform the Deputy that it is proposed that the LTI Scheme would be included as part of a review of the basis for existing hospital and medication charges, to be carried out under commitments given in the Sláintecare Implementation Strategy.
For people who are not eligible for the LTI Scheme, there are other arrangements which protect them from excessive medicine costs.
Under the Drug Payment Scheme, no individual or family pays more than €124 a month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The scheme significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals with ongoing expenditure on medicines.
People who cannot, without undue hardship, arrange for the provision of medical services for themselves and their dependants may be entitled to a medical card. In the assessment process, the HSE can take into account medical costs incurred by an individual or a family.
People who are not eligible for a medical card may still be able to avail of a GP visit card, which covers the cost of GP consultations.
374. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if the way in which funding for transport to and from hospitals is allocated and used will be examined and clarified; his views on the fact that wheelchair users have particular difficulties in accessing day services if funding for transport is limited such as in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43353/19]
View answerThe National Ambulance Service manages emergency and intermediate care services. The budget for the non-emergency patient transport was distributed to individual service providers (Hospitals and CHOs) some years ago, on the basis that they are the service provider and not the NAS.
Therefore responsibility for determining if non-emergency patient transport is to be provided, and the cost of that transport, rests with the local service provider, that is the hospital or CHO.
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.
375. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) is waiting so long for an operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43359/19]
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.
376. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health if he has evaluated the costings provided in the Sláintecare report; the estimated full year cost of the Sláintecare recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43360/19]
View answerAs committed to in the Action Plan for 2019, Sláintecare has developed proposals for multi-annual capital and current funding, including a transition fund, to support health care reform. Following Budget 2020, the Sláintecare Programme Implementation Office have been resourced with a total of €45.5 million in 2020 (with an additional €50 million in 2021) in order to progress the resourcing of enhanced community care under the capacity planning framework, and in supporting care redesign initiatives.
There is a commitment to provide €10 million in 2020, with a further committed total of €60 million in 2021, to support the development of enhanced community care that will effect a shift in care from the acute sector to the community. The additional full-year funding will provide for up to 1,000 therapists, nurses, dementia advisors and other professionals in the community. There will be also be resources of €12 million to support care redesign initiatives, along with the existing €23.5 million provided to the SPIO in 2019.
377. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) did not receive social classes with an organisation. [43374/19]
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.
378. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health when Mayo University Hospital will receive a modular unit for the emergency department with 12 to 20 beds (details supplied). [43377/19]
View answerThe Health Service Executive's National Capital & Property Steering Group is currently considering an application for capital developments at the Emergency Department, the Medical Assessment Unit and additional bed capacity at Mayo University Hospital. The HSE has informed the Department that further information has been requested by the Steering Group in relation to this application.
The proposal for additional bed capacity has been included in the HSE Capital Plan 2019-2021 and it is anticipated that the ED development will be undertaken as part of this project.
It is important to recognise that all capital development proposals must progress through a number of approval stages, in line with the Public Spending Code, including detailed appraisal, planning, design and procurement, before a firm timeline can be established.
The 2019 bed capacity programme include plans for 10 additional beds in Mayo University Hospital, to be prepared during 2019, with a view to bringing this extra capacity into operation early in 2020.
379. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for an outpatient appointment in Mayo University Hospital; and the length of time each has been waiting, in tabular form. [43378/19]
View answer380. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in County Mayo waiting for an outpatient appointment in CHO 2; the facility they are waiting to receive the appointment; the length of time they have been waiting; and the procedure they are waiting for, that is, hip replacement, knee replacement and so on in tabular form [43379/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 379 and 380 together.
Reducing waiting time for patients for hospital operations and procedures is a key priority for Government. In this regard, the Government is committed to improving waiting times for hospital appointments and procedures.
Budget 2020 announced that the Government has further increased investment in tackling waiting lists, with funding to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) increasing from €75 million in 2019 to €100 million in 2020.
My Department is working with the HSE and National Treatment Purchase Fund to develop the Scheduled Care Access Plan 2020. The National Service Plan 2020 will set out HSE planned activity level for the year ahead, while the NTPF will work with the hospital system to provide additionality to improve access to inpatient/daycase treatment and with a particular focus on hospital outpatient services.
In this regard, I would encourage all hospital groups and individual hospitals to engage with the NTPF to identify waiting list proposals for the remainder of this year and for 2020.
The information requested by the deputy is outlined in the following tables contained in the link below. The NTPF advise that they do not collect Outpatient data by procedure. However, they have provided this data by specialty.
https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/debates/questions/supportingDocumentation/2019-10-22_pq379_en.docx
Table ctg.
Total Outpatient Waiters with an Area of Residence in Co.Mayo by Hospital/Specialty by Wait Time Band as at 26/09/2019
|
Hospital/specialty |
0-3 Months |
3-6 Months |
6-9 Months |
9-12 Months |
12-15 Months |
15-18 Months |
18 Months + |
Grand Total |
|
Beaumont Hospital |
22 |
20 |
11 |
6 |
59 |
|||
|
Neurology |
5 |
|||||||
|
Neurosurgery |
12 |
10 |
22 |
|||||
|
Otolaryngology (ENT) |
15 |
15 |
||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
17 |
|||||||
|
Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital |
13 |
7 |
20 |
|||||
|
Orthopaedics |
13 |
7 |
20 |
|||||
|
CHI at Crumlin |
42 |
46 |
29 |
17 |
10 |
8 |
35 |
187 |
|
Dental Surgery |
6 |
|||||||
|
Ophthalmology |
7 |
|||||||
|
Paed Cardiology |
7 |
11 |
7 |
6 |
31 |
|||
|
Paed Endocrinology |
8 |
|||||||
|
Paed Gastro-Enterol |
5 |
|||||||
|
Paed Orthopaedic |
9 |
10 |
5 |
6 |
30 |
|||
|
Paediatric Dermatology |
9 |
|||||||
|
Paediatric ENT |
7 |
|||||||
|
Paediatric Surgery |
12 |
5 |
17 |
|||||
|
Paediatric Urology |
5 |
7 |
5 |
9 |
26 |
|||
|
Rheumatology |
13 |
11 |
24 |
|||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
17 |
|||||||
|
CHI at Temple St |
20 |
18 |
13 |
11 |
8 |
70 |
||
|
Paed Endocrinology |
6 |
|||||||
|
Paed Orthopaedic |
12 |
|||||||
|
Paediatric Surgery |
10 |
|||||||
|
Paediatric Urology |
9 |
|||||||
|
Plastic Surgery |
7 |
|||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
26 |
|||||||
|
Croom Orthopaedic Hospital |
5 |
|||||||
|
Orthopaedics |
5 |
|||||||
|
Galway University Hospitals |
1981 |
1062 |
707 |
575 |
426 |
355 |
1075 |
6181 |
|
Anaesthetics |
28 |
21 |
13 |
17 |
14 |
18 |
97 |
208 |
|
Cardiology |
112 |
86 |
63 |
18 |
11 |
290 |
||
|
Clinical Immunology |
16 |
15 |
20 |
19 |
13 |
5 |
88 |
|
|
Dermatology |
110 |
66 |
37 |
45 |
35 |
41 |
110 |
444 |
|
Endocrinology |
8 |
8 |
||||||
|
Gastro-Enterology |
26 |
9 |
10 |
45 |
||||
|
General Medicine |
79 |
42 |
20 |
17 |
14 |
10 |
55 |
237 |
|
General Surgery |
210 |
17 |
8 |
7 |
8 |
6 |
256 |
|
|
Gynaecology |
64 |
19 |
11 |
6 |
23 |
123 |
||
|
Haematology |
48 |
25 |
24 |
17 |
114 |
|||
|
Nephrology |
26 |
14 |
7 |
13 |
6 |
10 |
30 |
106 |
|
Neurology |
179 |
108 |
77 |
53 |
44 |
36 |
139 |
636 |
|
Oncology |
5 |
5 |
||||||
|
Ophthalmology |
174 |
87 |
48 |
55 |
39 |
14 |
7 |
424 |
|
Oral Surgery |
75 |
31 |
25 |
20 |
22 |
17 |
68 |
258 |
|
Orthopaedics |
89 |
73 |
57 |
55 |
46 |
31 |
53 |
404 |
|
Otolaryngology (ENT) |
82 |
62 |
56 |
41 |
23 |
21 |
62 |
347 |
|
Paediatrics |
39 |
21 |
10 |
5 |
75 |
|||
|
Pathology |
5 |
5 |
12 |
22 |
||||
|
Plastic Surgery |
195 |
83 |
43 |
31 |
28 |
14 |
8 |
402 |
|
Respiratory Medicine |
34 |
26 |
15 |
14 |
16 |
26 |
10 |
141 |
|
Rheumatology |
70 |
48 |
41 |
34 |
23 |
19 |
42 |
277 |
|
Urology |
163 |
119 |
71 |
71 |
41 |
56 |
275 |
796 |
|
Vascular Surgery |
137 |
84 |
56 |
35 |
39 |
27 |
88 |
466 |
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
9 |
|||||||
|
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital |
28 |
13 |
17 |
10 |
8 |
18 |
94 |
|
|
Cardiology |
11 |
8 |
19 |
|||||
|
Neurology |
15 |
|||||||
|
Ophthalmology |
8 |
|||||||
|
Orthopaedics |
11 |
|||||||
|
Respiratory Medicine |
9 |
|||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
32 |
|||||||
|
Mayo University Hospital |
2412 |
961 |
779 |
672 |
519 |
521 |
2163 |
8027 |
|
Dermatology |
91 |
69 |
50 |
60 |
53 |
55 |
300 |
678 |
|
Endocrinology |
12 |
5 |
5 |
22 |
||||
|
General Medicine |
585 |
304 |
280 |
226 |
223 |
209 |
509 |
2336 |
|
General Surgery |
620 |
152 |
159 |
123 |
51 |
35 |
1140 |
|
|
Geriatric Medicine |
13 |
13 |
||||||
|
Gynaecology |
219 |
32 |
251 |
|||||
|
Nephrology |
27 |
13 |
12 |
8 |
5 |
73 |
138 |
|
|
Orthopaedics |
440 |
139 |
68 |
21 |
26 |
29 |
51 |
774 |
|
Otolaryngology (ENT) |
172 |
171 |
167 |
196 |
129 |
156 |
1021 |
2012 |
|
Paediatrics |
177 |
63 |
30 |
21 |
15 |
14 |
320 |
|
|
Urology |
17 |
19 |
18 |
12 |
13 |
24 |
200 |
303 |
|
Obstetrics |
35 |
35 |
||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
5 |
|||||||
|
Portiuncula University Hospital |
10 |
5 |
8 |
23 |
||||
|
Respiratory Medicine |
6 |
7 |
13 |
|||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
10 |
|||||||
|
Roscommon University Hospital |
137 |
53 |
36 |
15 |
9 |
11 |
37 |
298 |
|
General Medicine |
6 |
5 |
11 |
|||||
|
General Surgery |
25 |
5 |
30 |
|||||
|
Otolaryngology (ENT) |
5 |
9 |
10 |
24 |
||||
|
Plastic Surgery |
77 |
39 |
24 |
8 |
148 |
|||
|
Urology |
9 |
6 |
15 |
|||||
|
Vascular Surgery |
14 |
8 |
8 |
5 |
9 |
20 |
64 |
|
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
6 |
|||||||
|
Sligo University Hospital |
185 |
125 |
111 |
64 |
67 |
52 |
92 |
696 |
|
Dermatology |
24 |
13 |
10 |
47 |
||||
|
Endocrinology |
6 |
5 |
7 |
18 |
||||
|
General Medicine |
15 |
15 |
9 |
7 |
46 |
|||
|
General Surgery |
12 |
|||||||
|
Gynaecology |
12 |
|||||||
|
Neurology |
8 |
9 |
5 |
20 |
42 |
|||
|
Ophthalmology |
65 |
30 |
33 |
17 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
163 |
|
Orthopaedics |
7 |
13 |
8 |
28 |
||||
|
Otolaryngology (ENT) |
35 |
25 |
32 |
33 |
36 |
35 |
39 |
235 |
|
Paediatrics |
9 |
|||||||
|
Pain Relief |
6 |
5 |
12 |
23 |
||||
|
Rheumatology |
17 |
15 |
11 |
43 |
||||
|
Urology |
13 |
|||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
5 |
|||||||
|
St. James's Hospital |
21 |
10 |
11 |
6 |
48 |
|||
|
Clinical (Medical) Genetics |
6 |
6 |
||||||
|
Dermatology |
5 |
|||||||
|
Maxillo-Facial |
12 |
|||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
25 |
|||||||
|
St. Michael's Hospital |
5 |
|||||||
|
St. Vincent's University Hospital |
14 |
8 |
9 |
31 |
||||
|
Cardiology |
5 |
|||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
26 |
|||||||
|
Tallaght University Hospital |
10 |
10 |
20 |
|||||
|
Orthopaedics |
5 |
|||||||
|
Urology |
5 |
|||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
10 |
|||||||
|
University Hospital Limerick |
9 |
|||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
9 |
|||||||
|
University Hospital Waterford |
9 |
|||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
9 |
|||||||
|
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda |
7 |
|||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
7 |
|||||||
|
Our Lady's Hospital Navan |
7 |
|||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
7 |
|||||||
|
South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital |
5 |
|||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
5 |
|||||||
|
St. Columcille's Hospital |
5 |
|||||||
|
*Small Volume Specialties |
5 |
|||||||
|
*Small Volume Hospitals |
23 |
|||||||
|
Grand Total |
4903 |
2338 |
1726 |
1382 |
1049 |
972 |
3459 |
15829 |
*Due to the small volume of patients waiting in certain hospitals, to preserve patient confidentiality, when the amount of patients is <5, these have been included within broader timebands or aggregated into 'Small Hospitals Specialties' and 'Small Volume Hospitals' cohorts.
381. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the posts at Mayo University Hospital that have been offered to applicants but are awaiting a start date. [43380/19]
View answer382. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the vacancies across all departments in Mayo University Hospital; the length of time the posts have been vacant; the status of the vacant posts; and when they will be filled, in tabular form. [43381/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 381 and 382 together.
I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
383. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the budget for Mayo University Hospital for 2019; the overrun in the budget to date; and the estimated overrun by the end of 2019. [43382/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly, as soon as possible.
384. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the budget allocated to Mayo University Hospital in each of the years 2016 to 2019. [43383/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly, as soon as possible.
385. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the percentage of the overall health budget spent in County Mayo on mental health in each of the years 2016 to 2019. [43384/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
386. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the amount spent by the HSE on mental health services in County Mayo in each of the years 2016 to 2019; the locations in which it has been spent; and the organisations in this regard. [43385/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
387. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the number of children in County Mayo waiting for occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy; and the length of time they have been waiting, in tabular form. [43386/19]
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.
388. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to an investigation of deaths involving CPE in Limerick University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43391/19]
View answerMy Department and I were kept informed of an external review commissioned in 2017 by University of Limerick Hospitals Group (ULHG), regarding patients with CPE and concerns regarding whether CPE was a factor in the deaths of a number of these patients. An internal review was also conducted. The final report, 'Report on the death of patients in whom CPE had been detected', combines the two review findings and was published in October 2018.
I am aware that the final Report was produced on foot of concerns raised under Protected Disclosures procedures and also concern by ULHG about the increase in detection of CPE in UHL in recent years.
I note that the Report found that out of a final group of 73 patients in which CPE was detected from February 2009 to May 2017, 8 patient deaths were identified in whom CPE was considered to be a contributory factor. The conclusion of the external review, however, which ULHG has accepted, was that no deaths were a direct result of CPE acquisition. All 8 patients had serious underlying diseases and co-morbidity factors. In addition, of the remaining 65 deceased patients, the external reviewer concluded that CPE was found not to have been an associative factor in their deaths. This is an important finding and will inform the work already ongoing in my Department and the HSE to tackle healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance (HCAI/AMR).
The Deputy will be aware that since the first outbreak of CPE in a group of patients at UHL in 2011, the Hospital Group has been active in screening for CPE. ULHG have advised that they limited its spread within the hospital through enhanced 'cohorting' or isolating of patients known to be carriers of or those infected with this bacteria. Screening protocols have been in place at UHL for a number of years and indeed have been used as a template for the development of the national screening policy for CPE, published in February 2018. Measures taken by the ULHG over the past three years include the refurbishment of an inpatient ward at UHL to facilitate an Infection Prevention and Control (IP&C) isolation ward; a second ward at UHL has also been refurbished. The new Emergency Department which opened at UHL in May 2017 was designed with IP&C in mind and has facilitated the management of relevant patients in en-suite isolation rooms.
My Department has provided funding to expand the HSE HCAI/AMR National Team to progress work on HCAIs/AMR across the HSE, including Hospital Groups and Community Healthcare Organisations. My Department has also provided funding for additional capacity in IP&C and laboratory services. This includes new posts for University Hospital Limerick.
I have been previously assured that ULHG have measures in place to appropriately support and manage patient care needs in line with national and international best practice.
The challenges of CPE are not unique to UHL. In October 2017, I convened the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) as a result of the activation of the Public Health Emergency Plan, as a public health response to CPE in Ireland.
My Department and the HSE will continue to work closely together on this important issue. This is also in line with the priorities identified under Ireland's National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2017-2020.
As part of the enhanced surveillance of CPE established via the National Public Health Emergency Team, the HPSC now publishes a monthly CPE surveillance report. This surveillance report includes national data on rates of CPE infection and colonisation as well as data on outbreaks, screening and other related information. The information is available for all hospitals including UHL. Data are available from December 2017 and all reports are available on the HPSC’s website hpsc.ie.
