Written Answers Nos. 58-80
58. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health the number of rural general practitioners in County Kildare; the way that this compares per head of population to other counties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26555/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
59. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health if his Department will undertake a full review of managerial practices at a hospital (details supplied), including but not limited to, hiring practices for managerial positions, the trolley crisis in the hospital, managerial accountability for ongoing failures in the system and accident and emergency department waiting times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25413/22]
View answerThe emergency department in UHL has experienced increased attendances and admissions in recent months. These increases, along with the additional pressure Covid has placed on capacity, have resulted in increased Patient Experience Times and usage of trolleys. This is despite the addition of 150 beds in the UL Hospital Group, 98 of which were in UHL itself, over the past two years.
I wrote to the CEO of the HSE requesting that he send in an expert team to ascertain urgently what additional resources might be deployed, as well as any changes that could be made quickly to alleviate the current pressures. I stressed that it is very important that the management and the clinicians at University Hospital Limerick get all of the support that they possibly need. The review will take place from Friday 13th May 2022 to Friday 10th June 2022. I understand that the team has been on site and will be back on site for two days next week.
Separately, UL Hospitals Group CEO, Prof Colette Cowan has commissioned Deloitte to conduct an external review of patient flow at University Hospital Limerick. This work is ongoing and is intended to provide an independent and comprehensive overview of patient flow through the ED at UHL while at the same time looking at the use of resources, processes in place and identifying any constraints.
The overarching objectives of this review is to:
- Define and describe the source(s) of flow challenges experienced within the ED and UHL;
- Determine and comment on possible opportunities to enhance the existing patient flow approach; and
- Reflect on the effectiveness and impact of patient flow initiatives introduced to date by UHL.
The Deloitte Review into Unscheduled Care is still ongoing and Deloitte are presently meeting with the HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare Stakeholders, as this is an integrated review of patient flow. Once the review is complete, the findings will be circulated to external stakeholders.
60. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the new or expanded services that are being provided in hospitals in counties Cavan and Monaghan in 2022. [26766/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
61. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which every effort is being made, similar to the coordinated efforts displayed in the fight against Covid-19, to ensure the recovery of the health services and the overhaul of long waiting lists; if the delivery plan will be coordinated in such a way as to achieve major objectives in the short-term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26835/22]
View answerRecognising that waiting lists and waiting times for scheduled care in Ireland are unacceptably long, in February of this year I launched the 2022 Waiting List Action Plan.
The Plan, through which €350 million has been allocated to the HSE and NTPF, has a dual focus – the immediate reduction of waiting list numbers and waiting times through the delivery of additional activity; and the implementation of longer-term reforms that aim to make sustained changes to waiting lists and waiting times in the years to come.
In the short-term, the Plan aims to achieve a number of significant objectives.
It is projected that 1.5 million people will be added to waiting lists this year. The Plan details how we intend to ensure that an even higher number, 1.7 million, are treated and removed from waiting lists. Therefore, if this Plan is fully delivered, it will reduce waiting lists by 18 percent this year which will bring the number of people waiting to 588,000, the lowest number in five years.
The Plan also dedicates €15 million to three priority areas of paediatric orthopaedics, gynaecology and bariatrics / obesity, and aims to make significant changes to waiting lists in these areas.
There is also particular focus on 15 high-volume inpatient day case procedures, so that every person waiting for over 6 months who is clinically ready will receive an offer of treatment. These procedures include cataracts, hip and knee replacements, and angiograms.
At the same time, reforming and investing in our public health service will eradicate the gap between demand and capacity by addressing long-term reforms like improving patient pathways of care, enhancing data collection and information sharing, and revising waiting-list management protocols.
A Waiting List Task Force has been established and is meeting fortnightly to track Plan progress and identify solutions to any blockages. The Task Force is co-chaired by the Secretary General of my Department and the CEO of the HSE and comprises senior representatives from the Department, the HSE and the NTPF.
62. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Leopardstown area in Dublin 18 does not have sufficient public health nurse services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25996/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
65. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who are registered as patients under the Medical Cannabis Access Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26939/22]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, the question has been referred to the Health Service Executive for their attention and direct reply to the Deputy.”
66. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the way that he proposes to build additional capacity in Ennis General Hospital and the other model 2 hospitals in the mid-west region, including Nenagh and St. John’s, to alleviate pressure on University Hospital Limerick. [26520/22]
View answerIn recent years, there has been significant investment and development in the University of Limerick Hospital Group to improve access and patient flow and to provide additional infrastructure and services right across the Group. These include:
- The new Outpatients Department at Ennis Hospital opened on Monday, March 29th 2021. The new OPD in Ennis has 15 clinical rooms, in addition to a phlebotomy bay, four waiting areas, offices and staff changing rooms.
- The new Outpatients Department at Nenagh Hospital opened recently, allowing the enhancement of facilities for outpatients in Nenagh in the long term. The development includes a dedicated Ophthalmology Injection Suite.
- ULHG has also engaged with the HSE's National Women and Infants Health Programme to establish ambulatory gynaecological and fertility services in Nenagh. The ambulatory gynaecology clinic and the regional fertility hub became operational in 2022. The ambulatory gynaecology service is expected to significantly reduce the number of patients waiting for gynaecology appointments across the Group.
- ULHG recently opened newly developed inpatient accommodation at Croom Orthopaedic Hospital. ‘The Maigue Unit’, is a modern, state-of-the-art 24 single room ward complex, and includes a new operating theatre suite.
- In total, 98 new beds were added to UHL by the end of 2020. A suite of 24 single rooms were completed on the UHL site and there is a dedicated Haematology Oncology Unit. A separate temporary 14-bed single room block has also been completed.
- The new Injury Unity in Ennis Hospital was handed over to the HSE on the 15th December 2021. The doors of the new €2m Injury Unit at Ennis Hospital opened on Friday April 8th, bringing an immediate improvement in the clinical environment and experience for healthcare staff and the thousands of patients who use this service every year..
- The development of the new four-storey, 96 single bed acute inpatient ward block extension at University Hospital Limerick has full planning permission, fire certification and is fully designed. It is anticipated that the works contract will be awarded in early Quarter 2 2022 subject to HSE Board approval and funding availability.
My Department and I remain committed to improving services at University Limerick Hospital Group and ensuring patient-centred care for the people of the Mid-West. The Department will continue to work with the HSE to ensure services, facilities and patient experience at ULHG continue to be developed into the future. As the UHLG are responsible for the management of capacity across the Group, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
67. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if he will push for an elective hospital in the mid-west to alleviate pressure on University Hospital Limerick. [26519/22]
View answer83. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Health if he and or the HSE have received a proposal from the University Limerick Hospital Group for the provision of an elective only hospital unit; if so, the timeframe for this proposal to be assessed by his Department and the various units and committees of the HSE before being assessed by the Public Spending Code; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26410/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 67 and 83 together.
The Cross Party Sláintecare Report in 2017 articulated a new vision for healthcare in Ireland, including the provision of elective only hospitals, providing protected capacity for elective care. The “Elective Hospitals Oversight Group”, under the joint governance of the Department of Health and HSE has been guiding the development of the elective hospital proposals, following the process outlined in the updated Public Spending Code, setting out the value for money requirements for the evaluation, planning, and management of large public investment projects.
The provision of additional protected capacity for elective care is further confirmed by the Government Decision, in December 2021 and subject to the necessary approvals and requirements under the Public Spending Code being met, on a new National Elective Ambulatory Care Strategy. This new strategy aims to change the way in which day case, scheduled procedures, surgeries, scans and outpatient services can be better arranged to ensure greater capacity in the future and help to address waiting lists. The development of additional capacity will be provided through dedicated, standalone Elective Hospitals in Cork, Galway and Dublin. The Government decision is very clear on this. No other locations are under active consideration. It is important to note that the locations chosen will allow for new facilities of a size and scale to implement a national elective care programme that will tackle waiting lists on a national basis. This means that the new facilities will be designed to maximise their capacity and in doing so will operate to cover as a wide catchment area as possible, extending beyond existing and future health areas including the mid-west.
The elective care scope of service will be developed in two phases commencing with day cases, diagnostics, and outpatients and then by in-patient treatment. On this basis, the Elective Care Centres (ECCs) will be designed to provide sufficient capacity to facilitate future phases, including some elective in patient capacity, thereby providing a sustainable and strategic response to cater for the highly dynamic landscape of healthcare policy and practice.
With respect to a specific proposal for an elective only hospital in the mid-west region, a submission was made to the HSE National Capital and Property Steering Committee in 2018 for the St John’s 120 bed proposal, and the proposal was considered by the Committee at that time and has been on the agenda since. However, substantial queries on the submission were raised by the Committee. As the proposal does not align with the recently approved Government Policy for National Elective Ambulatory Care Strategy, it is not in the approved project pipeline and has not been included in HSE Capital Plan.
68. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the role of genomic medicine in Ireland; and his plans for a national genomics strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25567/22]
View answerGenomics has transformed our understanding of disease and our ability to deliver care in a way that is more specific and personal to each individual patient. By establishing the sequence of an individual’s genetic material, it is possible to identify sequences or mutations, which are specific to that person. Not only can these sequences identify the cause or stage of a disease, they can identify the risk of future disease and also help predict the likely benefits or side effects of a particular medication. Genomics has the potential to reshape clinical practice and to fundamentally change the way we prevent, diagnose, treat and monitor illness, providing the opportunity to have more precise and tailored treatments for patients.
Ireland is well placed to utilise genomic data. Currently, there are a number of relevant genomic initiatives being developed in both the clinical and research arenas, and by public and private enterprise. These initiatives need to be co-ordinated within a broader strategic approach to the use of genomic medicine in Ireland. It is for this reason that a National Genetics and Genomics Strategy needs to be developed.
The Department of Health is currently working with the HSE on the Steering Group tasked with the delivery a National Genetics and Genomic Strategy. The Strategy will help shape the future of genetics and genomics in Ireland. The Minister looks forward to introducing the Strategy once it is developed.
69. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health when free general practitioner care will be extended to six and seven-year-olds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26799/22]
View answerMy officials and the HSE are engaged in preparatory work for the commencement of the initial stage of the phased expansion of GP care without fees to all children aged 12 years and under, the provision of GP care without fees to all children aged 6 and 7. Consultations with the IMO, representing GPs, are currently underway with the intention of introducing this service this year.
71. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the recent call by an organisation (details supplied) for ventilation in hospitals to be examined to ensure the safety of nurses and midwives in their workplaces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26949/22]
View answerVentilation has remained a core element of the broader infection prevention and control (IPC) response over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ventilation should not be seen as a standalone measure, but rather a single component of the overall layered response required to reduce the risk of transmission, and an adjunct to the continued need for adherence to the full range of public health advice. The importance of ventilation as a measure to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 is embedded in Government communications on the pandemic.
The HSE’s Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control Division (AMRIC) was established in early 2019, under the Office of the Chief Clinical Officer. It is led by the AMRIC National Clinical Lead and consists of a core multidisciplinary team with expertise across a range of relevant clinical domains.
The AMRIC provides expert advice on the practical and safe implementation and application of antimicrobial resistance and infection control measures in healthcare and non-healthcare settings. HSE AMRIC guidance promotes adequate ventilation as one of a number of measures to reduce the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in acute settings, published online here:
Acute Hospital Infection Prevention and Control Precautions - HPSC
Guidance on the sectoral application of the broad range of public health advice, including ventilation, is a matter for individual sectors.
With regard to the healthcare sector, the Deputy is advised that the application of infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance as referenced above, including procurement of equipment as necessary, is an operational matter and as such, the Deputy’s question has been referred to the HSE for direct written response.
72. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health his plans to address overcrowding in emergency departments in Cork. [26911/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
73. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that the minor injury unit at Monaghan Hospital secures additional opening hours. [26202/22]
View answerMonaghan Hospital and Cavan General Hospital operate as a single entity, with an integrated managerial and clinical governance system, care pathways and support functions. The Emergency Department is located at Cavan General Hospital, while the facilities at Monaghan Hospital are focused on elective care and the streaming of appropriate patients to the Minor Injuries Unit located on site.
It is the HSE, under the Health Act 2004, that is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. In that regard, the RCSI Hospital Group advises that there are no plans to extend the operating times of the Minor Injury Unit at Monaghan Hospital.
74. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the steps that he is taking to provide chiropody services for public patients in CHO4. [26281/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
75. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health if he will restore the full range of cardiac services to Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will work with his counterparts in the North of Ireland to offer an extended cardiac service at Letterkenny University Hospital to patients on both sides of the Border as is the case with the north west cancer centre in Altnagelvin, Derry. [25410/22]
View answerThere are a number of health cooperation services operating in the North West region between Donegal and Derry. These include the North West Cardiology Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Service (PCI). In place since 2016, the agreement provides for the provision of Primary PCI Service to Donegal patients at Altnagelvin Hospital. The cardiology service is provided to patients with a diagnosed ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction condition (heart attack). The National Cardiac Services Review is in the final stages and is due to be published shortly. This review will set out the roadmap for the future delivery of cardiac services nationally. In the interim, University Hospital Galway will continue to support Letterkenny University Hospital in the delivery of acute cardiac services.
76. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health when all persons who are due to receive the pandemic bonus payment will receive it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26812/22]
View answerThe pandemic recognition payment is being rolled out to eligible HSE and Section 38 staff currently. Some cohorts have received the payment, and every effort is being made by local sites to process the remainder through their payroll systems.
Separately, my Department is preparing information for those other certain healthcare employees that are covered by the Government Decision, and the process available to their employers to implement this measure for their eligible staff. I am keen for this work to progress so that rollout and payments can begin shortly.
77. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 81 of 31 March 2022, the status of the proposed primary care centre for Galway west; if a planning application has been lodged to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26794/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
79. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health when the National Forensic Mental Health Service Hospital in Portrane will open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26569/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
80. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health the number of approved medical products that are now prescribable under the Medical Cannabis Access Programme; if he will provide the details of each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26940/22]
View answerOn 16th May 2022, the Minister for Health signed SI 237/2022 the Misuse of Drugs (Prescription and Control of Supply of Cannabis for Medical Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 amending Schedule 1 of the 2019 Regulations (S.I. No. 262 of 2019) and adding a new product to the Schedule of products that meet the specifications as set out in the regulation. There are now a total of 7 products in Schedule 1 as set out in the table below.
Specified Controlled Drugs
|
Name of Cannabis product or preparation and brand name |
Dosage form |
Concentration of THC (percentage, weight/weight or weight/volume) |
Name of manufacturer |
|
Aurora High CBD Oil Drops |
Oral solution |
Less than 3% w/v (< 30mg/ml) This product also contains cannabidiol (CBD) 60% w/v (600mg/ml) |
Aurora Cannabis Enterprises Inc.,4439 Township Road 304,Cremona, Alberta,Canada, T0M 0R0 |
|
CannEpil ™ |
Oral solution |
0.5% w/v (5mg/ml) This product also contains cannabidiol (CBD) 10% w/v (100mg/ml) |
MGC Pharmaceuticals d.o.o.,Kamniška ulica 29, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia |
|
Tilray Oral Solution THC10:CBD10 25ml |
Oral solution |
1% w/v (10mg/ml) This product also contains cannabidiol (CBD) 1% w/v (10mg/ml) |
Tilray Canada Ltd., 1100 Maughan Road, Nanaimo, BC, V9X 1J2, Canada |
|
Aurora Sedamen Softgels |
Capsules |
5mg/capsule This product also contains cannabidiol (CBD) less than 0.2mg/capsule |
Aurora Cannabis Enterprises Inc.4250 14th Avenue,Markham, Ontario, CanadaL3R 0J3 |
|
Oleo Bedrobinol |
Dried Flower |
13.5% w/w (135mg/g) This product also contains cannabidiol (CBD) less than 1.0% w/w (less than 10mg/g) |
Bureau voor Medicinale Cannabis Postbus 16114 2500 BC DEN HAAG The Netherlands |
|
Oleo Bedrocan |
Dried Flower |
22% w/w(220mg/g) This product also contains cannabidiol (CBD) less than 1.0% w/w (less than 10mg/g) |
Bureau voor Medicinale Cannabis Postbus 16114 2500 BC DEN HAAG The Netherlands |
|
Althea CBD12:THC10(50ml) |
Oil |
1% w/v THC(10mg/ml) This product also contains 1.25% w/v (12.5mg/ml) cannabidiol (CBD) |
Tasmanian Alkaloids pty Ltd T/A Extractas Bioscience, Westbury, Tasmania, Australia 7303 |
