Wednesday, 2 Dec 2020

Written Answers Nos. 160-179

Hospital Appointments Status

Questions (160)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

160. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40619/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

It is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic the HSE had to take measures to defer most scheduled care activity in March, April, and May of this year. This was to ensure patient safety and that all appropriate resources were made available for Covid-19 related activity and time-critical essential work. This decision was in line with the advice issued by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) in accordance with the advice of the World Health Organisation.

Patient safety remains at the centre of all hospital activity and elective care scheduling. To ensure services are provided in a safe, clinically-aligned and prioritised way, hospitals are following HSE clinical guidelines and protocols.

The HSE continues to optimise productivity through alternative work practices such the use of alternative settings including private hospitals, community facilities and alternative outpatient settings.

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.

In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible

Nursing Staff

Questions (161)

Michael Fitzmaurice

Question:

161. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health if late applications will be allowed for staff nurse national rolling campaigns which ended on 9 September 2020 due to Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40621/20]

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.

Nursing Staff

Questions (162)

Michael Fitzmaurice

Question:

162. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health the date that the next campaign will open for staff nurse national rolling campaigns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40622/20]

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.

Nursing Education

Questions (163)

Alan Kelly

Question:

163. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the estimate cost to the State to pay student nurses for all mandatory on-the-job training they undertake as part of their studies if the wage scale was set at the same level as the apprenticeship training allowance based on the gross wage norms for the sector. [40623/20]

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.

Medicinal Products

Questions (164)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

164. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the reason melatonin was previously available to a person (details supplied) and now appears to be no longer available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40628/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As the particular issue raised relates to an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.

Home Help Service

Questions (165)

James Lawless

Question:

165. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health the reason home help assistance has been withdrawn from a person (details supplied); if the home help assistance can be reinstated as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40633/20]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

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

Hospital Facilities

Questions (166)

Pearse Doherty

Question:

166. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the reason the new ward in St. Joseph’s Community Hospital, Stranorlar, County Donegal is not open; when it will open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40637/20]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

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

Audiology Services

Questions (167)

Seán Canney

Question:

167. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health his plans to deal with the unacceptable waiting time of 82 weeks for an audiology appointment from the date of referral in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40658/20]

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.

Nursing Home Accommodation

Questions (168)

Cian O'Callaghan

Question:

168. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health the accountability in place for nursing homes relating to the allocation of public monies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40669/20]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The Temporary Assistance Payment Scheme for nursing homes, also known as TAPS, provides financial assistance to private and voluntary nursing homes to support their preparedness in relation to COVID-19 and to manage outbreaks, if and when they present.

The initial duration of the Scheme was for 3 months from April to June 2020, however the Scheme has been extended twice since the initial approval and is now in place until the end of June 2021. The initial funding sanction has been increased accordingly and a total of €92.5m is being made available in 2020 and a further €42m is available for 2021. As of 1 December 2020, there have been 4,110 claims processed and 3,833 paid. The total value of the TAPS payments is €57,070,864.

The Scheme's guidelines and associated documentation are publicly available at https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/temporary-assistance-payment-scheme-for-nursing-homes/.

The core concept of the scheme is that the State will provide additional funding to those nursing homes that require it, to contribute towards support measures associated with COVID-19 preparedness, mitigation and outbreak management. There is an overall monthly funding cap, which is the maximum amount that may be paid in respect of each month to a Nursing Home under the scheme.

Where a nursing home applies for an assistance payment through the scheme, the nursing home may only claim for those additional allowable costs, as set out in the Scheme details. The nursing home must vouch that all amounts claimed are in relation to those allowable costs arising as a result of the impact of COVID-19. In some cases, where an outbreak has been experienced and a claim is made under the outbreak assistance component of the scheme, the claim requires independently certified verification.

The HSE administers the scheme and makes payments to nursing homes. The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) administers the application process and provides support and advice to the HSE. Regular reports of Scheme activity, including claims and payments, are produced and monitored by the HSE and submitted to the Department. External Auditors were appointed in April 2020 to perform audits of a sample of TAPS claims submitted each month by nursing homes to assess compliance with the scheme guidelines.

The scheme is under continuous review and engagement with the sector is ongoing.

Covid-19 Pandemic

Questions (169)

Cian O'Callaghan

Question:

169. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health the way in which businesses are informed what they can expect and what they can plan for at each Covid-19 level; the amount of advance warning they can expect to receive for changes to the Covid-19 level; the plans in place to work with businesses on health measures that affect their operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40670/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19 was published by the Government on 15 September 2020. This Framework sets out Ireland's approach to managing and living with COVID-19 in a range of areas over the next 6 - 9 months.

The plan sets out five levels of response, each with a number of measures designed to help us all lower COVID-19 transmission and setting out what is permitted at that moment in time. It aims to allow society and businesses to be able to operate as normally as possible, while continuing to suppress the virus.

Each level outlines what is permitted for social or family gatherings, work and public transport, bars, hotels and restaurants, exercise activities and religious services. Any measure included at any level in this plan is underlined by expert advice and recommendations from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

The Deputy should note that sectoral responsibility for the issues raised in the question, lies with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Medicinal Products

Questions (170)

Paul Murphy

Question:

170. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the status of the availability to patients with PKU in Dublin and throughout Ireland of the HSE-approved medicine kuvan; the reason kuvan it is not being made available to children with PKU at Temple Street Hospital or adults with PKU at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital; the reason the care pathway stipulates that patients must be admitted for 48 hours to have blood spot tolerance tests done since these are the same tests that patients do on a weekly basis at home leaving some with no option but to travel to another country to have the testing done; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40672/20]

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.

National Treatment Purchase Fund

Questions (171)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

171. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health the average wait time for patients in County Kerry referred for hip surgery under the treatment purchase scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40685/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has advised my Department that they are unable to provide average wait times by county for patients referred under the National Treatment Purchase Scheme.

It is important to note that the NTPF works with public hospitals, as opposed to with patients directly, 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.

The NTPF have advised my Department that to date this year they have made 172 offers of NTPF funded treatment to patients on the Orthopaedic waiting list at University Hospital Kerry, of which 86 were for arthroplasty of hip, unilateral.

Cross-Border Health Initiatives

Questions (172, 173)

Matt Carthy

Question:

172. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health if patients travelling to Northern Ireland to avail of treatment under the EU Cross-Border Health Directive will continue to receive reimbursements for procedures conducted after 31 December 2020 [40703/20]

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

173. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health the arrangements being made to ensure Irish citizens will still be able to get reimbursed for qualifying medical treatment provided to them in Northern Ireland, after Brexit, given that the cross-Border EU directive will not apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40709/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 172 and 173 together.

The UK’s withdrawal from the EU has implications for healthcare arrangements that currently operate under the EU legislative framework, including those arrangements covered by the Cross Border Directive (CBD). With effect from 1 January 2021, the provisions of the CBD will no longer apply to the UK. My officials are giving detailed consideration to the implementation of a unilateral CBD type arrangement which will provide that Irish residents can continue to access services provided by private health service providers in the UK post the end of the Transition Period.

Rare Diseases

Questions (174)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

174. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 316 of 5 November 2020, the outcome of the meeting of the rare diseases technology review committee in the week commencing 5 November 2020; the status of the assessment of the medicines referred to the committee, specifically a medicine (details supplied); and the specific dates which he expects the committee to meet in 2020 and 2021. [40714/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Following a request from the HSE Drugs Group, the HSE Rare Diseases Medicinal Products Technology Review Committee convened on 24 September to engage with patients and clinicians in the assessment of two drugs. These are:

1. Burosumab (Crysvita®) for the treatment of X-linked hypophosphataemia with radiographic evidence of bone disease in children 1 year of age and older and adolescents with growing skeletons.

2. Patisiran (Onpattro®) for the treatment of hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (hATTR amyloidosis) in adult patients with stage 1 or 2 polyneuropathy.

At this meeting, the Committee reviewed the clinical data previously submitted as part of the established pricing and reimbursement process and also heard from Consultants involved in the specialist management of patients with these illnesses.

On 5 November, the Committee met again and received input from patients with each of the above conditions.

A statement summarising the clinician and patient engagement was finalised and forwarded to the HSE Drugs Group during the week ending 27 November.

The Rare Diseases Medicinal Products Technology Review Committee meets in response to requests for assessment of new products for rare diseases or expanded indications for existing products for rare diseases. The frequency of subsequent meetings will relate directly to the number of requests received

The applications for Burosumab and Patisiran remain under consideration and are being assessed in line with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013.

Respite Care Services

Questions (175)

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Question:

175. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the provisions that will be provided to increase capacity in overnight respite care for children with disabilities in the Donegal region; his plans for meeting the needs of the service users and their families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40729/20]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

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.

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

Suicide Incidence

Questions (176)

Michael Moynihan

Question:

176. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the number of deaths by suicide to date in 2020; the number in each year since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40733/20]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

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

Mental Health Services

Questions (177)

Michael Moynihan

Question:

177. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Health if there has been an increase in the number of emergency or crisis presentations for mental health services to date in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40734/20]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

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

Medical Aids and Appliances

Questions (178)

Niall Collins

Question:

178. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health if the FreeStyle Libre will be available to all type 1 diabetes patients through the HSE in the near future (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40745/20]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Under 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.

Treatment Benefit Scheme

Questions (179)

Joan Collins

Question:

179. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Health the reason a child with Down's syndrome (details supplied) was refused optical benefit. [40746/20]

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.