Written Answers Nos. 157-171
157. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the status of the capacity review of authorised officers across community healthcare organisations; when the review will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37492/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
158. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health when the awaited action plan for University Hospital Kerry will be ready; if his attention has been drawn to the current difficulties facing the hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37507/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
159. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the status of the reimbursement pricing negotiations for the cystic fibrosis medication kaftrio for children aged 6 to 11 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37355/22]
View answer933. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health when the HSE will make a decision on expanding access to kaftrio for children aged 6 to 11 years with cystic fibrosis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37611/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 159 and 933 together.
Under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
160. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the current state of speech and language therapy waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37503/22]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to a service issue, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
161. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if he will address the issues in relation to a representative organisation (details supplied) that is seeking pay parity with similar workers in the health service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31316/22]
View answerI acknowledge the valuable role medical scientists play in our health system and their claim for pay parity with clinical biochemists.
Following strike action on May 18th and 24th, Health Management and the MLSA attended an exploratory engagement at the Labour Court on 25 May, for the Court to establish whether or how it might assist the parties in finding a resolution to the matters in dispute.
Following the engagement at the Labour Court, the parties agreed to reconvene at the WRC for a final engagement process. This process took place over a three-week period. Parties agreed that any outstanding issues which couldn’t be resolved through the WRC process would be referred to the Labour Court for a final recommendation. During these talks, an agreement was reached on a process to assess this long-standing claim.
It is positive that the MLSA have lifted their strike action and that parties have reached agreement on a process to assess the claim.
162. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his plans to recruit and retain staff for children’s disability network teams. [37593/22]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to a service issue, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
163. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will consider the provision of free flu jabs for all going into the winter season as part of a combined strategy to ease pressure on hospitals and in view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37516/22]
View answerThe immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The committee's recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation. My Department will continue to be guided by NIAC's recommendations on any emerging evidence on the issue of flu vaccination in the future.
Prior to 2020/2021, the seasonal influenza vaccination was available without charge to Medical or GP Visit card holders in one of the HSE-defined at-risk groups. Those in the at-risk groups, who did not hold a medical card or a GP visit card were provided the vaccine without charge and typically paid an administration fee to have the vaccine administered.
In 2020/2021, given the potential for the winter influenza season to coincide with a resurgence of COVID-19 and the importance of minimising hospital attendance for the treatment of influenza, the Government expanded the provision of vaccination without charge to all of those in the at-risk groups, regardless of eligibility status.
This expanded programme ensured that those most vulnerable to the effects of influenza had access to vaccination without charge. This was intended to encourage uptake and thereby result in a reduction in the number of influenza-related hospital admissions and in the overall spread of influenza in the community. This expanded programme will be continued during the 2022-2023 flu season.
164. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the elective hospital in Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37463/22]
View answer1025. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if a decision has been made as to the preferred location of the new proposed elective hospital for Cork; when an announcement will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37916/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 164 and 1025 together.
In December 2021, the Government agreed a new National Elective Ambulatory Care Strategy. This aims to change the way in which day case, scheduled procedures, surgeries, scans and outpatient services can be better arranged and ensure greater capacity in the future. It will also help to address waiting lists on a national level through the provision of dedicated, standalone facilities in Cork, Galway and Dublin.
As agreed by Government, the elective care scope of service will be developed in two phases. The first phase will commence with day cases, diagnostics, and outpatients. The provision of in-patient treatment will be considered in a subsequent phase. The need for this future in-patient care will be factored into the detailed planning and design phase of the elective facilities.
The development of the elective hospital proposals is following the process outlined in the updated Public Spending Code. This sets out the value for money requirements for the evaluation, planning, and management of large public investment projects. A programme Preliminary Business Case (PBC) has been finalised by my Department and shared with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. A project-level PBC for Cork is complete and is being reviewed under the required Public Spending Code’s External Assurance Process. Once this is complete, it will be assessed by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform’s Major Projects Advisory Group, following which Government approval-in-principle to proceed with the project will be sought. It is intended that the project-level Preliminary Business Case for Cork will make a recommendation on a preferred site option.
165. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health when he expects that the pandemic bonus payment will be paid to all eligible healthcare workers; if he has set a deadline for payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37488/22]
View answerFirstly I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all healthcare workers for their efforts during this most challenging period.
On 19 January, the Government announced a COVID-19 pandemic recognition payment for front-line public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic. Criteria for eligibility of payment for HSE and Section-38 staff was published on 19 April. Since 1 July, over 75,000 of these staff have received payment. Payment is being prioritised across all services and will be made to all eligible workers as soon as possible.
The payment will also be rolled out to eligible employees of specific non-HSE/Section 38 organisations covered by the Government decision. This roll out is a complex task, particularly as these employees are not normally paid by the public health service, duplicate payments need to be avoided, and there are many organisations to be covered, but this work is being given priority attention.
166. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the lack of public health nurse services in Dublin 18; the steps that he is taking to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37484/22]
View answerPublic Health Nurses play an extremely valuable role within the community healthcare system and provide an extensive range of services, including the provision of child health screening and supports for parents. It is important that the local community of Dublin 18 – and indeed communities across the country – have access to public health nurses when they need them.
This is why the Government is investing €195 million this year to deliver the Enhanced Community Care Programme and establish 96 Community Health Networks nationally. These networks will be central to the development of improved primary care services and will enable an expansion of primary care capacity. There will be eight such networks across the suburbs of Dublin South and South East.
As part of the ECC programme, 3,500 additional staff will be recruited nationally, with a particular focus on nursing and health and social care professionals. Latest figures show that over 2,000 of these staff are recruited or at an advanced stage of recruitment.
The ECC programme and associated recruitment will boost public health nursing services within Dublin South and Dublin South East, with an additional 15 nursing posts allocated to the area.
Unfortunately, it is the case that the HSE has identified challenges to attracting and retaining nurses that are particular to the Dublin area and affecting recruitment in Dublin 18. These challenges include the availability of property to rent and to buy, cost of living expenses, childcare expenses, and commuting issues. These factors also apply to difficulties in accessing agency staff.
The HSE are working to mitigate these challenges as far as possible at both local and national level. This includes the implementation of an accelerated recruitment campaigns as well as planned engagement with third level institutions in order to recruit newly qualified graduates.
The HSE also plan to boost international recruitment efforts. These initiatives have the potential to address the recruitment challenges being experienced in Dublin 18. At the same time, it is important to recognise that the recruitment challenge is not straightforward and that we are competing in a competitive international marketplace for skilled nursing staff.
It is also the case that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted on the capacity of the Public Health Nursing to deliver core child health services. Since March 2020, many Public Health Nurses have been redeployed to support COVID-19 related clinical activities, including vaccination.
As COVID-19 testing and vaccination services are scaled back, available public health nurses are being reassigned from vaccination centres to their core duties with child development check services prioritised. I am optimistic that this will result in improved service delivery across the country, including Dublin 18. For example, the HSE have advised that three nurses have recently been reassigned from the Shoreline Vaccination Centre to Dublin South East.
The Department of Health recognises the need to improve access to the wide range of services provided by public health nurses. I can assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to support the HSE to address the challenges that exist in Dublin 18.
167. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the shortage of nurses and nursing managers (details supplied) in University Hospital Galway and Merlin Park Hospital and the related impact on patient care; his plans for the expedited recruitment of nurses to these hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37623/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
168. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health the main improvements in the provision of health services and entitlements for people with a disability over the past two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37555/22]
View answerAs these are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
169. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the steps that are being taken to recruit neurology nurse specialists for Cork University Hospital given that the unit is short of specialised staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37501/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
170. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Health his plans to address the issues that have arisen with the reimbursement of service providers for the provision of abortion services in respect of persons without PPSNs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37481/22]
View answerIt is my priority to ensure that the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 is fully implemented, and is performing as it should be, to enable all women in Ireland to access termination of pregnancy services quickly and easily, without bias or judgment.
Termination of pregnancy services are free of charge to anyone who is ordinarily resident in the State. In the case of a vulnerable person including an asylum seeker looking to access the service, it is my understanding that in any situation where a person requires a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) to access urgent or emergency medical services, but hasn’t yet been assigned one, the Department of Social Protection can and will allocate a PPSN for that purpose.
There is regular ongoing engagement between the Department of Health and the HSE to facilitate the operation of the service and to resolve any issues that may arise and we will continue to ensure the positive rollout and enhancement of these healthcare services.
The Review of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 which is currently underway will assess the effectiveness of the operation of the legislation. This purpose of the review is to facilitate monitoring of the operation of the legislation in practice, as well as of the delivery of services in the area.
171. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the development of perinatal mental health services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37192/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
