Thursday, 5 Mar 2020

Home Help Service Provision

Questions (880)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

880. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when home help will be offered in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3794/20]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Jim Daly)

As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

National Treatment Purchase Fund Waiting Times

Questions (881)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

881. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if regular reviews of a potential National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, waiting list will be undertaken in order to ensure orderly and smooth administration of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3795/20]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

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. 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 this year.

In order to ensure the accuracy of waiting lists, good practice around the management of hospital waiting lists recommends periodic validation of waiting lists. 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. For a number of years validation was conducted at individual hospital level in Ireland but in 2018, I approved the establishment of the National Centralised Validation Unit (NCVU) within the NTPF. The establishment of a centralised function has facilitated the introduction of a standardised approach to validation of waiting lists across all hospitals and across IPDC and OPD waiting lists.

Furthermore, the National Scheduled Care Audit and Quality Assurance Review Programme was established in the NTPF in 2014 in conjunction with the National Director of Acute Hospitals, Health Service Executive. The main role of the AQA Team is to audit hospital waiting lists, ensuring that waiting list data returned by public hospitals is in compliance with national data reporting requirements and hospital practices are in compliance with national waiting list protocols and that the waiting list data returned by public hospitals is accurate.

More broadly, my Department has placed a particular priority on performance improvement in scheduled and unscheduled care in order to improve access for patients. At the end of 2017, a Unit was established in my Department with a remit to work with Departmental colleagues, the HSE and NTPF to provide strategic direction and drive a joint approach to performance oversight and innovation in this area. The monitoring of waiting lists is a key activity of this Unit. This includes weekly analysis of waiting list figures provided by the NTPF and regular governance meetings with the HSE and the NTPF.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

Questions (882)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

882. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when the child mental health service will be improved nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3796/20]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Jim Daly)

The development of all aspects of mental health services for young people remains a priority for Government. Mental health services, including those for young people, have benefited from significant additional investment over recent years. This has resulted in an overall provision of €1.026 billion for HSE Mental Health services in 2020, reflecting an increase of €315m since 2012 and an increase of €39m over 2019.

This additional funding has helped to increase the number of community-based CAMHS teams from 49 in 2008 to 71 today. The number of acute CAMHS beds has also increased, from 16 in 2008 to 74 in 2020. 30 additional beds are planned in the new Children’s Hospital and at the new National Forensic Mental Health Service at Portrane. This will bring the total CAMHS beds nationally to 104. The new complex at Portrane is scheduled to open on a phased basis from September 2020, with the new forensic CAMHS Unit, the first of its kind nationally, due to come on-stream in 2021.

There are acknowledged difficulties in recruiting and retaining specialist CAMHS staff, particularly Consultant Psychiatrists. Intensive recruitment efforts are ongoing but there is currently a shortage of suitably qualified CAMHS Consultants both at national and European level. Steady progress is being made by the HSE, however, in filling approved posts for mental health.

From 2012 to 2019, demand for services increased substantially, with an increase of 24% in CAMHs referrals accepted. Despite this, the CAMHs waiting list increased by only 4% over this period. Reducing the CAMHS Waiting List is a priority for the HSE. The CAMHS Waiting List nationally reduced from around 2,500 in December 2018 to around 2,300 in December 2019. This decrease has occurred, in part, due to new funding for 114 Assistant Psychologists and 20 Psychologists posts in Primary Care since 2018.

The HSE Service Plan 2020 prioritises further CAMHS improvements, including increased integration with Primary Care; developing a 7-day-a-week service to ensure improved supports; enhancing early intervention and day hospital care; improving in-patient and community based services; ensuring greater promotion and use of talk therapies; and developing Eating Disorder and Mental Health Intellectual Disability services. Mental Health service delivery to young people will also improve through the use of such e-mental health initiatives as the recently introduced phone helpline, a new text line, and digital supports including online counselling.

Further improvements for the planning and delivery of mental health services to young people are being progressed in the context of the refresh of A Vision For Change which has been completed and will be launched in the near future, along with updating the Mental Health Act 2001 which is now well advanced.

Data Protection

Questions (883)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

883. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that convenience computer stations available in some hospitals at which patients may access their personal information do not run the risk of having the information accessed by persons other than the individual patient; if steps have been taken to prevent same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3797/20]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Hospital Appointments Status

Questions (884)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

884. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) can avail of the further surgery required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3798/20]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

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.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Jim Daly)

As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Question No. 888 answered with Question No. 648.

Home Help Service Provision

Questions (889)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

889. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if additional home help hours will be made available in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3820/20]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Jim Daly)

As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Respite Care Services Provision

Questions (890)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

890. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if the necessary administrative procedures will be activated to facilitate or update the application of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3821/20]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Finian McGrath)

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.

The Programme for Partnership Government states that the Government wishes to provide more accessible respite care to facilitate full support for people with a disability.

As the Deputy's question relates to an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.

Health Services Data