Written Answers Nos. 588-612
588. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the rehabilitation needs being met by cardiac rehabilitation services; the geographical disparities that exist with cardiac rehabilitation; the costs associated with providing national capacity for cardiac rehabilitation for persons for whom cardiac rehabilitation is recommended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10957/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
590. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if the servicing and maintenance of hearing aid devices has been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic; if so, the scale of this disruption in terms of numbers affected; if consideration will be given to a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10966/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
591. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has not received home help; when the nurse will return for weekly physiotherapy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10970/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
592. Deputy Ossian Smyth asked the Minister for Health the hospitals in which patients have contracted Covid-19 in the hospital setting; the number of cases and the number of deaths per hospital from Covid-19 contracted in the hospital setting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10973/20]
View answerAs this question refers to service issues, I have referred it to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
593. Deputy Ossian Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of patients who contracted a hospital-acquired infection while being treated for Covid-19 in hospitals here; the hospitals in which infections occurred; and number of hospital-acquired infections. [10974/20]
View answerAs this is an operational matter and the data requested is collated by the HSE, the question has been referred to the Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
594. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the need for mental health practitioners to check temperatures before entering the therapy room; if it is necessary for clients to have their temperature checked; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10977/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
595. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the measures taken to allow parents to visit their children when they have been admitted to hospital, including to psychiatric units, when the hospital has no visitation in place due to Covid-19. [10978/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
596. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Health the steps he will be taking to prioritise cancer screening services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10986/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
597. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health his plans to further resource the primary care centre in Balbriggan, County Dublin, to cope with a potential second wave of Covid-19; the status of the plans for the centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11002/20]
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.
598. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Health his plans to improve scrutiny and inspection and to ensure protocols are being followed at public hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11011/20]
View answerAs this is an operational matter the question has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
599. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of legislative changes or amendments in respect of egg donation which were made to an Act (details supplied) in May 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11015/20]
View answerParts 2 and 3 of the Children and Family Relationship Act 2015 (as amended) commenced on 4 May 2020 . From this date, in most circumstances, the use of anonymous gametes (egg or sperm) in donor assisted human reproduction procedures carried out in the State is prohibited. There is a three year transition period for families who have had a child and wish to use the same donor to have a genetic sibling(s).
Under the legislation, egg or sperm donors consent to their details being recorded on the National Donor-Conceived Person Register. This will enable children to access information on their donor in future years should they so wish thereby embedding their rights to know their genetic heritage.
Additionally, this legislation provides a legal framework for registering the births of children who are born as a result of assisted human reproduction involving donated eggs or sperm or embryos. The commencement of this legislation represents a significant milestone for families in Ireland as it aligns our family law with the realities of modern family life.
The rights, welfare and best interests of children are fundamental to the legislation.
600. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number of Covid-19 tests carried out each day here since the start of February 2020, by county in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the current testing strategy. [11019/20]
View answerAs the HSE has responsibility for testing, the Executive has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy.
601. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the timeline for the introduction of a statutory right to home care. [11020/20]
View answerA high-quality, consistent home-support service, focused on keeping people well in their homes and communities for as long as possible, is a key enabler to ensuring that people across a continuum of care get the right care, in the right place, at the right time. In this regard, my Department is in the process of developing a statutory scheme for the financing and regulation of home support.
As part of this, work is on-going to determine the optimal approach to the development of the scheme within the broader context of the Sláintecare reforms. Work undertaken in 2019 focussed on the design of the scheme, the options for regulation, and a review of existing services. In 2020, it had been intended to focus on piloting a reformed model of service delivery for home support services, the development of the evidence base for the financing of home support services; and the development of a framework for the regulation of these services.
While Sláintecare commits to the establishment of the scheme by the end of 2021, progress on the development of the scheme, including the planned testing of a pilot scheme in 2020, has been impacted by the ongoing work and diversion of resources as part of the response to COVID-19. However, my Department remains committed to bringing forward this work as a priority, taking on board the learning from the response to COVID-19, in order to support people to age well and continue to live independently in their homes for as long as possible.
602. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health if the general practitioner visit card will be extended to children under eight years of age from September 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11021/20]
View answerOn the 16 December 2019, the Government approved the drafting of legislation which, inter alia, would give effect to the Budget 2020 commitment to provide for the phased expansion of GP care without fees to all children aged 12 years and under. The initial stage of this phased expansion is the provision of GP care without fees to all children aged between 6 and 8 years. Substantial work has been undertaken by officials in this regard.
603. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the details of the existing grant agreement between the State and St. Vincent's Healthcare Group under which the Nutley Wing was funded by the State; the other public healthcare facilities funded under the agreement; the amount expended on each facility; and if he will provide a copy of the agreements. [11026/20]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly in relation to this matter.
604. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the amount expended to date on the preparatory works under way on the St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group site relating to the new maternity hospital; the detail of the works involved; the funding provided to date for each of the works; the dates of the payments made in this regard; and the budgetary allocation that has been made for the continuation of the works. [11027/20]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly in relation to this matter.
605. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Health when cancer screening services, including CervicalCheck, will resume; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11032/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
606. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Health the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for the Be on Call for Ireland campaign. [11033/20]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
607. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health if the possibility of an earlier reopening of beauty therapy services will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11040/20]
View answerThe Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business, published on 1 May 2020, sets out an indicative path to the easing of COVID 19 restrictions and other actions in order to facilitate the reopening of Ireland’s society and economy in a phased manner. Phase 1 was introduced on 18 May 2020 and the Government confirmed the move to Phase 2 of Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business from Monday, 8 June 2020. Information and advice about the restrictions that have been eased as part of Phase 2 and the measures that are now in place are available on the Government website at http://www.gov.ie/phase2.
The Roadmap specifies that decisions in relation to which actions will be taken and which public health measures might be lifted will be made in accordance with the Framework for Future Decision-Making which is as follows:
1. Before each Government consideration of the easing of restrictions, the Department of Health will provide a report to the Government regarding the following on/off trigger criteria:
- The latest data regarding the progression of the disease,
- The capacity and resilience of the health service in terms of hospital and ICU occupancy,
- The capacity of the programme of sampling, testing and contact tracing,
- The ability to shield and care for at risk groups,
- An assessment of the risk of secondary morbidity and mortality as a consequence of the restrictions.
2. It will also provide risk-based public health advice on what measures could be modified in the next period.
3. The Government would then consider what restrictions could be lifted, having regard to the advice of the Department of Health as well as other social and economic considerations, e.g. the potential for increased employment, relative benefits for citizens and businesses, improving national morale and wellbeing etc.
4. It is acknowledged that there is also an ongoing possibility that restrictions could be re-imposed and this process will be carried out on an ongoing basis once every 3 weeks.
As is clear from the framework described above, it is the Government rather than the Minister or Department of Health that will decide on any modifications to the current public health measures in place and those decisions will be informed by the status of the on/off trigger criteria and the public health advice received at the time that a decision is being made. The decisions of the Government are published and the guidance in operation at a point in time are available on the Government website at http://www.gov.ie/
The Government also agreed to bring forward actions in the remaining phases of the Roadmap and plan for four phases rather than the five originally indicated. Work is underway to consider how best to achieve this aim and more information will be made available in the coming weeks. Once this work is completed, it will form part of the Government's considerations.
608. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the breakdown of Covid-19 data by town; the number of cases, positive tests and fatalities in each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11041/20]
View answerAs this is an operational matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
609. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health when summer camps can commence; if children who take part in one camp can take part in another camp or if they will be precluded from doing so due to the risk of cross infection; if children can eat indoors at camps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11045/20]
View answer643. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health the maximum number of children allowed at a summer camp provided they are in groups of no more than 15 and that they can be distanced from other groups of 15; if they can use indoor dressing rooms after a water sport for changing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11212/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 609 and 643 together.
I fully recognise that summer camps play an important role in the lives of children and their families and the core objective of any guidance in relation to these is that they operate in a safe manner and comply fully with all public health advice.
As the Deputy is aware, the Government confirmed the move to Phase 2 of Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business from Monday, 8 June 2020. Information and advice about the restrictions that have been eased as part of Phase 2 and the measures that are now in place are available on the Government website at http://www.gov.ie/phase2.
The Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (COVID-19) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (SI No. 206 of 2020) which came into operation from 8 June 2020 until 29 June 2020, allows for groups of up to 15 people who are not from the same household to meet outdoors for social, recreational and exercise activities.
These regulations also stipulate that no more than 6 people who are not from the same household may meet indoors. These meetings should be kept as short as possible and last no more than an hour. Indoor meetings should be in a well-ventilated room where possible and follow social distancing guidelines.
Activities involving children such as summer camps, should include no more than 12 children, to allow for 3 supervisors to be present to supervise the activity and to make sure that public health guidance is being followed.
It is recommended also that supervisors and children should keep to the same groups of 15 or less for these activities. This will help limit contacts should a member of the group become COVID-19 positive. A log should be kept of everyone involved in these activities for contact tracing purposes.
Children should continue to practice social distancing, not share equipment with other children and wash their hands regularly and properly and follow good hygiene when coughing and sneezing. It is advisable generally to limit the number of people the children meet with, as the greater the contact, the greater the risk getting and spreading the virus.
As the Deputy is no doubt aware, you should not travel beyond your county, or 20 kilometres from where you live if crossing county boundaries, to participate in any social, recreational and exercise activities.
The Government also agreed to bring forward actions in the remaining phases of the Roadmap and plan for four phases rather than the five originally indicated. Work is underway to consider how best to achieve this aim and more information will be made available in the coming weeks.
610. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health when the dialectical behaviour therapy programme in Tevere Day Hospital, Limerick will recommence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11047/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
611. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health if a person who has been more than two years on the waiting list for the dialectical behaviour therapy programme in Tevere Day Hospital, Limerick, can transfer to the same course in Cork (details supplied) if the course in Limerick does not recommence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11048/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
612. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Health the number of home care workers who were on sick leave with Covid-19; the number of deaths among these workers; and the number of clients of these workers who became sick or died from Covid-19 due to exposure to the virus. [11054/20]
View answerAs this is an operational matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
