Violet-Anne Wynne
Question:2679. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health the reason the BreastCheck website has now changed and appears to have been replaced by the HSE. [38745/21]
View answerHealth Services
Questions (2679)
Written answers
As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
Health Services
Questions (2680)
Violet-Anne Wynne
Question:2680. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the number of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 after their BreastCheck was cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38746/21]
View answerWritten answers
As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
Disability Services
Questions (2681)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:2681. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter regarding a wheelchair user (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38773/21]
View answerWritten answers
As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services.
Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
Abortion Services
Questions (2682)
Carol Nolan
Question:2682. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the number of initial consultations for termination of pregnancy services that were provided by general practitioners, family planning clinics and women’s health clinics in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38774/21]
View answerWritten answers
Information on the number of initial consultations under the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 is not notified to my Department.
As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
Abortion Services
Questions (2683)
Carol Nolan
Question:2683. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the amount paid to general practitioners for the provision of termination of pregnancy services in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38775/21]
View answerWritten answers
As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
Question No. 2684 answered with Question No. 2354.
Question No. 2685 answered with Question No. 2354.
Question No. 2686 answered with Question No. 2605.
Question No. 2687 answered with Question No. 2584.
Vaccination Programme
Questions (2688)
Violet-Anne Wynne
Question:2688. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health if there have been attempts to engage in dialogue with persons fearful of the Covid-19 vaccine, averse to receiving it and concerned about its use for access to various public spaces. [38787/21]
View answerWritten answers
As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
Question No. 2689 answered with Question No. 2026.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Questions (2690)
Violet-Anne Wynne
Question:2690. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that University Hospital Galway has eased its visiting and birth partner presence restrictions in its maternity campus; the status of the other 18 maternity units across the country in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38789/21]
View answerWritten answers
As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
Covid-19 Tests
Questions (2691)
Violet-Anne Wynne
Question:2691. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health the State’s position on and use of antigen testing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38790/21]
View answerWritten answers
Considerable work has been undertaken to date to evaluate the potential use of rapid antigen detection tests (RADTs) in an Irish context and this will continue on an ongoing basis.
In the health sector, the HSE has deployed rapid antigen tests for use for specific indications in the acute hospital setting, and as part of the response to outbreaks in the community setting, supported by appropriate clinical governance and operational arrangements. This includes updating the case definition for SARS-CoV-2 to accept notification of positive results from rapid antigen tests undertaken in the public health system and reporting of such cases to the COVID Care tracker and to the Computerised Infectious Disease Reporting (CIDR) information system developed to manage the surveillance and control of infectious diseases in Ireland. In response to significantly increased demand for testing caused by the Delta variant, the HSE is also planning deployment of self-swab antigen tests for the testing of close contacts, should challenges in the demand for PCR testing capacity arise. Those in receipt of a ‘detected’ result from an antigen test will be referred for a confirmatory PCR test.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, supported by the HSE, has implemented an antigen testing programme in food processing facilities, supplementing the PCR serial testing programme there. These tests are being carried out under clinical governance arrangements put in place by the Department of Agriculture. A further rapid testing pilot scheme began on June 14th in four universities including NUI Galway, Trinity College Dublin, UCD, and UCC. Operational planning is also underway in the HSE in relation to the piloting of testing using RADTs in other education and childcare settings. This includes development of guidance documentation, a training programme and other related templates and resources to support the testing pathway for educational facilities. In response to significantly increased demand for testing caused by the Delta variant, the HSE is also planning deployment of self-swab antigen tests for the testing of close contacts. with those in receipt of a ‘detected’ result from an antigen test referred for a confirmatory PCR test should challenges in the demand for PCR testing capacity arise.
The HSE has recently published the report of the Antigen Test Validation Project which validated a number of rapid antigen detection tests (ADTS) intended for testing samples for SARS-CoV-2 antigen. The products evaluated were chosen as those expected to represent the best available products based on the manufacturers claims and other available evidence. The recommendations in this report will assist in the consideration of any other potential applications of rapid antigen detection tests to support the overall national testing strategy.
The “Report of the COVID-19 Rapid Testing Group” which was chaired at my request by the Government’s chief scientific adviser, Professor Mark Ferguson, and published on 1 April 2021, made a number of recommendations for sectors outside the health sector and these are a matter for the Ministers and Departments with responsibility for the sectors concerned. I have established an Expert Advisory Group on Rapid Testing which will be chaired by Professor Mary Horgan, to support and advise Government departments who are responsible for progressing pilots and the rollout of rapid tests to their respective sectors.
On an ongoing basis, the National Public Health Emergency Team considers and reviews how best to target testing to detect, and mitigate the impact of, the virus across the population. This includes keeping Ireland’s national testing and tracing policy under continuing review.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Questions (2692)
Joan Collins
Question:2692. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Health if Ireland’s infection rate levels are being shared with the ECDC (details supplied). [38800/21]
View answerWritten answers
On May 14th the HSE suffered a major cyber-attack on its IT systems which significantly interrupted the usual processes for surveillance reporting, including reporting to international organisations including the ECDC, and has required the development of interim surveillance arrangements.
During the COVID-19 pandemic the HSE-HPSC has uploaded COVID-19 data from the national infectious disease surveillance system (CIDR) and other sources to ECDC via The European Surveillance System (TESSy system) on a weekly basis. These data were used to populate a range of ECDC outputs which describe the epidemiological situation across Europe, including the “Maps in support of the council recommendation on a coordinated approach to travel measures in the EU”.
www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/covid-19/situation-updates/weekly-maps-coordinated-restriction-free-movement.
HPSC has continued to provide daily updates to ECDC on the estimated number of cases and these data, including 14-day case notification rate per 100,000 inhabitants have been published on their website uninterrupted since the cyber-attack.
However, not all practices were possible with the interim surveillance arrangements, including the reporting of all data necessary for ECDC to populate their maps. The principal reason was because these more detailed datasets must be uploaded through TESSy, access to which has not been possible until all necessary measures were put in place to assure the safety of the HSE network.
Permission to access TESSy again was granted by the ECDC during the ending 25/06/2021. HPSC has developed work around solutions to prepare the necessary data. Data was uploaded on 29/06/2021, and Ireland was included in the map published on Thursday 01/07/2021 and in each subsequent weekly update.
Healthcare Policy
Questions (2693, 3316, 3317, 3318, 3319)
Catherine Connolly
Question:2693. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the status of the implementation of the new consultant-led public health model; when the model will be fully implemented; the number of new consultant posts in public health medicine which will be created as part of the model; if recruitment of these new consultant posts in public health medicine has started to date; if so, the status of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38801/21]
View answerCatherine Connolly
Question:3316. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the status of the implementation of the recommendations in the 2018 Crowe Horwath report on the Role, Training and Career Structures of Public Health Physicians in Ireland; the timeline for the full implementation of the recommendations of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41339/21]
View answerCatherine Connolly
Question:3317. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health his plans to undertake a review of the legislation underpinning the public health function in Ireland, as recommended in the 2018 Crowe Horwath report on the Role Training and Career Structures of Public Health Physicians in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41340/21]
View answerCatherine Connolly
Question:3318. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health his plans for the development of a new national development plan for the public health workforce pursuant to the Crowe Horwath report on the Role, Training and Career Structures of Public Health Physicians in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41341/21]
View answerCatherine Connolly
Question:3319. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health his plans for the development of a new organisational model for the delivery of public health services pursuant to the Crowe Horwath report on the Role, Training and Career Structures of Public Health Physicians in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41342/21]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 2693 and 3316 to 3319, inclusive, together.
My Department and the Health Service Executive (HSE) are committed to delivering on the recommendations that were made for Public Health in the Crowe Horwath report. The report recognised the very important role that public health medicine plays in the health of our population and in how our health service is managed and delivered.
Our Public Health Specialists have been to the forefront of our response to the pandemic. They have made an enormous contribution to the protection of everybody living in Ireland. This pandemic has certainly highlighted that Public Health Medicine must be reformed and strengthened such that the skills and expertise which are unique to Public Health Physicians can be leveraged to ensure maximum return for the Irish health service and ultimately benefit and improve the health of the population as a whole.
An agreement was reached with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) earlier this year that will support the implementation of a fundamentally reformed consultant led public health model at a national and regional level which is aligned with international best practice.
Implementation of this agreement is now in progress and finalisation of the new operating model for Public Health is expected in the coming weeks. The new Model will be implemented by December 2023, with the establishment of 34 consultant posts in the first year and a total of 84 Consultant in Public Health Medicine posts by end December 2023. The phased nature of the implementation will facilitate the completion of a review process to ensure reform is embedded throughout the implementation process. Work is underway in order to begin recruitment of the first phase of posts as a priority.
Healthcare Policy
Questions (2694)
Catherine Connolly
Question:2694. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the status of the establishment of regional health areas in line with recommendations in the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare Sláintecare Report 2017; the number of regional health areas have been established to date; the details of the organisational and management structures of the promised regional health areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38802/21]
View answerWritten answers
Mar is eol don Teachta Connolly, the commitment to establish Regional Health Areas (RHAs) was first outlined in the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare Sláintecare Report (2017). The Programme for Government 2020 further outlines a commitment to bring forward detailed proposals on these six Regional Health Areas to enable delivery of local services for patients that are safe, of high quality, and fairly distributed across each of the agreed six new health and social care regions.
This commitment has been further affirmed in first Sláintecare Implementation Strategy (2018) and Action Plan (2019), and the most recent Sláintecare Action Plan (2021 – 2023). The latest HSE Corporate Plan (2021) also commits to progressing RHAs as does the Department of Health Statement of Strategy (2021-2023).
The government decision of July 2019 approved the geographies of six new Regional Health Areas. It also approved the development of a detailed business case and change management programme to implement these. Understandably, this work was paused as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Work to develop a business case for the establishment of the six Regional Health Areas recommenced in Q1 2021 and is currently progressing. This work is being coordinated across multiple units in the Department of Health. There has been engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on this topic already this year. Consultations with other key stakeholders, including the HSE, patients and clinicians, are underway or planned. This consultative work will continue over the next several months.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Questions (2695)
Paul Kehoe
Question:2695. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health if the passenger locator form will remain a requirement for fully vaccinated international arrivals after 19 July 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38803/21]
View answerWritten answers
All passengers arriving into the state are required to complete a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form (PLF) in accordance with SI 45/2021. There are limited exemptions from this requirement, as set out in the regulations, such as for international transport workers or for diplomats. The Passenger Locator Form is used to support a system of engagements with arriving passengers including the targeting of public health messaging by SMS and may be used for contact tracing.
Nursing Homes
Questions (2696)
David Cullinane
Question:2696. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the additional supports and bonuses being considered for implementation in respect of nursing home healthcare staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38804/21]
View answerWritten answers
The Government and I wish to convey sincere gratitude to health care workers in relation to their continuing efforts in the delivery of health services during this very challenging pandemic period. The Government and I are committed to recognizing front-line healthcare workers in respect of the extraordinary contribution and commitment they have made in the management of the pandemic. The HSE, my Department, and Government are considering the most appropriate means and timeline for such recognition, noting that the pandemic is ongoing.
Additionally, a process of talks is underway between Health Service Management and Representative Unions at the Workplace Relations Commission on this matter. Accordingly, more detailed comment by me or the Government would be inappropriate at this time.
Question No. 2697 answered with Question No. 2026.