Written Answers Nos. 1703-1727
1703. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of women who had mesh devices implanted and have had organs such as bladders and bowels removed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15174/21]
View answerThis question relates to service delivery matter and is therefore referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy
1704. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of women who have been sent via referral systems to the University College London Hospital, NHS England for the full removal of transobturator mesh implants since 2017, by type; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15175/21]
View answerThis question relates to a clinical decision making matter and is therefore referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy
1705. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the progress regarding the full removal of mesh implants in Ireland; the progress regarding compensation for persons who have suffered as a result of mesh implants or partial and improper removal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15176/21]
View answerI understand that complications from a mesh implant are very distressing and painful for those women involved. I would like to emphasise that the ongoing priority focus of my Department and the HSE has been to put the necessary structures in place so that women affected by mesh complications can be referred to the new national mesh centres and seen for treatment in a timely fashion, bearing in mind the current impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and requirements of public health guidance.
The national mesh complications care pathway has been in place since November 2018 providing multidisciplinary specialist services for women suffering from mesh complications across two sites at Cork University Hospital (CUMH) and National Maternity Hospital (NMH) Dublin. Funding of €500,000 per hospital has been approved for CUMH and the NMH to establish these mesh specialist centres and recruitment is on-going. Both of these centres have been accepting referrals and treat women suffering with post mesh complications.
Furthermore, under the HSE National Service Plan 2021, funding has been provided to enhance and improve gynaecology services which will include funding for mesh services. This funding will enable the implementation of additional specialist services, which will support ongoing work to implement the recommendations from the CMO’s Report on the Use of Uro-Gynaecological Mesh in Surgical Procedures (November, 2018).
Women affected by mesh continue to be strongly encouraged to engage with the relevant HSE contact points and the associated care pathways, to ensure that their service needs can be identified and provided for. A dedicated webpage about vaginal mesh implants, including contact information regarding the pathways for women suffering complications has been published on the HSE website. National mesh administrators have been recruited in each of the two special centres to provide central contact point services.
Recognising the importance of the health service listening to and learning from patients’ experiences, I am anxious that women affected by mesh complications have the opportunity to have their voices heard and share their experiences to inform learning and women’s health policy. This will also enable the health services to better understand women’s experiences and respond to the care needs of women and tailor service delivery and supports to meet requirements. My Department is developing a process for an independent, compassionate engagement with the women affected, taking account of the wider context relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Women's health is a Government priority, as outlined in the Programme for Government. Budget 2021 and the HSE National Service Plan 2021 provide significant investment in services that are important to women, including gynaecology services. A Women’s Health Fund is also provided for, which will support proposals arising from the work of the Women’s Health Taskforce to improve women’s health outcomes and experiences of healthcare.
1707. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the annual cost of i-ports for children with diabetes; if these costs are reimbursed; if not, if there are plans to add them to the long-term illness scheme or otherwise reimburse them; the estimated annual cost of reimbursing such products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15180/21]
View answerUnder 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.
1708. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if arrangements are in place to ensure that cross-Border workers who are resident here who require the Covid-19 vaccination to maintain employment in Northern Ireland are not penalised for the difference in speed of the roll-out between jurisdictions; the communication he has had with Government colleagues or the Executive in Northern Ireland on the matter; the Departments which would be responsible for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15182/21]
View answer1744. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health if cross-Border workers that reside here and work in Northern Ireland will be able to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15289/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1708 and 1744 together.
Ireland’s COVID-19 vaccination programme strategy is to distribute all available vaccines as quickly as is operationally possible, prioritising those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19.
The programme is based on the principles of safety, effectiveness and fairness, with the objective of reducing severe illness, hospitalisations and deaths from COVID-19 infection.
Vaccine are being made available without charge to all persons resident in the State.
1710. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied); the CervicalCheck screening process in this context; if HPV negative patients are examined or tested for abnormal cells; if not, the reason for this practice and the change in practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15189/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
1711. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter regarding the cost of a treatment (details supplied) [15191/21]
View answerI would refer the Deputy to Section 10B of the Health Act 2004 (as inserted by section 6 of the Health Services Executive (Governance) Act 2013), under which the Minister for Health may not give a direction to the Executive in the manner as sought by the Deputy.
1712. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health when timelines will be available in relation to the vaccination of the clinically vulnerable and in particular cancer patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15192/21]
View answer1713. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health when cardiac patients will receive the Covid-19 vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15196/21]
View answer1722. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health when a timeline will be available for the vaccination of heart and stroke patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15229/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1712, 1713 and 1722 together.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1714. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of persons with diabetes who were funded for the dexcom continuous glucose monitoring CGM sensors by the long term Illness scheme and the primary care reimbursement service who are also funded for an insulin pump; and the number who were funded for insulin pumps and a dexcom CGM sensor who were over 21 years of age in 2018 to 2020, in tabular form. [15203/21]
View answerUnder 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.
1715. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of funding applications that were received for the long term illness scheme and the primary care reimbursement service for the FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring system; the number of applications that were denied; and the number of denied applications that were for persons over 21 years of age. [15204/21]
View answerUnder 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.
1716. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the situation in CHI in relation to the recruitment of the main lead paediatric pain consultant roles; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that children in chronic pain have been without a proper full-time pain consultant care service for over 16 months (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15210/21]
View answer1786. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the recruitment of the main lead paediatric pain consultant in Children’s Health Ireland given that children in chronic pain have now been without a full-time pain consultant care service for over 16 months (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15435/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1716 and 1786 together.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1717. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if there is a clear timeframe for bringing senior psychologist staff provision across the three community adult mental health teams in Mallow, Fermoy and Kanturk, County Cork (details supplied) in line with other areas in CHO4; if particular longstanding psychology resource inequities on the Mallow community adult mental health team can be definitively addressed with secure staff contracts to ensure continuity of care for service users among the 39,000 plus population served by the team; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15211/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
1718. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the reason the multidisciplinary pain team roles at CHI that have been filled for the past three months are not seeing any patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15218/21]
View answer1787. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Health the reason the multidisciplinary pain team roles that have been filled for the past three months are not seeing patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15436/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1718 and 1787 together.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1719. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the situation in relation to waiting list reporting for children waiting for chronic pain treatment at CHI; if the waiting list for new referrals to CHI for children in chronic pain was closed during 2020; his views on whether the current waiting lists for children in chronic pain properly reflect the number of children waiting on a service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15219/21]
View answerI recognise that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted in the last year as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and acknowledge the distress and inconvenience for patients and their families
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.
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.
1720. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if additional home help hours will be provided for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15220/21]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1721. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive a primary medical certificate. [15224/21]
View answerThe Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Scheme is underpinned by statute and comes under the remit of the Department of Finance and the Revenue Commissioners.
The extent of the involvement of Health Service Executive (HSE) Community Medical Doctors in the Scheme relates to making a professional clinical determination as to whether an individual applicant meets the specified medical criteria for a Primary Medical Certificate, which is a requirement for the Scheme.
The Deputy may be aware that following a Supreme Court decision of June 2020, the assessment process for Primary Medical Certificates was suspended at the request of the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe T.D. Following the approval of the Finance Act 2020 which provides for the medical criteria in primary legislation, the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, T.D., issued an instruction to the HSE to recommence assessments from 1st January, 2021.
The ability to hold assessments has been impacted by, among other things, the public health restrictions in place to suppress and manage the spread of COVID-19. Unfortunately there are delays in the processing of assessments due to the involvement of the HSE Medical Doctors in the national COVID-19 response, which I know are causing undue strain on applicants.
I recently met with the HSE to discuss the issues around the delay in accessing Primary Medical Certificate assessments. The HSE has confirmed that it is continuing to monitor the situation in the context of resuming the range of services that are provided by Community Medical Doctors under the HSE Service Recovery and Restoration Plan, taking into account the pressures and challenges to the health services presented by COVID.
As the Deputy's question relates to a service matter, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for consideration and direct reply to the Deputy.
1723. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if he will consider providing standard allowance, placement grants and payment for work carried out by student radiographers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15231/21]
View answerRadiography students do not receive an allowance to support time spent on placement as part of their course. There are no plans to change this.
In 2020, assistant radiographers were employed on a 3 month contract following completion of their final year clinical placement, subject to the needs of the Health Service. As their skills were identified as being required during the COVID-19 response and subject to the needs of each acute hospital, they were offered a temporary 3 month assistant radiographer role following successful completion of their 7 week final year clinical placement. The 3-month period commenced on 18 May 2020.
It should be noted that across the health and social care disciplines, there could be over 8,000 students on placement in hospital and healthcare settings. Of this number, around a third are final year students. The length of placements and the activities performed during these placements vary between the disciplines. Students are not employees and in many cases the nature of the placement can, in the main, be limited to participation in an observing and a learning capacity.
Uniquely for student nurses and midwives there is, in the final year, a paid salary when they are specifically employed on an internship placement. Student nurses and midwives’ final year internship placement consists of a continual 36-week rostered clinical placement, including annual leave. The internship placement is a paid placement as the student nurses and midwives take a reduced caseload. During these placements, students are under supervision and are considered as 0.5 WTE of the workforce. In addition, Intern students can be allocated across all shift patterns including nights, weekends and 12-hour days.
1724. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the position of newly qualified doctors (details supplied); if the decision will be reversed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15234/21]
View answerOver the past number of weeks, my Department and the HSE have been reviewing the option to increase the number of medical intern places for July 2021.
I have announced an increase of 120 medical intern posts for July 2021. The increase in the number of intern places will be supported with accompanying increases in postgraduate training places, to ensure these doctors can avail of the next step in the training pathway following completion of an internship.
The six Intern Training Networks, that organise and oversee intern training in Ireland, are responsible for the allocation of intern posts within their particular networks. The networks have now been informed of the additional intern posts for July 2021, and will allocate the additional posts appropriately.
1725. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to concerns raised in relation to some Covid-19 vaccinators not being vaccinated themselves before administering the vaccine to others; the groups of vaccinators currently administering the vaccine without having received the vaccine themselves; the steps he will take to ensure that all vaccinators receive the Covid-19 vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15236/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1726. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if those working in hotels being used as quarantine facilities will be vaccinated as a priority grouping; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15237/21]
View answerOn the 23rd of February 2021, 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:
https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/b44b2-minister-donnelly-announces-update-to-vaccine-allocation-strategy/
The next cohort to be vaccinated (Cohort 4) are those aged 16-69 and at very high risk of severe illness and death. Vaccination of this group began in March.
The ongoing review process will continue to look at the other priority groups yet to be vaccinated, along with the competing needs of those working or living in high-risk situations, carers who deliver essential services to highly dependent individuals in the home setting, and those who are socially vulnerable/disadvantaged.
It is important to emphasise that vaccination is only one part of our response to the prevention of COVID-19 infection. People who are vaccinated need to continue with all the public health measures that have been proven to reduce the risk of infection, i.e., limiting our social contacts, physical distancing, wearing a mask, hand hygiene, cough etiquette and avoiding non-essential travel until a sufficiently large proportion of the population are immune.
1727. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the way in which the contact tracing database was constructed; the way in which it operates; the number of individual entries on same; the information that is held on each person who has been part of the tracing process; if the data is deleted; if the data is being used for any other purpose; the public authorities and or agencies that have access to it; the way in which the data is protected; and the data controller for the database. [15248/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
