Wednesday, 3 Mar 2021

Written Answers Nos. 910-937

Autism Support Services

Questions (913, 915)

Neale Richmond

Question:

913. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for autism assessment for children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11778/21]

Neale Richmond

Question:

915. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health the average waiting time for autism assessment for children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11780/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 913 and 915 together.

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, as soon as possible.

Autism Support Services

Questions (914)

Neale Richmond

Question:

914. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in accessing autism assessment for children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11779/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of 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, as soon as possible.

Question No. 915 answered with Question No. 913.

Question No. 916 answered with Question No. 754.

Health Screening Programmes

Questions (917)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

917. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the status of progress of the commitment to establish a national laboratory for cervical cancer screening; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11785/21]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Health Screening Programmes

Questions (918)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

918. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of samples that have been received at CervicalCheck laboratories for January 2021 and for January 2020, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11786/21]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Health Screening Programmes

Questions (919)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

919. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who were invited to attend a cervical screening appointment via CervicalCheck in 2019; the number of these persons who attended the appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11787/21]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Health Screening Programmes

Questions (920)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

920. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who were invited to attend a cervical screening appointment via CervicalCheck in 2020 and to date in 2021; the number of these persons who attended the appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11788/21]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Health Screening Programmes

Questions (921)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

921. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of colposcopy clinics that are currently operating at full capacity to examine persons with smear abnormalities who have been referred on for further examination during the current Covid-19 level 5 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11789/21]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Health Screening Programmes

Questions (922)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

922. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to difficulties being faced by persons seeking access to cervical cancer screening appointments via their general practitioner surgeries under current Covid-19 level 5 restrictions; the measures that have been undertaken to ensure that any short term delays being encountered will be addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11790/21]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Health Screening Programmes

Questions (923)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

923. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the measures that have been put in place to manage backlogs which have built up within the cervical cancer screening services as a direct result of Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11791/21]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Covid-19 Tests

Questions (924)

Neale Richmond

Question:

924. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health if he has considered increasing investment in test and trace facilities to help combat Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11792/21]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The HSE has worked intensively to put in place a comprehensive, reliable and responsive testing and tracing operation which has seen the completion of over 3.5 million tests for Covid-19 to date. The median time for community referral to appointment is less than 5 hours with almost 91% of GP referrals provided with a COVID-19 test appointment within 24 hours. Serial testing programmes continue in Residential Care Facilities and in food production facilities.

Contact tracing is also an important part of the HSE’s response to Covid-19 and the HSE has implemented improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of the service including enhancements to ensure sufficient surge capacity. This involved a number of automation processes being put in place including the issuing of text messages to relay test results in order to decrease turnaround times. The Contact Tracing Centres are operating 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and are fully rostered every day.

Recruitment of staff to support swabbing activity and contact tracing activity is a significant part of the improvements underway to ensure that a dedicated staff is available to respond to the pandemic. As of the 23rd of February, a total of 752 swabbers have been hired and placed to support swabbing activity along with a total of 900 staff supporting contact tracing.

The recently published HSE National Service Plan 2021 clearly demonstrates the significant investment that the Government has provided to ensure end-to-end COVID-19 testing and contact tracing is designed and delivered in a manner to protect the health of people living in Ireland from the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As described in the Service Plan, the HSE is committed to, among other improvements:

- ensuring the required workforce, infrastructure and service enhancements are in place,

- implement a sustainable, flexible and trained testing and tracing workforce

- continue to implement a permanent and flexible community test centre infrastructure with dedicated test centres nationwide and pop-up fleets deployed as necessary

- provide support for dedicated community laboratory capacity and infrastructure

- enhance the acute laboratory workforce and equipment to support additional testing capacity

- continue to develop and enhance the COVID-19 Care Tracker ICT system.

Testing and contact tracing continues to be a key component of the Government’s and the country’s response to the pandemic. Ireland will continue to pursue a robust testing strategy under the guidance of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and operationalised by the HSE. On an ongoing basis, NPHET considers and reviews, based on public health risk assessments, how best to target testing to detect, and mitigate the impact of, the virus across the population. This includes keeping Ireland’s national testing policy under continuing review.

Covid-19 Tests

Questions (925)

Neale Richmond

Question:

925. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health the current average turnaround time for contact tracing following a positive test for Covid-19; the goal for the turnaround time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11793/21]

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.

Citizens' Assembly

Questions (926)

Ruairí Ó Murchú

Question:

926. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health when he expects the citizens' assembly on drugs to convene; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11808/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The Programme for Government includes the commitment to convene a citizen’s assembly to consider matters relating to drug use. The timing of this, and other assemblies, over the lifetime of the Government has yet to be determined. One element critical to the success of assemblies has been the opportunity to meet in person. The restrictions experienced with Covid-19 have presented considerable difficulties in this regard, as meetings moved to being held online. The experiences and learning in this new way of working will inform how future citizen’s assemblies are conducted.

In 2019, following the publication of the report of the working group on alternative approach to the possession of drugs for personal use, which was informed by 20,000 public responses, the Government agreed to adopt a health-lead approach, which offers compassion, not punishment, to people who use drugs.

The Department of Health is chairing an implementation group for the commencement of the Health Diversion Programme, whereby a person will be referred to the HSE for a health screening and brief intervention. The programme will be reviewed after the first full year of implementation to ensure that it is meeting all of it aims and to make any necessary changes.

I am committed to a health-led approach to drug use as set out in the national drugs strategy and the Programme for Government. I look forward to the commencement of the Health Diversion Programme. I believe that the learning to be derived from the programme will further inform the health-led approach to drug use over the remaining years of the national drugs strategy.

National Drugs Strategy

Questions (927)

Ruairí Ó Murchú

Question:

927. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health if the mid-term review of the actions in the national drugs strategy is on course to be agreed in Q1 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11809/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The national drug strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, sets out government policy on drug and alcohol use for the period 2017 to 2025. The strategy provides an integrated public health approach to drug and alcohol use, focused on reducing the harms for individuals, families and communities and promoting rehabilitation and recovery. It contains 50 actions which are to be delivery over the period 2017-2020.

The strategy is a dynamic strategy, monitored through a national oversight structure, with representatives of all stakeholders. There is flexibility to introduce new measures in the second half of the strategy (2021-2025) to address issues which may emerge in the first four years.

As the national drugs strategy is at the mid-way point, the Department has commenced a review of progress on the actions contained in the strategy. The review will consider progress achieved to-date under the action plan, any new issues that have arisen including the impact of Covid-19. It will also reflect commitments in the Programme for Government as part of a health-led approach to drug use and misuse and the EU drugs strategy 2021-2025.

In addition, the review will be informed by a focussed policy assessment of expenditure on drugs and alcohol services being carried out by the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES), new data on trends and indicators in drug and alcohol for 2019/2020, and the impact of Covid-19 on drug and alcohol services.

I am committed to working in partnership with all stakeholders on the mid-term review of the actions in the national drugs strategy. An update on progress on the review will be considered at the National Oversight Committee meeting at the end of this week. I will clarify the timeframe for finalising the review at this meeting.

Vaccination Programme

Questions (928)

Róisín Shortall

Question:

928. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number of healthcare workers who are in direct patient contact who are yet to receive the first dose of the vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11815/21]

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.

Vaccination Programme

Questions (929, 930)

Róisín Shortall

Question:

929. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the protocol to vaccinate agency healthcare assistants and agency nurses; the number of these staff in the country; the number who have received the first dose and the second dose of the vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11817/21]

Róisín Shortall

Question:

930. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number of homecare agency staff; the number that have been vaccinated to date; the number yet to be vaccinated; the number who have declined to take a vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11818/21]

Written answers

Minister for Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 929 and 930 together.

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

Respite Care Services

Questions (931)

Cormac Devlin

Question:

931. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the details of the locations of the recently announced nine respite houses across Ireland; if he will provide more details in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11827/21]

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.

In Budget 2021, I committed to provide funding to the HSE to develop nine additional respite services across the country. Last week, I was delighted to announce St Gabriel’s Children’s Respite Service, in Limerick, as the first of these services.

€5m funding has been provided to the HSE to develop and open the additional 9 dedicated centre-based respite services across all Community Healthcare Areas this year. I am engaging with the HSE on this matter on an ongoing basis and have requested the HSE to give the utmost priority to putting these new facilities and services in place without delay. The aim is to provide me with regular reports so I can ensure this additional funding is directly targeted at the people who need it most.

I will update my Oireachtas colleagues on the location of these services as they become known.

Vaccination Programme

Questions (932)

Cormac Devlin

Question:

932. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if he will consult with the Health Service Executive to allow community and church halls to be utilised in the roll-out of the national Covid-19 vaccination programme to deal with the fact that some doctor's surgeries are not large enough for the throughput and patients are concerned about being close contacts of other patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11830/21]

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.

Question No. 933 answered with Question No. 709.

Vaccination Programme

Questions (934)

Cormac Devlin

Question:

934. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if he will request the Health Service Executive to review the locations of mass vaccination centres to ensure that persons living in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown which has a population of almost 250,000 persons and its environs have adequate access to a centre without vulnerable persons having to travel excessive distances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11832/21]

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.

Vaccination Programme

Questions (935)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

935. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health the priority in order of vaccination that will be given to dentists in view of the fact that as front-line health workers they are working in patient's mouths that are uncovered and open while producing aerosols; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11836/21]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy sets out a provisional list of groups for vaccination. The Strategy was developed by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and my Department, endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), and approved by Government on 8 December 2020.

Vaccine allocation is a matter for my Department and further information is available here: www.gov.ie/en/publication/39038-provisional-vaccine-allocation-groups/.

The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is the responsibility of the HSE.

The aim of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is to ensure, over time, that vaccine will become available to vaccinate all of those for whom the vaccine is indicated. Given that there will be initially limited vaccines available, it will take some time for all to receive those vaccines and that has necessitated an allocation strategy to ensure that those most at risk of death and serious illness receive the vaccine first.

The priority is to first vaccinate and protect directly the most vulnerable amongst us, that is, those most likely to have a poor outcome if they contract the virus. The priority is to directly use vaccines to save lives and reduce serious illness, hence the focus on the over 65 year old cohort in long term residential care facilities, and healthcare workers in frontline services often caring for the most vulnerable.

The next group to be vaccinated are those aged 70 and older in the following order: 85 and older, 80-84, 75-79, and 70-74. Vaccination of this group began in February.

On the 23rd of February, I announced an update to Ireland’s COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy.

In comprising the initial Vaccine Allocation Strategy, the NIAC listed several conditions associated with increased risk of severe disease and death. In the intervening period, national and international evidence has become available which has enabled a more detailed analysis of underlying conditions that may increase the risk of developing severe disease or death.

The NIAC has now been able to more comprehensively identify those medical conditions and to distinguish between those which place a person at very high or high risk of severe disease if they contract the virus. Medical conditions and the magnitude of the risk they pose will continue to be monitored and periodically reviewed.

The NIAC continues to monitor data around this disease and indeed emerging data on effectiveness of vaccines on a rolling basis.

Further details are available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/press-release/b44b2-minister-donnelly-announces-update-to-vaccine-allocation-strategy/.

Frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) in direct patient contact roles will be vaccinated in Group 2. This includes HCWs working in public, private, and voluntary settings. Other HCWs, not in direct patient contact, will now be vaccinated in Group 6.

The HSE has published a document on the sequencing of COVID-19 vaccination of frontline healthcare workers, which provides more detail. It is available at the following link: www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/covid-19-vaccine-materials/sequencing-of-covid-19-vaccination-of-frontline-healthcare-workers.pdf.

Question No. 936 answered with Question No. 809.

Health Services Provision

Questions (937)

Robert Troy

Question:

937. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive treatment. [11854/21]

Written answers

Minister for Health

It 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.