Written Answers Nos. 604-624
604. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if the public orthodontist in the orthodontic unit of St. Columcille's Hospital Loughlinstown, County Dublin is currently on sick leave; if so, the length of time they will be on leave; the provisions that have been made to replace and cover the position; if the orthodontist is still practising in their private clinic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43313/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
605. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if he will provide comprehensive details from each national director and assistant national director in the HSE in relation to matters (details supplied) for the area of responsibility of each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43315/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
606. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Health when phase 2 of the digital vaccine certificate programme will begin which will allow citizens vaccinated outside the EU to obtain a digital certificate. [43323/21]
View answerFollowing the successful rollout of the initial implementation phase of the EU Digital COVID Certificate in Ireland, the Government is creating a specific portal to enable Irish citizens vaccinated outside of the EU, with vaccines authorised for use in Ireland, to obtain a COVID certificate valid in Ireland and across the EU.
This portal is currently being advanced on a cross departmental basis involving technical and process development, and resource management. It is expected that an announcement on the launch of this portal will be made shortly.
608. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter regarding the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43330/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
609. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Health if he will consider facilitating a vaccine roll-out in special schools in an effort to cater for some students who would otherwise find it stressful to attend large vaccine clinics that may be intimidating for some; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43331/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
611. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) can expect to receive a medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43333/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
612. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health when as part of the Housing for All plans he expects any reform of the fair deal scheme to take place; the process by which this will take place; if he will provide an expected timeline on the commitment and the number of units he would expect may be brought back into use by any such changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43336/21]
View answerThe Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as 'Fair Deal', is a system of financial support for people who require long-term residential care. The primary legislation underpinning the NHSS is the Nursing Home Support Scheme Act 2009. Participants in the NHSS contribute to the cost of their care according to their means while the State pays the balance of the cost. The Scheme aims to ensure that long-term nursing home care is accessible and affordable for everyone, and that people are cared for in the most appropriate settings.
The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Act 2021, which was signed into law on 22 July, introduced further safeguards in the NHSS to further protect the viability and sustainability of family farms and businesses. The principal amendment of this Act ensures that where the owners of farms and businesses go into long-term residential care, their contributions against those assets will be capped at 3 years, providing that a named family successor commits to running the asset for a period six years and certain other conditions are met.
It also includes an amendment in relation to applying the 3-year cap to the proceeds of sale of a house while a resident is in long-term care. This addresses the first relevant commitment in the Housing for All Strategy (action 19.7).
Within the NHSS, the asset value of a resident's home, known in the Scheme as the "principal residence", is assessed for 3 years, with 7.5% of its value going towards the cost of care (3.75% in the case of a couple). After 3 years on the scheme, the value of this property is no longer assessed. In practice, this generally reduces the nursing home fees of those maintaining their home, from year four onwards. However, under previous rules, if it was sold, the resulting cash asset was assessable in full for the entire length of stay in care. This could act as a disincentive for those who might otherwise consider selling their homes. The 2021 Act now extends the 3-year cap to cover the proceeds of sale, so that a person will be able to sell their home without incurring additional fees from the fourth year onwards. The timeline set out in the legislation ensures that the Act will be operational by the end of October 2021. In the development of the legislative amendment it was projected that this change would bring up to between 330 and 580 homes to market each year, on average 2.25 years earlier than if sold when the resident left care.
As well as introducing the change above, the Department of Health has also agreed to action 19.8 in the Housing for All Strategy to develop a mechanism in relation to the rental of vacant properties "in a way that is targeted, equitable, evidence-based and provides appropriate safeguards for vulnerable older people". It is important to note that complex policy questions remain in meeting these criteria and there are high risks associated with unintended consequences. There is no existing exemption of rental or similar income from assessment within the Scheme and due care needs to be taken to ensure that any changes are appropriate; to protect and meet the needs of residents while also making provision for those in need of housing.
The NHSS is a complex €1.4 billion Scheme that relies on €350m of contributions from over 22,000 residents. It is important to ensure that the costs, benefits, and unintended consequences of any policy changes are fully understood and resolved before they are put in place.
The Department of Health and Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage continue to collaborate on this policy, including the identification of the number of houses that may be brought into use and the costs associated with the policy options available to address this action, with a view to introducing legislation as soon possible once this analysis and policy development is complete.
613. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health when primary care services and a new primary care facility will be established in Tullow, County Carlow; the location of same; the timescale for this service to be established; the planned location of the facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43346/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
614. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health the number of physiotherapists based in the Coolock area of Dublin and who are available to provide services for children with dyspraxia; the catchment area that is served by Coolock; if all physiotherapy posts for this area are currently filled; the current waiting times for children to receive physiotherapy services for dyspraxia in this catchment area; the way it compares with services in other parts of the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43349/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
615. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter regarding turnaround times for ambulances in University Hospital Kerry (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43360/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
616. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if pre-employment checks have been completed and if a start date has been agreed for a vacant dentist position for the school dentistry service based in Tuam, County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43362/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
617. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of patients hospitalised following Covid-19 vaccination or hospitalised with suspected adverse reactions to a Covid-19 vaccination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43366/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
618. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if full body scans are available to all patients at Tipperary University Hospital; if MRI and CT scanners are available and in use 24/7 in the hospital; the number of MRI and CT scans provided to public patients at the hospital in each of the past three years; the number of scans provided to private patients for the same period at the hospital; if all scanning equipment based at the hospital is available to public patients; the arrangements including financial between a company (details supplied) and Tipperary University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43369/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
619. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health the status of an application for a device by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43373/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
620. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health his plans for a resilience roster within hospital systems to ensure adequate staffing levels are maintained to cover close contact exclusion and sick absent healthcare workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43374/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
621. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health his plans to ensure healthcare professionals are subject to clear policies and procedures in relation to encouraging breaks and providing spaces to rest in order to help avoid burnout in the workplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43375/21]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to this matter.
622. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health his plans to ensure healthcare workers themselves have access to appropriately resourced occupational health services, including mental health supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43376/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
623. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the progress made in relation to the roll-out of eHealth initiatives as per the 2019 general practitioner agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43377/21]
View answerGood progress has been made in relation to the rollout of eHealth initiatives since agreement was reached with GPs in 2019 on a wide range of contractual reform and service development. The pandemic has demonstrated not only the value of the eHealth initiatives that were specified within the contract, but also others, such as the transfer of prescriptions electronically between the GP practice and community pharmacy and the use of telehealth solutions (audio and video) to enable social distancing and reduce physical contact between patients and clinical staff, during times when the virus was most prevalent.
During the vaccination rollout, the HSE was able to accelerate the Individual Health Identifier (IHI) programme as a result of GPs providing the necessary identifying information for each person vaccinated within GP practices. This in turn will facilitate the practice systems themselves being populated with IHI numbers.
It was not possible to implement the full ePrescribing system during the pandemic. However, my department did introduce new regulations which facilitated the deployment of a solution for the safe electronic transfer of prescriptions, thus eliminating the need for paper-based prescriptions and for patients to visit GPs solely to collect repeat prescriptions.
Electronic referrals were used almost exclusively for Covid-19 tests. Whilst electronic referrals to NIMIS (National Integrated Medical Imaging System) could not be automated there was a general increase in the adoption of electronic referrals during this time, including through increased adoption of Healthlink, Healthmail and use of the PCRS electronic claims system by GPs before and since the pandemic.
Whilst progress by the HSE on the summary and shared care record programme was impacted during the pandemic, GPs remained committed and engaged in preparations for their introduction. The extensive engagement by GPs in the Covid vaccination programme also involved the widespread implementation of the associated vaccination systems.
624. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of staff by job title working in the accident and emergency departments of the Mater Hospital, St. James's Hospital and Beaumont Hospital, respectively. [43392/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
