Written Answers Nos. 658-680
658. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of persons aged 75 plus and under 75 who were waiting greater than 24 hours at an emergency department for each year from 2010 to date by month; the total number of each; the sum of both for each month and for each year, in tabular form; the total number waiting greater than 24 hours for admission via an emergency department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17457/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
659. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the timeframe envisaged for removing private healthcare from public hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17458/22]
View answerThe removal of private practice from public hospitals is a core principle of Sláintecare, ensuring that public healthcare facilities are used for public patients only. The priority for Government at this time is the introduction of the new Consultant Contract, a crucial element of removing private practice from public hospitals.
660. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his plans to underpin Sláintecare on a statutory basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17459/22]
View answerThe Sláintecare Implementation Strategy & Action Plan 2021-2023 was approved by Government in May 2021. A mid-year progress report was published in September 2021 and an end-of-year Progress Report is expected to be published in the near future. Any legislation required as part of these work programmes are considered and progressed in due course. For example, legislation was enacted to facilitate the establishment of a new HSE board as part of the Sláintecare reform.
The Government is committed to Sláintecare reform and to ensuring every patient receives the right care, in the right place and at the right time. €1.235 billion was allocated to ‘pure’ Sláintecare initiatives in Budget 2021 enabling and supporting major milestones in the Sláintecare Implementation Strategy and Action Plan 2021-2023 to be reached and funding is continuing at historically levels in Budget 2022.
661. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if he has set waiting list reduction targets specifically for each hospital group and each hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17460/22]
View answerThe 2022 Waiting List Action Plan (WLAP), which I launched on 25 February 2022, details 45 actions to reduce and reform waiting lists.
Our immediate priority under the plan is to deliver additional activity and thereby reduce the number of people waiting, with a particular focus on long waiters. Some €263m, of the €350m fund made available via the 2022 WLAP, has been allocated to the HSE and National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) this year to source additional outpatient (OPD), endoscopy (GI Scopes), diagnostics and inpatient daycase (IPDC) activity to achieve this.
A substantial piece of work with Hospital Groups and CHI to identify the specialties and indeed procedures to target is nearing completion. In the meantime, the HSE and NTPF are collaborating to procure as much additional activity as possible using existing arrangements.
The HSE will continue to prioritise the delivery of care based on robust clinical guidance. Ongoing monitoring will take place to identify evidence of unmet historical, clinically urgent demand. To the extent that these demands are displacing non-urgent waiting list activity, further efforts will be made to secure additional capacity.
The 2022 Waiting List Action Plan will also progress work towards the achievement of intermediate waiting time targets this year, as set out in the 2022 National Service Plan (98% of all patients on active waiting list will wait less than 18 months for their first Outpatients appointment and less than 12 months for their procedure).
The 2022 Plan also focuses on 15 high volume inpatient day case procedures, including cataracts and hip and knee replacements, so that every person waiting over 6 months for one of these procedures, and who is clinically ready, will receive an offer of treatment via the NTPF.
662. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the detail of all income received or generated by each hospital from 2015 to date by hospital and income stream in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17461/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
663. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the detail of his plans to put Sláintecare maximum wait times on a statutory basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17462/22]
View answerThe 2022 waiting list action plan, which I launched on the 25th of February, allocates €350 million to the HSE and NTPF to reduce waiting lists by 18% this year which will bring the number of people waiting to their lowest point in five years. Projections for 2022 show that over 1.5 million patients will be added to active waiting lists this year. Many people stayed away from the health service during the pandemic and, as these people come forward for treatment it will place huge additional demand on health services. Under the Waiting List Action Plan, the Department HSE and NTPF will deliver urgent additional capacity to treat 1.7 million people as well as investing in longer term reforms to bring sustained reductions in waiting lists.
In addition to reducing waiting list volumes and implementing reforms, the 2022 Plan will also progress work towards achieving maximum waiting time targets. The 2017 all-party Oireachtas Sláintecare Report recognises the need to reduce waiting times for scheduled care services, especially for those with urgent and complex care needs. The Sláintecare Report sets out the following recommended maximum waiting time targets for acute scheduled care to be achieved in the long-term that have been adopted as Government targets: no patient should wait longer than 10 weeks for outpatients/assessments; 12 weeks for inpatients / day cases; and 10 days for diagnostics.
However, given the historically long waiting times for scheduled care and the impact of the pandemic, the numbers of people now waiting for treatment and diagnostics far exceed these stated targets. The 2022 Plan will progress practical work towards the achievement of these maximum waiting targets through a phased approach and the delivery of intermediate targets this year, while also seeking to improve and increase capacity and productivity to deliver an immediate and medium-term reduction in waiting list numbers. The 2022 Waiting List Action Plan will progress intermediate waiting time targets this year, as set out in the 2022 National Service Plan of: by end-December 2022, 98% of all patients on our waiting list will wait less than 18 months for their first outpatients appointment (OPD) and 12 months for their procedure (IPDC and GI scopes). The Plan also focuses on 15 high volume inpatient day case procedures, including cataracts and hip and knee replacements, so that every person waiting over 6 months for one of these procedures, and who is clinically ready will receive an offer of treatment via the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).
In total, the 2022 Plan details 45 actions to reduce and reform waiting lists. One of these actions is to develop and agree a multi-annual waiting list reduction plan to support the achievement of the Government maximum wait time targets. As part of this action consideration will be given to decisions relating to codifying such targets in legislation to complement the practical work already underway via other actions in the Plan to achieve these targets.
664. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of staff employed by his Department and-or the HSE whose earned income exceeds €100,000; the number who earned income in excess of amounts (details supplied) for each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17463/22]
View answerIn respect of the HSE's employees and those of the Section 38 agencies, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
In respect of staff of my own Department, a breakdown of the number of staff who earned income in excess of €100,000 for each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, is set out in tabular form below in line with the bands set out in details supplied with the Deputy's question.
The amounts reported reflect gross pay before any statutory or voluntary deductions.
|
2018 |
|
|
Band |
No of employees |
|
€100,000 to €120,000 |
4 |
|
€120,001 to €130,000 |
1 |
|
€130,001 to €140,000 |
2 |
|
€140,001 to €150,000 |
1 |
|
€150,001 to €160,000 |
1 |
|
€160,001 to €170,000 |
0 |
|
€170,001 to €180,000 |
3 |
|
€180,001 to €190,000 |
1 |
|
€190,001 to €200,000 |
0 |
|
€200,001 to €210,000 |
0 |
|
€210,001 to €220,000 |
0 |
|
€220,001 to €230,000 |
0 |
|
€230,001 to €240,000 |
0 |
|
€240,001 to €250,000 |
0 |
|
Total number who earned in excess of €100,000 in 2018 |
13 |
|
Department of Health Total Headcount for 2018 |
498 |
|
2019 |
|
|
Band |
No of employees |
|
€100,000 to €120,000 |
11 |
|
€120,001 to €130,000 |
0 |
|
€130,001 to €140,000 |
3 |
|
€140,001 to €150,000 |
1 |
|
€150,001 to €160,000 |
2 |
|
€160,001 to €170,000 |
0 |
|
€170,001 to €180,000 |
4 |
|
€180,001 to €190,000 |
0 |
|
€190,001 to €200,000 |
1 |
|
€200,001 to €210,000 |
0 |
|
€210,001 to €220,000 |
0 |
|
€220,001 to €230,000 |
0 |
|
€230,001 to €240,000 |
0 |
|
€240,001 to €250,000 |
0 |
|
Total number who earned in excess of €100,000 in 2019 |
22 |
|
Department of Health Total Headcount for 2019 |
547 |
|
2020 |
|
|
Band |
No of employees |
|
€100,000 to €120,000 |
16 |
|
€120,001 to €130,000 |
3 |
|
€130,001 to €140,000 |
1 |
|
€140,001 to €150,000 |
3 |
|
€150,001 to €160,000 |
2 |
|
€160,001 to €170,000 |
0 |
|
€170,001 to €180,000 |
0 |
|
€180,001 to €190,000 |
3 |
|
€190,001 to €200,000 |
1 |
|
€200,001 to €210,000 |
0 |
|
€210,001 to €220,000 |
0 |
|
€220,001 to €230,000 |
0 |
|
€230,001 to €240,000 |
0 |
|
€240,001 to €250,000 |
0 |
|
Total number who earned in excess of €100,000 in 2020 |
30 |
|
Department of Health Total Headcount for 2020 |
595 |
|
2021 |
|
|
Band |
No of employees |
|
€100,000 to €120,000 |
27 |
|
€120,001 to €130,000 |
5 |
|
€130,001 to €140,000 |
0 |
|
€140,001 to €150,000 |
0 |
|
€150,001 to €160,000 |
1 |
|
€160,001 to €170,000 |
2 |
|
€170,001 to €180,000 |
2 |
|
€180,001 to €190,000 |
2 |
|
€190,001 to €200,000 |
0 |
|
€200,001 to €210,000 |
0 |
|
€210,001 to €220,000 |
0 |
|
€220,001 to €230,000 |
0 |
|
€230,001 to €240,000 |
0 |
|
€240,001 to €250,000 |
0 |
|
€250,001 to €260,000 |
1 |
|
Total number who earned in excess of €100,000 in 2021 |
40 |
|
Department of Health Total Headcount for 2021 |
691 |
665. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the persons in the grade of the individual within the HSE who is responsible for submitting reports to him under section 13 of the Disability Act 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17465/22]
View answer666. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his views on whether the preliminary team assessments carried out under the current standard operating procedure for assessments of need for children with a disability are currently lawful, if they are still in use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17466/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 665 and 666 together.
As these are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
667. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total number of children who had a preliminary teams assessment following the introduction of the latest standard operating procedure for children with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17467/22]
View answer668. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total number of children who had a preliminary teams assessment and in which a health need was identified following the introduction of the latest standard operating procedure for children with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17468/22]
View answer669. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total number of children who had a preliminary teams assessment and in which an education need was identified following the introduction of the latest standard operating procedure for children with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17469/22]
View answer670. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total number of children who had a preliminary teams assessment and in which the nature and extent of a disability was established following the introduction of the latest standard operating procedure for children with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17470/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 667 to 670, inclusive, together.
As these are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
671. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total number of staff employed by the HSE whose basic pay was in excess of amounts (details supplied) for each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17471/22]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
672. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total number of staff employed by the HSE to whom allowances were paid in excess of amounts (details supplied) for each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17472/22]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
673. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total number of staff employed by the HSE to whom overtime was paid in excess of amounts (details supplied) for each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17473/22]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
674. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total number of staff employed by the HSE to whom on-call payments were paid in excess of amounts (details supplied) for each of the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17474/22]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
675. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if travel expenses incurred by a HSE employee in the course of their duties will be reimbursed without further delay (details supplied). [17477/22]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to this matter.
676. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health the number of adults accessing speech and language therapy services in CHO 7; the number of adults awaiting assessment for the services; the number of adults who have had an assessment and are on waiting lists to access services; and the average wait time for assessment and post-assessment access. [17478/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
677. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health if a list of CAMHS staff employed for the Clondalkin area will be provided; the roles of each; the number of vacancies that exist in each role; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17488/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
678. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health if a review has been conducted of the 2015-2020 Sexual Health Strategy; and, if so, when this review will be published. [17507/22]
View answerThe National Sexual Health Strategy, 2015-2020, was launched in October 2015. It takes a life course approach, acknowledging the importance of developing a healthy attitude to sexuality in young people and of building on that foundation for positive sexual health and wellbeing into adulthood and older age.
Current priority deliverables under the Strategy are HIV prevention, including the continued expansion of a Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) programme, which commenced in late 2019, and the HIV Fast Track Cities programme, involving Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway.
Other key areas of work include expanding access to contraception, free of charge; expanding sexually transmitted infection (STI) services, progressing a population survey on sexual health and improving sexual health education, training and resources, including in schools, higher and further education.
A review of the Strategy began in 2021, having been postponed as a result of the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Focus group meetings were held with key stakeholders, including clinical and public health staff, the Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme team, those working in the STI clinics, the education sector, the Department of Health and Women’s Health Taskforce, the research and academic sector and organisations representing the LGBTI+ community.
The detailed feedback from these meetings has been collated and will inform the future direction of the next iteration of the strategy. Commissioning an external review of the Strategy has been approved and will progress through standard procurement processes, which will commence shortly. It is envisaged that the procurement process will conclude by July, with the Review to take 3-4 months once commenced. When complete, the Report will be published on the Healthy Ireland website. Results will, in turn, inform future policy direction.
679. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health if a group (details supplied) will be included as eligible to receive counselling from the HSE following the 2016 report from the United Nations on safe and child-sensitive counselling which recommended that these services be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17515/22]
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 David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of overtime hours worked by HSE staff, by staff category, for example, medical and dental, and grade, for example, consultant, from 2011 to 2021 and to date in 2022, on an annual basis, in tabular form; the number of persons to whom the overtime hours refer in each of the years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17516/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.
