Duncan Smith
Question:145. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he has considered the appointment of a chief social care officer for social care services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7727/22]
View answerHealth Services Staff
Questions (145)
Written answers
Under the Public Service Management Act, the Secretary General of the Department of Health has the authority, responsibility and accountability for a range of functions, including the assignment of staff within an appropriate structure to facilitate an effective response to matters that pertain to the Department, while ensuring cost effective public services.
As part of a review of its structure to meet its strategic priorities, the Department is considering arrangements for incorporating relevant expert advice for its policy work on a multi-disciplinary basis. The review is ongoing and as such, no decision has been made on any particular Units which may be established, but there are no plans at the present time to establish a post of Chief Social Care Officer.
Hospital Services
Questions (146)
Brian Stanley
Question:146. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health when the acute beds in the renovated wing of Abbeyleix Hospital will be brought into use; when all beds in the community nursing unit will be utilised; and when the existing staff in the hospital will provide the services. [7763/22]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Mental Health Services
Questions (147)
Jackie Cahill
Question:147. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health the number of children waiting for a CAMHS appointment in the north Tipperary, south Tipperary and east Limerick local health office areas respectively; the number of these children that are also on a waiting list for a primary care psychology appointment; if he plans to audit, review or reform the CAMHS service in the area in the wake of recent issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7882/22]
View answerWritten answers
To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide details on the pathways of mental health care for children and adolescents in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Cannabis for Medicinal Use
Questions (148)
Gino Kenny
Question:148. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he will support broadening the range of products considered as suitable for use under the Medical Cannabis Access Programme in the context of the ongoing scientific review of cannabis for medical use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7944/22]
View answerWritten answers
In the Misuse of Drugs (Prescription and Control of Supply of Cannabis for Medical Use) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 262/2019) the definition of ‘specified controlled drugs’ describes the cannabis product or preparation that can be used in the Medical Cannabis Access Programme and the specific requirements for those products.
A prospective supplier can apply to the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), on behalf of the Minister, to have a product considered for inclusion in the Schedule of ‘specified controlled drugs’ in the Regulations. As specified controlled drugs will fall under schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017, a controlled drugs licence, processed by the HPRA, on behalf of the Minister, is also required for possession, supply or import of such cannabis products.
Details on how to apply for a licence to possess, supply or import medical cannabis products for use under the Medical Cannabis Access Programme in accordance with the requirements for schedule 2 products in the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 can be found in the operator guidance issued by the HPRA.
It is open to any supplier or producer to apply to the HPRA to have their products assessed for inclusion in the programme.
Hospital Facilities
Questions (149)
Neasa Hourigan
Question:149. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the status of the ongoing infrastructure improvements to the neonatal intensive care facilities at the Rotunda Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7693/22]
View answerWritten answers
As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
Healthcare Infrastructure Provision
Questions (150)
Rose Conway-Walsh
Question:150. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Health when the capital application will be approved for the modular build at Belmullet District Hospital; the status of the proposed project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7941/22]
View answerWritten answers
As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Questions (151)
Cormac Devlin
Question:151. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the status of plans to accelerate the treatment programme for children with spina bifida. [7926/22]
View answerWritten answers
I acknowledge that waiting times for many hospital procedures and appointments are unacceptably long. It is of particular regret that children can experience long waiting times for orthopaedic treatment, especially for time sensitive procedures, and I remain acutely aware of the impact that this has on children and their families. I remain committed to working to reduce waiting times for patients.
Children with a range of needs rely on the orthopaedic service of Children’s Health Ireland, for example children with Spina Bifida, hip deformity, and other orthopaedic needs. The complex patient needs of these children remains at the forefront of service provision.
Two months ago, I met with the Scoliosis Co-Design Group. This is a well-established and successful group which facilitates a multi-disciplinary approach to service improvement. The group includes members from advocacy groups, as well as orthopaedic consultants from Children's Health Ireland, and senior management from across the CHI sites. Further to this meeting I requested that Children's Health Ireland (CHI) draw up a plan to improve waiting times for orthopaedic services, particularly for those children with conditions such as scoliosis and Spina Bifida where time is a crucial factor in ensuring that these children have a positive outcome from their surgeries.
Last week I convened a meeting with the clinical teams from Crumlin, Temple Street, and Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital, along with senior management from these hospitals and the HSE. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the draft orthopaedic waiting list plan and to ensure that an appropriate plan with ambitious and attainable activity levels was being produced. The plan will be funded in the context of the wider waiting list action plan for 2022 and will include additional activity to reduce the spinal orthopaedic waiting list through the use of theatres at Crumlin, Temple Street, and Cappagh. In the context of the waiting list action plan additional capacity will also be sought in the private sector to work towards reducing paediatric orthopaedic waiting times.
In terms of broader services for children with Spina Bifida, CHI have advised the Department of Health that CHI at Temple Street has doubled capacity from 2 Multidisciplinary (MDT) clinics to 4 MDT outpatient clinics per month. This will improve access to specialists in the area of Neurodisability, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, Urology, Occupational therapy, Physiotherapy, and Neuropsychology. The clinics also provide access to a Medical Social worker and a Clinical Nurse Specialist. CHI has advised the Department that this capacity increase is expected to provide each child with an annual review and will reduce the waiting time for follow up appointments.
The 2022 waiting list action plan, which I will be bringing to Government shortly, builds on the successes of the short-term 2021 plan that ran from September to December last year. The 2021 plan was developed by my Department, the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and was driven and overseen by a senior governance group co-chaired by the Secretary General of my Department and the CEO of the HSE and met fortnightly. This rigorous level of governance and scrutiny of waiting lists has continued into this year with the oversight group evolving into the Waiting List Task Force. It has produced a comprehensive 2022 waiting list action plan which will set out high-level targets for waiting list improvement including dedicated funding for service reform, patient pathway improvement, and important significant additionality to substantially reduce the backlog of patients waiting. The taskforce will meet regularly to drive progress of the 2022 plan.
This is the first stage of an ambitious Multi-Annual Waiting List Plan, which is currently under development in my Department. Between them, these plans will work to support short, medium, and long term initiatives to reduce waiting times and provide the activity needed in years to come.
Health Services
Questions (152)
Thomas Gould
Question:152. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the status of the reopening of the Keltoi service. [7943/22]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Mental Health Services
Questions (153)
Christopher O'Sullivan
Question:153. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the timeline for the completion of renovation works to the St. David’s unit at Clonakilty Community Hospital which is to be used as a further CAMHS unit in the west Cork area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7828/22]
View answerWritten answers
To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide details on the pathways of mental health care for children and adolescents in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Questions (154)
Neale Richmond
Question:154. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health when persons that received a booster Covid-19 vaccination in Northern Ireland will receive an updated EU Digital COVID Certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7761/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Digital COVID Certificate service which accepts applications for persons vaccinated in third countries will be opened to accommodate booster applications in mid-February 2022.
The service will continue to be available to Irish passport holders, aged 18 and older, vaccinated in non-EU countries with vaccines accepted in Ireland, including those who received their booster dose in Northern Ireland.
The UK was awarded an equivalence decision under the EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation. As a result, UK COVID Certificates are accepted in the EU under the same conditions as the EU Digital COVID Certificates. Likewise, the EU Digital COVID Certificate is accepted in the UK as equivalent to UK COVID Certificates. Persons who received a QR coded certificate from Northern Ireland are not required to access an Irish Digital COVID Certificate for use in EU Member States.
Mental Health Services
Questions (155)
Pa Daly
Question:155. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the supports that have been provided by the HSE to parents and children affected by the CAMHS scandal since the launch of the look back report. [7716/22]
View answerWritten answers
To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide details on the pathways of mental health care for children and adolescents in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Question No. 156 answered with Question No. 65.
General Practitioner Services
Questions (157)
Willie O'Dea
Question:157. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health when free general practitioner care will be extended to six and seven-year-olds. [7910/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Government is committed to increasing access to GP care without charges for children, an important healthcare measure that will remove a potentially prohibitive cost barrier to accessing GP care and will help to improve children’s health as they develop. At present all children up to and including the age of 5 are eligible for a GP visit card and therefore GP care without charges.
The Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Act 2020 provides, amongst other things, for the phased expansion of GP care without fees to all children aged 12 years and under in three phases: to children aged 6 and 7; to children aged 8 and 9; and to children aged 10,11 and 12. Budget 2022 provides for the initial stage of this phased expansion, the provision of GP care without fees to all children aged 6 and 7 and my Department has commenced work to roll the service out this year.
The specific date for commencing the expansion remains under consideration in light of COVID-19 and the additional pressures the expansion might place on general practice in that context and will require consultation with the IMO, representing General Practitioners. It is important to ensure that any additional pressures placed on general practice will not limit its capacity to meet the needs of all patients in the community.
Health Services
Questions (158)
David Cullinane
Question:158. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to improve menopause supports for women; if he will put in place a women’s health structured care programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7845/22]
View answerWritten answers
Improving women’s health outcomes is a key priority for me and this Government. We have made a strong commitment to Promoting Women’s Health in the Programme for Government and are fully committed to the development and improvement of Women’s Health services and to working with women and girls to improve their health across the whole life cycle.
Significant activity is currently underway to enhance the supports available to women through the menopause. I announced my commitment to establish dedicated specialist menopause clinics across Ireland on the 10th of September 2021. These clinics will form a core part of a new approach to menopause care for women in Ireland and will be supported by enhanced community and primary care supports as well as the publication of targeted and trusted sources of information for women experiencing menopause.
The first specialist menopause clinic opened in the National Maternity Hospital in December 2021. Building on this development, Budget 2022 provided further commitment to a focussed approach in menopause care with funding for three further specialist menopause clinics, to bring the number of clinics nationally to four. Once in place, specialist menopause clinics will be provided in Dublin, Limerick, Galway and Cork working to complement the menopause support available to women in their community.
Additional activity underway and planned in the area of menopause includes:
- GP training is a key aspect of women receiving the best care through menopause. The Irish College of GPs are active members of the Women's Health Taskforce and continue to be engaged on how women's health can be better considered within the primary care setting. Relevant activity includes the collaboration between ICGP and the British Menopause Society to develop training in menopause management, which is currently in place; a ICGP Women’s Health Webinar on menopause and endometriosis which was held in June 2021 and had 1567 attendees; and a GP Education course which was established in September 2021 in the area of Community Gynaecology Course which includes menopause as a topic. Funding has been provided through the Women's Health Fund to develop a 'quick reference guide' for GPs on the menopause, to support primary care provision in this area.
Of particular relevance to the Deputy's query on a women’s health structured care programme, I have outlined my support for a new ICGP post of Clinical Lead for Women’s Health in General Practice, the first such post in Ireland. This is currently being progressed and once in place, the Clinical Lead will provide the essential leadership to drive forward an ambitious agenda to enable a comprehensive life-course approach to women’s health in general practice.
Further activity in the area of menopause includes:
- A number of health topics relating to women's health, including menopause, have recently been updated and are now live on the HSE A-Z. This information is an important first step towards delivering enhanced information and education on menopause. A public information webinar on the menopause was held on November 29th 2021.
- A civil service webinar on 'Menopause at work' was held on October 18th, and further HR training to better understand the challenges and solutions for supporting women in their menopause journey within the civil service was held on November 30th. The Healthy Workplace Framework, published in December 2021, aims to support the growth of effective approaches to enhance health and wellbeing in the workplace. The Framework is underpinned by robust evidence and consultation. An Implementation Group is in the process of being established, which will hold responsibility for developing an action plan. It is envisaged that a representative from Women’s Health will be included on the Implementation Group to help ensure the needs of women in the workplace are incorporated.
At present, GPs provide consultations without charge to women who have a medical card or GP visit card. Approved prescribed drugs and medicines, including HRT, are available free to medical card holders, subject to the statutory prescription charge. In addition, under the Drug Payment Scheme (DPS), no individual or family pays more than €100 a month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines.
Further research is required to understand the cost and benefit of such a development. This will be considered when planning for further menopause activity to take place in 2022.
The issue of menopause in particular has also been emphasised through the nationwide “Radical Listening” exercise carried out by the Women’s Health Taskforce. This exercise enabled women across the country to share their views and experiences of the health sector and health services. This was a large-scale consultation process intended to maximise the participation of women across all life stages from 18 years upwards, including minority and disadvantaged women. 278 women participated in open interviews and workshops, where menopause was a recurring theme. Through this process, the taboo around discussing menopause, and a lack of trusted information, were consistently raised as key issues for women experiencing menopause. I published a report on the findings of the ‘Radical listening’ exercise on September 14th 2021 which can be found here:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/ebe3e-significant-milestone-as-minister-donnelly-publishes-a-report-of-womens-voices-on-womens-health-following-a-radical-listening-exercise-this-year/
Emergency Departments
Questions (159)
Alan Dillon
Question:159. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health the status of the extension of the emergency department and associated works at Mayo University Hospital; the steps that are being taken to accelerate the project timeline; if progress has been made on replacing the CT scanner at the hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7952/22]
View answerWritten answers
As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
Disabilities Assessments
Questions (160)
James O'Connor
Question:160. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Health the status of the backlog of assessment of needs for children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5446/22]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Questions (161)
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Question:161. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health the mechanisms available and options being explored in relation to truth for families following the deaths of persons (details supplied) given the exclusion of a commission of inquiry. [6483/22]
View answerWritten answers
There has been a very clear national commitment to continue to learn from the pandemic as the national and international understanding of the virus evolves, and where necessary to ensure that the public health-led approach evolves, as evidence and learning materialises.
The independent COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel was established, on foot of a NPHET recommendation, to examine the complex issues surrounding the management of COVID-19 among this particularly vulnerable cohort in nursing homes. This Expert Panel report has added further to our knowledge and learning. This report clearly outlines the key protective measures that we must ensure are in place across our nursing homes. These actions are based on learning from our own and the international experience of COVID-19 to date. The report also recommends additional analysis and examination of the relevant public health and other data sets in order that further causal and protective factors for COVID-19 clusters are identified. HIQA and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) jointly published an “Analysis of factors associated with outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 in nursing homes in Ireland”, delivering on recommendation 6.7 of the Expert Panel report, to further the learning from the pandemic. Further data analysis work and learning will also continue, in line with other recommendations of the Expert Panel and HIQA and the HPSC are developing a further update to this analysis.
Work to progress the recommendations of the Expert Panel report, particularly those recommendations requiring a priority focus in the response to COVID-19, is ongoing across all of the health agencies and stakeholders. Continued learning and understanding of progression of the disease in Ireland is an integral part of those recommendations. €17.6m has been allocated in Budget 2022 to continue implementation of the Expert Panel recommendations.
The Department requested, as a once off measure and for the purposes of providing additional supports, that the Patient Advocacy Service extend its service to Dealgan House Nursing Home in order to support families during this time. I understand that the CEO of the HSE met with family members of residents in the nursing home. Minister Donnelly and I also met with the families of residents to hear their perspectives.
The establishment and parameters of any broader review or evaluation, following the pandemic, of the State’s response to the COVID-19 would be a matter for Government to decide on at the appropriate time. However, as noted, ongoing learning from the pandemic has been a key component of the management of COVID-19 and to add further to this, the Minister has recently established a Public Health Reform Expert Advisory Group which, amongst other things, will initially focus on identifying learnings from the public health components of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland with a view towards strengthening health protection generally and future public health pandemic preparedness specifically.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Questions (162)
David Cullinane
Question:162. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his plans to increase capacity across relevant paediatric specialties to deliver treatment for persons with scoliosis and spina bifida who have been waiting for a long time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7842/22]
View answerWritten answers
I acknowledge that waiting times for many hospital procedures and appointments are unacceptably long. It is of particular regret that children can experience long waiting times for orthopaedic treatment, especially for time sensitive procedures, and I remain acutely aware of the impact that this has on children and their families. I remain committed to working to reduce waiting times for patients.
Children with a range of needs rely on the orthopaedic service of Children’s Health Ireland, for example children with Spina Bifida, hip deformity, and other orthopaedic needs. The complex patient needs of these children remains at the forefront of service provision.
Two months ago, I met with the Scoliosis Co-Design Group. This is a well-established and successful group which facilitates a multi-disciplinary approach to service improvement. The group includes members from advocacy groups, as well as orthopaedic consultants from Children's Health Ireland, and senior management from across the CHI sites. Further to this meeting I requested that Children's Health Ireland (CHI) draw up a plan to improve waiting times for orthopaedic services, particularly for those children with conditions such as scoliosis and Spina Bifida where time is a crucial factor in ensuring that these children have a positive outcome from their surgeries.
Last week I convened a meeting with the clinical teams from Crumlin, Temple Street, and Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital, along with senior management from these hospitals and the HSE. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the draft orthopaedic waiting list plan and to ensure that an appropriate plan with ambitious and attainable activity levels was being produced. The plan will be funded in the context of the wider waiting list action plan for 2022 and will include additional activity to reduce the spinal orthopaedic waiting list through the use of theatres at Crumlin, Temple Street, and Cappagh. In the context of the waiting list action plan additional capacity will also be sought in the private sector to work towards reducing paediatric orthopaedic waiting times.
In terms of broader services for children with Spina Bifida, CHI have advised the Department of Health that CHI at Temple Street has doubled capacity from 2 Multidisciplinary (MDT) clinics to 4 MDT outpatient clinics per month. This will improve access to specialists in the area of Neurodisability, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, Urology, Occupational therapy, Physiotherapy, and Neuropsychology. The clinics also provide access to a Medical Social worker and a Clinical Nurse Specialist. CHI has advised the Department that this capacity increase is expected to provide each child with an annual review and will reduce the waiting time for follow up appointments. The 2022 waiting list action plan, which I will be bringing to Government shortly, builds on the successes of the short-term 2021 plan that ran from September to December last year. The 2021 plan was developed by my Department, the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and was driven and overseen by a senior governance group co-chaired by the Secretary General of my Department and the CEO of the HSE and met fortnightly. This rigorous level of governance and scrutiny of waiting lists has continued into this year with the oversight group evolving into the Waiting List Task Force. It has produced a comprehensive 2022 waiting list action plan which will set out high-level targets for waiting list improvement including dedicated funding for service reform, patient pathway improvement, and important significant additionality to substantially reduce the backlog of patients waiting. The Task Force will meet regularly to drive progress of the 2022 plan.
This is the first stage of an ambitious multi-annual Waiting List plan, which is currently under development in my Department. Between them, these plans will work to support short, medium, and long term initiatives to reduce waiting times and provide the activity needed in years to come.
Question No. 163 answered with Question No. 97.
Health Services Staff
Questions (164)
Mattie McGrath
Question:164. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if staff employed on the HSE MyOptions hotline have been trained to provide advice and information for expectant mothers on relevant social welfare entitlements and supports. [1951/22]
View answerWritten answers
As the Deputy’s question relates to a service area, I have referred this question to the HSE for direct response.