Written Answers Nos. 808-832
808. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the existence of specific antiviral treatment for Covid-19 or any other treatment currently undergoing trials or in respect of which trials have been completed; if it is planned for this medicine to be procured under Ireland’s participation in the European Commission joint procurement agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44886/20]
View answerOfficials in my Department have requested clarification from the Deputy's office regarding the specific antiviral treatment referred to in this question. Once this clarification is provided, a more detailed response will be issued directly to the Deputy.
To date, the European Medicines Agency has approved two medicines, dexamethasone and remdesivir, for the treatment of patients with Covid-19. Ireland is participating in the European Commission's joint procurement for remdesivir, and has received supplies of remdesivir under this mechanism. National guidance has been in place since March 2020 on the use of remdesivir in Irish hospitals for the treatment of Covid-19. Ireland also continues to support the WHO Solidarity Trial, an international clinical trial launched by the World Health Organization and partners to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19.
810. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health if he has considered utilising the drug ivermectin to combat the spread of Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44895/20]
View answerAs this is an operational issue which is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive, I have asked the Executive to examine the issue raised and reply directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
813. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the status of progress for the recruitment of a third paediatric rheumatologist, which was promised for 2019 in the context of children waiting up to three years to see a paediatric rheumatologist; the status of reducing waiting times for paediatric rheumatology and MRI scans for children with Down's syndrome associated arthritis to not more than 12 weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44905/20]
View answerChildren’s Health Ireland (CHI) has advised the Department that during the initial phases of COVID-19, all face to face hospital outpatient reviews and most of the planned diagnostic tests, including MRI, were deferred in response to the pandemic. From June onwards, CHI at Crumlin had recommenced the majority of outpatient and diagnostic services, albeit at reduced numbers, due to public health guidelines on social distancing. However, due to the recent rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the community and the need to reduce the number of people coming into the children’s hospitals, CHI will be prioritising emergency, urgent and time sensitive procedures and care. In so far as possible, most out-patient clinics will be moved to virtual or telephone clinics, unless specified by the consultant that a face to face review is needed.
CHI has further advised my Department that there is an active recruitment campaign for an additional Rheumatology Consultant underway. This additional position will allow for an increased number of patients to be seen, diagnosed and treatment initiated, as part of the comprehensive Rheumatology service.
In relation to the provision of MRI services, the demand for specialist imaging has increased over recent years due to increased activity and acuity in CHI, as well as an increasing trend to utilise imaging in diagnosis and treatment. CHI have advised that, uniquely to Paediatrics, younger children and children up to 18 years old with complex needs may be unable to remain still in an MRI for the lengthy periods required to complete the scan, resulting in the requirement for a General Anaesthetic (GA) to be delivered by a Paediatric Anaesthesiologist. This limits the ability for these scans to be performed outside of CHI hospitals. CHI have confirmed to my Department that each request for an MRI scan is carefully examined by Consultant Radiologists who must prioritise, based on clinical urgency, each case in terms of access to the scanner.
CHI has advised that patients with Down Syndrome who present to Rheumatology services with suspicion of arthritis are clinically assessed and diagnosed by the clinical team. A cohort of these patients will require an MRI scan based on the individualised clinical examination and recommendation.
814. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health the additional measures that can be taken by his Department to assist or encourage maternity hospitals to allow expectant mothers, such as in the case of a person (details supplied), have a birth partner present and available before, during and after the birth of a child. [44908/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
816. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the average incidence rates of Covid-19 cases by local electoral area from the onset of the pandemic until the current date in tabular form. [44911/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
817. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of approved pharmacist posts at each hospital, including Children's Health Ireland, CHI; the number of posts filled by tenure, that is, permanent, temporary, agency and so on; the ratio of approved posts-to-patient and filled posts-to-patient; the length of time vacant posts or posts filled by non-permanent appointments have been unfilled in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44915/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.
818. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will be referred to the clinical genetics department of Crumlin children’s hospital, given that, through human error on the part of a consultant, the person was not added to the waiting list after an appointment in February 2020 and was only placed on the waiting list in December 2020. [44917/20]
View answerIt is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted in the last year as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The HSE is currently recommending that only critical time dependent elective procedures are undertaken at this time due to the on-going and significant increased demand for bed capacity related to Covid-19.
This decision was made arising from the rapid increase in Covid-19 admissions and to ensure patient safety and that all appropriate resources were made available for Covid-19 related activity and time-critical essential work.
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.
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.
819. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health his plans to allow persons with chronic arthritis to use swimming pools for their therapy during all levels of the plan for living with Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44919/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
821. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who were subsequently placed in healthcare facilities and the category of work undertaken by successful applicants to the Be on Call for Ireland scheme to date; the number that applied; the number interviewed by the consultants; the cost of the scheme to date; the details of the procurement process, including the successful company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44927/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.
823. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Health when rehabilitation and disability services will be re-established to a seven-year-old child (details supplied) in County Tipperary who suffered an acquired brain injury in 2019 due to stroke; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44946/20]
View answerThe 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 access to disability 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, as soon as possible.
824. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of an appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44955/20]
View answerIt is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted in the last year as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The HSE is currently recommending that only critical time dependent elective procedures are undertaken at this time due to the on-going and significant increased demand for bed capacity related to Covid-19.
This decision was made arising from the rapid increase in Covid-19 admissions and to ensure patient safety and that all appropriate resources were made available for Covid-19 related activity and time-critical essential work.
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.
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.
825. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health his plans to have a computerised patient record system that is integrated across all health services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44959/20]
View answerI assume that the Deputy is referring to an integrated Electronic Health Record (EHR) which will incorporate health systems data from multiple health systems.
We need to be clear that an integrated Electronic Health Record that spans multiple health ICT systems and health service settings in many different locations for most health patients is a long-term programme of work. It encompasses many other projects and pillars of eHealth, Sláintecare and ICT working together to form a joined up modern health system that delivers patient data in a consistent, convenient and robust format for use by clinical staff providing care to patients.
Some major building blocks are already in place. There has been a consistent level of capital investment in core ICT infrastructure and clinical systems since the publication of the eHealth strategy in 2013. An enterprise wide EHR systems was deployed in the largest acute hospitals in Ireland (St James Hospital, Dublin) in 2018. The procurement of an even more extensive EHR for the national children’s hospital is currently underway. Standards are being developed to support interoperability between health systems. The provision of more care in the community and reducing our reliance on services delivered in the acute hospital sector, will require the delivery of healthcare records for patients that can be accessed across the health sector, allowing 'data to follow the patient'. This is one of the ambitions of the Sláintecare reform programme and will lead to greater levels of integrated care and the ability to treat more patients nearer to home.
There are relatively few countries that have achieved a level of integrated health care records at national level. Those that have only done only achieved this goal after many years of consistent investment focussed on that ambition. Ireland is on that journey.
826. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the cost in 2020 in transporting patients record across health services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44960/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
827. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health when a national director of mental health will be appointed; the remit of the director; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44961/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
828. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the inpatient and outpatient waiting list numbers and waiting times as presented in National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, data by each group and hospital for each discipline and each speciality, separated by adults and children in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44962/20]
View answerIn relation to the matter raised by the Deputy, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has advised that each hospital supplies a weekly Waiting List extract to the NTPF in accordance with the defined Inpatient / Day Case and Outpatient Waiting List Minimum Dataset (MDS). One of the fields in this dataset is the Date of Birth of the patient.
In the Irish health system, patients are generally referred for children’s hospital services up to the eve of their 16th birthday, however, there are exceptions. The NTPF classify children / adults as follows:
- Child only hospitals – all patients are classed as children, regardless of age.
- Adult only hospitals – all patients are classed as adults, regardless of age.
- Adult and Child Hospitals – patients under the age of 16 are classed as children, all other patients are classed as adults.
The attached tables provide a breakdown of the Inpatient, Day Case and Outpatient waiting lists by Adult and Child by hospital at the end of November 2020. Also provided are the IPDC and OPD waiting lists by specialty at the end of November 2020.
The NTPF currently publishes the Adult and Child Analysis for the Inpatient and Day Case waiting lists on the NTPF website monthly and has advised that they are currently working on the separation of adult and child waiting lists and plan to be in a position to publish these reports in Q1 2021.
829. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if a dental appointment will be provided for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44963/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
830. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to situations in which dental practices are no longer providing treatments to patients under the medical card scheme; the action being taken to address the situation in view of the significant financial pressure this is placing on medical card holders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44966/20]
View answerThe Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides dental care free of charge to medical card holders aged 16 and over. These services are provided by approximately 1,400 independent dental practitioners who have a contract with the HSE. I understand that since March 2020, 177 dentists have withdrawn from the Scheme and that 78 new applications are being processed. This is within the normal range of fluctuations of dentists participating in the Scheme in recent years.
Patients may choose to have their treatment undertaken by any dentist who participates in the Scheme. The HSE will assist medical card holders in accessing such treatment if required.
While the interruption to services caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic had led to some delays in the provision of non-emergency care, data to the end of 2020 suggest that activity levels in the DTSS have been increasing and that by December 2020 activity in the DTSS had reached almost 90% of the December 2019 level.
My Department has been engaging with dentists and with the HSE throughout the pandemic and is preparing for further engagement on any additional measures to support the oral health of the public during these difficult times.
831. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on the CAMHS waiting list in CHO 4; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44967/20]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
832. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the status of pay restoration for section 39 workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44969/20]
View answerAs we are aware, an agreement was reached by the parties in October 2018, in relation to a process of pay restoration for staff employed by the 50 pilot agencies. Pay restoration commenced in April 2019 with an annual pay increase of up to €1,000. Any outstanding balance would be paid in two equal amounts in 2020 and 2021, if due.
The agreement reached at the WRC noted that some of the organisations (approximately 250) which did not form part of the pilot phase are also likely to have pay restoration issues. It stated that a process of engagement to address this would commence in 2019.
Since late 2019, there was a number of meetings between the parties at the WRC, in relation to this next phase. The HSE have been costing this next phase of pay restoration and engagement has been taking place with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform regarding a proposal to resolve these pay restoration issues.
I can confirm that following engagement at the Workplace Relations Commission in early December, the parties reached an agreement. A payment arrangement consisting of three phases was agreed with the first two payments to be made in 2021.
