Written Answers Nos. 673-692
673. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if additional funding was sought in 2020 from estimates to provide seven day per week respite at a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46170/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
674. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if his attention was drawn to processing times to have qualifications recognised and register with CORU for social workers who qualified in Northern Ireland that want to apply for vacant positions here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46171/21]
View answer675. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the processing timeframes for recognition of qualifications and registering with CORU for social workers in each of the years 2018 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46172/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 674 and 675 together.
CORU has provided data in tabular form on the processing times for the recognition and registration of social work qualifications.
These data include applications for the recognition of social work qualifications generally and applicants who qualified in Northern Ireland., CORU does not track the data on applicants based on geographical location and cannot provide a figure specifically for applicants who provide an address for correspondence in Northern Ireland.
Recognition data for 2021 is not yet available, however, the current registration average processing time for 2021 is provided below.
Table 1: Average Recognition Processing Time in Days for Social Worker Applications
|
Year |
Social Workers (All) |
Social Workers (NI only) |
|
2018 |
97 |
99 |
|
2019 |
82 |
82 |
|
2020 |
75 |
76 |
Table 2: Average Registration Processing Time in Days for All Social Worker Applications
|
Year |
Days |
|
2018 |
73 |
|
2019 |
67 |
|
2020 |
81 |
|
2021 |
56 |
Measures to Improve Timelines
CORU has advised that until recently an applicant with an international qualification was required to wait until their recognition application was completed before they could apply for registration. CORU has introduced a new process whereby an applicant who has submitted their application for recognition can now begin the registration process at the same time, this means internationally qualified applicants can be placed on the register in a shorter timeframe. CORU advises that as this is a recent change, outcomes cannot yet be measured.
CORU has also scheduled additional board meetings for the Social Workers Registration Board for Quarter 4 in 2021 and into 2022 to support faster decision making.
In addition to the above measures, CORU has informed the Department that in October the Health and Social Care Professionals Council will consider a proposal to pilot an alternate mechanism for the recognition of qualifications, this pilot will include Social Work qualifications from Northern Ireland and is expected to significantly reduce timeframes.
677. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if a person who was vaccinated using their English name will be able to have their EU Digital COVID Certificate amended to match the Gaeilge version of their name which corresponds with their passport; if so, the process for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46174/21]
View answerDigital COVID Certificates are being issued automatically for persons who have completed a full course of vaccination in Ireland.
A person who wishes to amend details on a Digital COVID Certificate which has been issued, including altering the name to match their passport, can do so by contacting the helpline directly or requesting the changes on the appropriate online portal available on gov.ie
Updates to certain types of identifying information will require documentary evidence to be provided to support the change.
678. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if the intellectual disability service received a multidisciplinary team proposal for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46175/21]
View answerThe 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.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
679. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of vacancies for positions within the mental health services in County Donegal; the corresponding length of the vacancies in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46176/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
680. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the budget allocation for mental health services in County Donegal by organisation in for the period from 2011 to date in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46177/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
681. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of persons currently on the waiting list for mental health services in County Donegal by the stage of assessment and or treatment; the corresponding length of time that they have been waiting for assessment and or treatment in three-month intervals, that is, zero to three, three to six months and so on in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46178/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
682. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive an appointment for procedures in Letterkenny University Hospital; if the referral is general or urgent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46179/21]
View answerUnder 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.
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.
683. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when a child (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive an appointment for an operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46180/21]
View answerUnder 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.
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.
684. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the allocation to each service provider in respect of each person with an intellectual disability; the scale of payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46185/21]
View answerThe 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.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
685. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if an evaluation of the pilot scheme on personalised budgets for those with an intellectual disability will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46187/21]
View answerThe report of the Task Force on Personalised Budgets (Towards Personalised Budgets for People with a Disability in Ireland) was published in 2018. The Task Force Report recommended that Personalised Budgets would be piloted and evaluated in an Irish context over a two year period. The HSE established the Personalised Budget Demonstration Projects in 2019. The Department of Health requested the National Disability Authority (NDA) to manage the evaluation of the Demonstration Project.
Given the number of factors that the Task Force Report suggested should be tested in the Demonstration Project, the Department of Health, HSE and NDA recommended that a sample size of 180 Personalised Budget participants would be required to allow for a robust evaluation.
There are currently 92 participants in the various stages on the Pilot Personalised Budget Demonstration Project. This means that the Demonstration Projects are running behind schedule. This is due primarily to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also due to other factors such as challenges in recruiting HSE staff and the cyber-attack on the HSE.
The NDA has tendered for and selected an evaluation team to conduct the evaluation. The NDA has secured research ethics approval from some of the service providers supporting people who have engaged with the Personalised Budget Demonstration Project process and is actively engaged in seeking ethical approval from other service providers.
The evaluation is designed to capture the experiences and outcomes of all the participants (who have consented to be part of the evaluation) regardless of what their primary disability might be. However, the evaluation team have taken the needs of participants with intellectual disabilities into consideration and have developed Plain English and Easy to Read evaluation materials. Those conducting the evaluation fieldwork have extensive experience of working directly with people with disabilities, including people with intellectual disabilities.
A key output of the evaluation process will be a report capturing learning about the experiences and outcomes for persons with disabilities participating in the Demonstration Project, as well as consideration of the costs of administering the system. This will inform Department of Health considerations with regard to any future programme of Personalised Budgets.
686. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of applications waiting for a primary medical certificate by county; the current application processing time for a primary medical certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46188/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
687. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the number of persons with diabetes aged 18 years and over who are waiting on a first appointment to the outpatients diabetes clinic in any of the University Limerick Hospitals Group facilities; and the number who are waiting six to 12, 12 to 18, 18 to 24 months, two to four and more than five years in tabular form. [46214/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
688. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if University Hospital Limerick is included in the remaining six diabetes centres to become dose adjusting for normal eating licensed in 2022 (details supplied); and if a centre in the mid-west such as Limerick is included in the remaining six centres to become licensed in 2022. [46215/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
689. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if he will provide funding in budget 2022 to provide a minimum of one whole-time equivalent diabetes specialist pump nurse for the adult diabetes clinic in University Limerick Hospitals Group to enable insulin pump therapy initiation for persons who are clinically suited to this treatment. [46216/21]
View answer694. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the funding in budget 2022 to provide a minimum of one whole-time diabetes specialist pump nurse in all 18 does adjustment for normal eating, DAFNE, certified diabetes centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46221/21]
View answer801. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the funding in budget 2022 to provide a minimum of one whole-time equivalent diabetes specialist pump nurse in all 18 does adjustment for normal eating, DAFNE, certified diabetes centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46644/21]
View answer802. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health if the extra funding required to provide the appropriate diabetes staffing resources to provide access to the dose adjustment for normal eating programme for all persons with type 1 diabetes will be made available in the upcoming budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46645/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 689, 694, 801 and 802 together.
As the Department is currently engaging in dialogue with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the HSE in relation to the Estimates process for 2022 / Budget 2022, it would not be appropriate for at this time to provide the type of information requested.
690. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the number of persons with diabetes over the age of 18 years attending University of Limerick hospital's group adult diabetes service who are using insulin pump therapy to manage their condition. [46217/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
691. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the number of funding applications received for persons with diabetes over 21 years of age by the long-term illness scheme and primary care reimbursement service for the Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring system; the number of those applications for persons with diabetes over 21 years of age that were approved; and the number that were rejected in each of the years 2018 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [46218/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
692. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the number of funding applications for persons with diabetes over 21 years of age that were rejected by the long-term illness scheme and the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, for the FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring system; and the number of those rejections that are now being funded for either Dexcom or Medtronic continuous glucose monitoring sensors through the PCRS, in each of the years 2018 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [46219/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
