Written Answers Nos. 796-810
796. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health if there will be speech and language appointments available in Sligo University Hospital for the next twelve months; the plans that are in place to ensure this vital service will be available to the many patients in the north west that require this service urgently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23265/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
797. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the budget allocation for medical compensation in each of the past ten years. [23270/22]
View answerThe State Claims Agency (SCA) has a statutory remit to manage personal injury claims on behalf of Delegated State Authorities including the Health Service Executive. The table below sets out the budget allocations from the Health vote to the SCA for the last ten years for the management of all health related claims, including those relating to medical compensation.
|
Year |
Amount allocated to the State Claims Agency under the Health Vote (€000) |
|
2013 |
133,000 |
|
2014 |
151,000 |
|
2015 |
189,000 |
|
2016 |
198,000 |
|
2017 |
274,000 |
|
2018 |
320,000 |
|
2019 |
370,000 |
|
2020 |
400,000 |
|
2021 |
410,000 |
|
2022 |
435,000 |
Budget allocation for health related claims to the State Claims Agency
798. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the amount the HSE paid out in compensation for medical negligence in each of the years 2010 to 2020. [23271/22]
View answerThe information sought from the Deputy was previously supplied to him in PQ 25845/21. I have copied this previous answer below for the Deputy's convenience.
The State Claims Agency (SCA) has a statutory remit to manage personal injury claims on behalf of Delegated State Authorities including the Health Service Executive. The State Claims Agency has informed me that the information contained below was extracted from the National Incident Management System (NIMS) according to the below criteria:
- This report shows Damages Payments made from 2010- 2020 with respect to clinical claims under the management of the State Claims Agency.
- The figures relate to all claims under the hazard category of clinical care only being managed by the SCA under the Clinical Indemnity Scheme (CIS).
- HSE within this report relates to all Acute and Community enterprises, Section 38s, National Support Services and Disability sector. It does not contain any private schemes.
- This report is correct as of 30/04/2021
Total Damages Payment Made – 2010-2020
It should be noted that the amount paid out each year in relation to catastrophic injury payments is subject to considerable volatility depending on the number of settlements, given the very large size of individual awards/settlements, and whether awards/settlements are on a lump-sum, interim payment order or PPO basis.
The reduction in the Real Rate of Return, following the Court of Appeal decision in November 2015, added considerably to the cost of resolving catastrophic injury cases and the resultant inflationary effect of the change in the Real rate of Return is reflected in the figures from 2013 onwards, owing to the retrospective application of the Rate to the original High Court decision in that year.
Note, the % increase in volume of claims where compensation was paid from 2010 to 2020 is 116% and the number of these payments which were greater than €4million has increased by 367% over the same period. These numbers also relate to mass actions claims such as Cervical Check.
|
Year of Payment |
Damages Paid |
|
2010 |
€49,775,492 |
|
2011 |
€56,552,411 |
|
2012 |
€44,789,076 |
|
2013 |
€79,531,968 |
|
2014 |
€61,156,838 |
|
2015 |
€146,090,425 |
|
2016 |
€138,050,689 |
|
2017 |
€179,555,201 |
|
2018 |
€200,576,997 |
|
2019 |
€241,280,582 |
|
2020 |
€243,614,581 |
|
Total |
€1,440,974,260 |
Table1: HSE Damages payments 2010-2020 on Clinical Claims
Definitions
National Incident Management System (NIMS): Incidents (which include claims) are reported using the “National Incident Management System”. This is hosted by the State Claims Agency (SCA) for the HSE, other Healthcare enterprises and State Authorities. An incident can be a harmful Incident (Adverse Event), no harm incident, near miss, dangerous occurrence (reportable circumstance) or complaint.
Damages Payments: Can includes both General Damages and Special Damages
Clinical: A clinical incident on NIMS is one which falls under the Incident Hazard category of Clinical Care. This category includes incidents relating to the provision of services of a diagnostic or palliative nature. It also includes incidents relating to the provision of treatment. Incidents present in this category will be relating to clinical procedures, birth specific procedures, medication incidents, or nutrition/blood related incidents.
799. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of delayed treatments or appointments for cancer treatment since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. [23272/22]
View answerFrom the outset of the pandemic, great focus has been placed by the health services on encouraging people to come forward wit cancer-related concerns. It is important that anyone with concerns about cancer visit their GP, who will arrange appropriate follow-up care. Our cancer diagnostic and treatment services are open, and our healthcare staff will provide any necessary care.
The number of people coming forward with cancer concerns decreased significantly during Covid Wave 1 from March to May 2020. However, we have seen a recovery in the figures since that time:
- the total number of GP e-referrals to cancer Rapid Access Clinics for 2021 stood at 130% of the activity for the corresponding period in 2019;
- the total number of patients seen across all Rapid Access Clinics in 2021 stands at 102% of the corresponding period in 2019; and
- the number of patients receiving chemotherapy in 2021 was at 100% of 2019 activity;
- the number of patients receiving radiation oncology in 2021 was at 89% of 2019 activity; and
- the number undergoing surgical oncology in 2021 was at 90%.
The Government has provided significant extra funding for cancer services in Ireland. Funding of €5m has been provided in 2022 to continue the work of supporting cancer services and increasing capacity in the context of Covid-19. This is in addition to the €12m allocated in 2021. This funding is facilitating additional clinics and the extension of clinic times, as well as allowing for minor infrastructural works to be carried out and for locum and temporary staff to be recruited to support the delivery of services.
In addition, there has been significant investment over the last two years for implementation of the National Cancer Strategy, with €20m provided in 2021 and a further €20m in 2022. This funding is being utilised to advance the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer and to provide continued support for patients living with and beyond cancer.
800. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the details of the co-ordinated work that is being undertaken at a European Union level to facilitate registration of Ukrainian medical professionals in European Union countries under the auspices of the current situation in Ukraine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23274/22]
View answerThe EU Commission has been actively engaged in co-ordinating efforts to facilitate the recognition of Ukrainian professional qualifications, including the qualifications of medical professionals. The Commission recommendation (EU) 2022/554 of 5 April 2022 on the recognition of qualifications for people fleeing Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine (EUR-Lex - 32022H0554 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)) provides guidance and information to Member States to assist in the recognition process.
Member States have been requested to cooperate closely with Ukrainian authorities, representatives of Ukrainian civil society and the Commission to support practical solutions for recognition of qualifications and the smooth integration of people enjoying temporary protection into the labour market. Dedicated ad hoc meetings are taking place within the Group of Co-ordinators for the recognition of professional qualifications to share expertise and learnings and officials from the Department of Health are attending these meetings.The Department, the regulatory bodies and the HSE are also in contact with the Ukrainian Embassy in Ireland and have created designated points of contact for Ukrainian health professionals.
801. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the reason that the Irish Medical Council and HSE have advised applicants to proceed with general specialist registration rather than supervised registration considering given the fact that the legal basis for Ukrainians staying in Ireland is the Temporary Protection Directive, for a maximum of three years given that an increase of medical professionals would be welcome to the workforce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23275/22]
View answer802. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if there has been an assessment of the content and robustness of the Krok 1 and 2 examinations in Ukraine; if consideration will be given to deeming it equivalent to the USMLE Step 1 and 2 examination, for the purposes of PRES level 2; if consideration will be given to creating dedicated supervised posts for Ukrainian doctors should these examinations be deemed equivalent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23276/22]
View answer803. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the details of the financial support that is available for Ukrainian doctors arriving in Ireland considering that the registration process here is prolonged and complex and as a result Ireland may lose these doctors to other European Union countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23277/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 801 to 803, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Medical Council is the statutory agency responsible for the registration and regulation of doctors in Ireland. In order to protect patients, it has a responsibility to ensure that all doctors registered to practise medicine in Ireland are safe to do so and meet the requirements to practise as set out in legislation.Officials from my Department have been in regular contact with the Council to examine the ways in which support can be provided to doctors arriving from Ukraine and to ensure that practitioners can be assisted and facilitated in gaining registration where possible. The Council is working with a range of stakeholders in this regard including the HSE, Postgraduate Training Bodies and the Irish Medical Schools Council.
The HSE, through the National Doctors Training & Planning Unit (NDTP), in partnership with the Council and the Postgraduate Training Bodies, is coordinating an information gathering process which is collating information about healthcare professionals who are coming to Ireland. This data collection process is ongoing and will assist the relevant bodies in supporting these doctors and enable them to contact the individual doctors directly. The HSE is also looking at other options which these doctors can avail of while registration is pending, such as medical translation and access to CPD resources.
I recognise that practitioners seeking registration face significant fees and for refugees arriving from Ukraine it may be particularly challenging to meet these costs. This is an issue which is being actively considered by my Department, the Medical Council and the other health profession regulators all of whom recognise the need to provide support to applicants.
The selection of examinations for establishing medical education standards is a matter for the Medical Council. I have been advised that when the Medical Council determined the international exams suitable for the purpose of PRES Level 2 (UK, USA, Australia and Canada), there were a number of considerations including the similarities in the nature of medical education in those countries to that of Ireland. These are seen as the best fit in determining the suitability for registration of a candidate who has not qualified here. The Council has advised that acceptance of the Krok exam, which would enable access to the General Division of the register, would in effect be without any overall assessment of medical education in Ukraine. This could seriously undermine the Council’s ability to fulfil its patient safety remit. These are challenges which other EU Member States are also attempting to address. Officials from my Department form part of a coordination group established by the European Commission to examine the registration of Ukrainian health and social care professionals arriving in EU States as a result of the conflict. This group shares knowledge and best practice and is examining methods to streamline and expedite registration for these professionals, including the use of electronic databases, the EU information centres for academic recognition and machine translation tools.
Registration in the Supervised Division is granted to doctors who have been offered a post that has been approved by the Health Service Executive (HSE), which has specific supervisory arrangements. The Council cannot grant registration in the Supervised Division until the HSE has confirmed there is a publicly funded post available. The information currently available indicates that the Supervised Division is not the optimum route at this time. I fully appreciate the importance of facilitating access to employment for doctors arriving to Ireland. My Department, along with the Medical Council and the HSE will continue to ensure that all avenues are being explored with a view to enabling Ukrainian qualified doctors to apply for registration, always conscious of the need to ensure that patient safety, is to the fore of any decisions regarding registration.
804. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of women in adult psychiatric units by CHO area since January 2021 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23291/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
805. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he will clarify the regulations in relation to non-surgical cosmetic treatments aesthetics; if his attention has been drawn to the proliferation of unregulated practices in the administration of these cosmetic procedures; the steps that he plans to take to regulate same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23294/22]
View answerThe manufacture and placing on the market of dermal fillers is regulated under Regulation (EU) 2017/745 (“MDR”.) The MDR, which became fully applicable in May 2021, has an expanded scope, and will specifically include all dermal fillers, including those without a medical purpose, within its scope once the technical requirements (known as common specifications) for these products are in place. Once the common specifications are adopted, all dermal fillers will need to be certified as medical devices under the MDR and undergo a premarket assessment by an independent conformity assessment body (a Notified Body) before they can be CE marked and placed on the market. The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) monitor the safety of medical devices in Ireland after they are placed on the market.
The MDR relates to the regulation of the medical device itself including matters such as safety and performance, as well as requirements for manufacturers of medical devices. It does not include provisions for the regulation of aspects relating to the use in practice or administration of the product, location of use, specific training or the qualifications of the individual administering the product. It is anticipated that the Department of Health will look at the wider aspects of the regulation of aesthetic procedures in 2022.
The HPRA monitor the safety of medical devices placed on the market and assess their compliance with the applicable legislation. A medical device that is in conformity with the applicable legislation should bear a CE mark, indicating that it meets the basic requirements for safety and effectiveness under EU law and in some cases, this will involve a separate assessment by a “Notified Body” before the device can be placed on the market. HPRA operate a medical devices compliance programme, the objective of which is to ensure that the provisions of the medical devices legislation are complied with, to help ensure that public health and patient safety are protected. Furthermore, the HPRA also operates a national incident reporting system for medical devices and users of medical devices are encouraged to report incidents or problems associated with their use, to the HPRA. Further information relating to this can be found on the HPRA website. See www.hpra.ie/homepage/medical-devices/safety-information/reporting-safety-issues
By way of additional information, with respect to cosmetic procedures, the Patient Safety (Licensing) Bill will introduce a licensing scheme for acute hospitals and higher risk clinical health services provided in other settings. These high-risk activities provided outside of the hospital setting are referred to in the Bill as “designated activities”. Designated activities will be provided for by regulation and are likely to initially include cosmetic surgery services. Research has been and will be carried out in this area to ensure that an appropriate list of high risk designated activities are identified for inclusion within this licensing scheme.
806. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to incidents of abortions being carried out following a misdiagnosis of an unborn baby, other than the baby Christopher case (details supplied); and if so, the number of other similar cases and incidents that he is aware of; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23295/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
807. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of women screened by BreastCheck in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [23296/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
808. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of smear tests carried out by CervicalCheck in each of the last ten years and to date in 2022. [23297/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
809. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the status of the construction of the new cervical screening laboratory; the initial expected date for completion of construction; if any delays have been encountered in the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23298/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
810. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of children aged zero to 18 years of age in each CHO by individual area and by each composite LHO within each CHO awaiting first-time intervention in all areas of early intervention; the number on the public list; the number on the children’s disability network team list in each CHO in tabular form; and the length of time they are awaiting intervention by age. [23314/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
