Tuesday, 22 Sep 2020

Written Answers Nos. 842-861

General Practitioner Services

Questions (842)

Brian Stanley

Question:

842. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health if a deal has been done between an organisation (details supplied) and general practitioners regarding charges for letters to be written [25561/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

I am not aware of any agreement with general practitioners in relation to fees charged for writing letters.

Covid-19 Pandemic

Questions (843)

Dara Calleary

Question:

843. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Health when essential services such as early intervention assessment and speech and language therapy will recommence; his views on whether Covid-19 restrictions are resulting in the suspension of services and is having a detrimental effect on children awaiting services; the steps being taken to recommence services and to erase the waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25568/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, recognises the need to improve services for both children and adults with disabilities through better implementation and by working together across Government in a better way.

The Government commits to prioritising early diagnosis and access to services for children and ensuring that the most effective interventions are provided for each child, to guarantee the best outcomes.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly.

Hospital Appointments Status

Questions (844)

John McGuinness

Question:

844. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if a procedure will be expedited for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25589/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The National Treatment Purchase Fund works with public hospitals to offer and provide the funding for treatment to clinically suitable long waiting patients who are on an inpatient/day case waiting list for surgery, having been referred on to such a list following clinical assessment by a consultant/specialist at an outpatient clinic. The key criteria of the NTPF is the prioritisation of the longest waiting patients first. While the NTPF identifies patients eligible for NTPF treatment, it is solely on the basis of their time spent on the Inpatient/Daycase Waiting List. The clinical suitability of the patient to avail of NTPF funded treatment is determined by the public hospital.

It is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Scheduled care activity was significantly impacted by the necessary decision to defer most elective care appointments and procedures in March, April, and May. The resumption of services from June onwards has allowed for increased activity, and the National Treatment Purchase Fund has recommenced arranging treatment in both private and public hospitals for clinically suitable patients who have been waiting for long periods on public hospital waiting lists.

The monitoring of scheduled care activity and waiting list figures is a key function of the Department of Health. Weekly meetings between Departmental officials, the NTPF and HSE ensure that governance and performance issues are continually monitored. This includes weekly analysis of commissioning activity undertaken by the NTPF, associated HSE insourcing activity, and the review of any issues raised by either the HSE and NTPF in respect of waiting list management and scheduled care activity.

As part of the governance arrangements for the management of NTPF funded outsourced patient treatment, public patients remain on the waiting list of the referring hospital until treatment is completed through the NTPF and the patient is discharged. As a result, in relation to the particular query raised, I have asked the Health Service Executive to raise the issue and respond to the Deputy directly.

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 is a standardised approach used by the HSE to manage scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures. It sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists and was developed in 2014 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.

Covid-19 Pandemic

Questions (845)

Richard Boyd Barrett

Question:

845. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the breakdown of Covid-19 cases nationally including the sectors and industries that the persons work in; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25593/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is an operational matter I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to reply directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Covid-19 Pandemic

Questions (846)

Sorca Clarke

Question:

846. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health when the Covid-19 testing centre in Longford opened; the number of tests that were carried out when it closed; and if there are plans to reopen the centre. [25625/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

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

Covid-19 Pandemic

Questions (847)

Sorca Clarke

Question:

847. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of staff from essential frontline services (details supplied) in counties Longford and Westmeath that were redeployed to Covid-19; the number that have been deployed back to their posts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25626/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up to date information, as soon as possible.

Addiction Treatment Services

Questions (848, 849, 850, 851, 852, 853)

Sorca Clarke

Question:

848. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of persons working in the addiction services that have requested naloxone training; and the number working in the addiction services that have received naloxone training. [25627/20]

Sorca Clarke

Question:

849. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of persons working in the emergency services that have requested naloxone training; and the number working in the emergency services that have received naloxone training. [25628/20]

Sorca Clarke

Question:

850. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of persons of Community First Responders that have requested naloxone training; and the number of Community First Responders that have received naloxone training. [25629/20]

Sorca Clarke

Question:

851. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of persons working in homeless services that have requested naloxone training; and the number of working in homeless services that have received naloxone training. [25630/20]

Sorca Clarke

Question:

852. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of general practitioners that have requested naloxone training; and the number of general practitioners that have received naloxone training. [25631/20]

Sorca Clarke

Question:

853. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of persons living with a person in addiction that have requested naloxone training; and the number of persons living with a person in addiction that have received naloxone training. [25632/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 848 to 853, inclusive, together.

As these are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Hospital Staff

Questions (854)

Sorca Clarke

Question:

854. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of consultant radiologists working in Mullingar Regional Hospital [25633/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

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

Ambulance Service

Questions (855)

Jackie Cahill

Question:

855. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health the average response time for an ambulance from when a call is placed to emergency services to when an ambulance arrives at the scene; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25651/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

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

Addiction Treatment Services

Questions (856, 858, 859, 860, 861, 862)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

856. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the purpose of the review of a centre (details supplied); the date by which the review is due to be complete; and the date on which the centre is due to reopen following completion of the review [25653/20]

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

858. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of addiction treatment and detoxification beds provided in a centre (details supplied) prior to its closure to provide accommodation for homeless persons and vulnerable groups during the Covid-19 crisis [25655/20]

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

859. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of homeless and vulnerable persons residing in a centre (details supplied) for the months of April to September 2020, inclusive [25656/20]

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

860. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the reason for providing emergency accommodation for homeless and vulnerable persons in a centre (details supplied); and if consideration was given to an alternative location or site to meet the emergency accommodation need [25657/20]

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

861. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health when public service staff contracted to a centre (details supplied) will return to their place of work in the Phoenix Park; and if staff have been provided with a return date [25658/20]

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

862. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the addiction treatment and detoxification beds participants that successfully detox during treatment at Cuan Dara, Cherry Orchard Hospital to detox have been referred to throughout the ongoing closure of a centre (details supplied) [25659/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 856, 858, 859, 860, 861 and 862 together.

As these are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Addiction Treatment Services

Questions (857)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

857. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of addiction treatment and detoxification beds in the CHO north city and county area in each of the years 2017 to 2019 and to date in 2020, inclusive [25654/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

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

Questions Nos. 858 to 861, inclusive answered with Question No. 856.