Sorca Clarke
Question:1871. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the engagement that he has had with the HSE regarding a treatment abroad scheme application by a person (details supplied) [40889/22]
View answerHealth Services
Questions (1871)
Written answers
I can advise the Deputy that my officials have engaged with the HSE on a number of occasions in relation to this individual case.
On your PQ 39546 dated 14th July 2022 on this case, I had asked the HSE to respond directly to you. I will ask them again to revert to you at the earliest opportunity.
Departmental Properties
Questions (1872)
Sorca Clarke
Question:1872. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the actions and engagements that his Department has taken to date to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in all buildings under his Department. [40914/22]
View answerWritten answers
My Department is fully engaged with the Government's objectives to improve public sector energy efficiency. The target for 2020 was set at a 33% improvement. We are delighted to have exceeded this target achieving a saving of 39.8% and we are committed, through our Green Team, to continue to collaborate with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), our Landlord, the OPW and our staff to play our part in achieving the Government's ambitious new targets for energy reduction in our HQ at Miesian Plaza through 2030. Miesian Plaza is an extremely complex environment which incorporates a wide range of energy-efficient technologies and measures to minimise the energy footprint of the premises and achieve greater efficiencies in our energy consumption. These include low-energy fan coil units, high-efficiency air-conditioning cooling systems and thermal storage and low-energy ventilation systems.
The HQ “Green Team” continues to promote environmental awareness and implement green strategy initiatives across the building as the lead tenant. For those engaged in purchasing for and on behalf of the Department, Green Procurement guidelines have been defined and are reported on centrally.
I recognise and support my Department's contribution as critical in Ireland meeting its overall climate change goals on energy usage and emissions.
Medical Aids and Appliances
Questions (1873)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:1873. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of hearing aids for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40947/22]
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.
Health Services
Questions (1874)
Alan Kelly
Question:1874. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health if he will detail the discussions he has had with his officials and or the HSE regarding a home (details supplied) in 2022. [40953/22]
View answerWritten answers
I am aware of the depth of feeling associated with the Dean Maxwell Community Nursing Unit and the desire to keep it fully operational. As Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, I am committed to redeveloping services for older people at Dean Maxwell CNU and providing services appropriate to the needs of the local community.
I wish to advise the Deputy that I met with the HSE and local public representatives on 24 March to discuss options for the future of Dean Maxwell Community Nursing Unit.
On 21 April, I invited public representatives and stakeholders to accompany me on a visit to the Care Bright dementia specific independent living centre in Bruff, Co Limerick, which is an example of a preferred option that may be appropriate for the Roscrea area.
The Taoiseach has also committed to meeting with representatives of Dean Maxwell CNU on 29 July to discuss the future of the facility. I will be attending this meeting, along with the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly T.D.
I am committed to exploring, in conjunction with the HSE and other stakeholders, all future viable options for Dean Maxwell that meet the demand for services in the short and longer term for the people in the Roscrea and are in line with the overall vision for our older population, while also being cognisant of the need for all CNUs to be fully compliant with Regulations made under the Health Act 2007 and in line with National Standards.
Health Services
Questions (1875)
Alan Kelly
Question:1875. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health if he will visit St. Brigid’s hospital, Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary and meet with local representatives there. [40954/22]
View answerWritten answers
I am happy to receive and consider invitations from any organisation relevant to my portfolio, I would advise the Deputy to submit any relevant invitations to my private office and a reply will issue to the requestor as soon as possible.
I would like to acknowledge the significant healthcare role St. Brigid’s District Hospital has played for over 100 years and for the excellent level of care and support which has been provided to so many patients and families alike in the community of South Tipperary, Waterford and Kilkenny.
After the discontinuation of short-stay inpatient care in 2020, it was vital to ensure that St. Brigid’s would not lie idle and underutilised. It was equally important to ensure that St. Brigid’s remained an asset to the local community in Carrick-on-Suir.
The HSE development of health services at the St. Brigid’s Primary Care Campus in Carrick-on-Suir, which incorporates St. Brigid’s Hospital and the state-of-the-art purpose built Primary Care Centre, has seen the provision of:
Public Health Nursing, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Dietetics Outreach, Registration for Births, Deaths and Marriages, Area Medical Officer, Mental Health services, Ante-natal clinic which is provided by Tipperary University Hospital, Diabetic retinal screening, Social Workers, Older Persons services coordinator and Health Promotion.
It was also determined that St. Brigid’s could be utilised as a hub for integrated Enhanced Community Care incorporating both Integrated Care for the Older Person and Chronic Disease. The implementation of the Enhanced Community Care programme has seen the delivery of additional services to the people of Carrick-on-Suir and surrounding areas.
The transformative use of St Brigid’s is an important and welcome step towards achieving integrated care in the South Tipperary area and will also enable South-East Community Healthcare to continue to utilise St. Brigid’s and thereby protect the ethos and community spirit within St. Brigid’s.
Nursing Homes
Questions (1876)
Alan Kelly
Question:1876. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health if he will request the HSE to develop and build a new nursing home in Roscrea, County Tipperary [40956/22]
View answerWritten answers
I wish to inform the Deputy that I am committed, in conjunction with the HSE, to providing services appropriate to the needs of the community of Roscrea. To this end, all viable options for services for older people will be explored that meet the needs of our older population in both the short and long term.
The Government’s strategic goal is to deliver a new model of integrated, older persons health and social care services, across the care continuum, supporting older people to remain living independently in their own homes and communities for longer, in line with the Sláintecare vision for receiving the right care, in the right place, and at the right time.
Nevertheless, long-term residential care is a crucial part of an overall continuum of care and will be at a certain point a necessary option for some older people in order to meet their healthcare needs. I am aware of the depth of feeling associated with the Dean Maxwell Community Nursing Unit in the Roscrea area and the desire to keep it fully operational. As Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, I am committed to redeveloping services for older people at Dean Maxwell CNU and providing services appropriate to the needs of the local community.
I have had ongoing engagements with the HSE, public representatives, and representatives of Dean Maxwell CNU throughout 2022. The Taoiseach has also committed to meeting with representatives of Dean Maxwell on 29 July to discuss the future of the facility and residential care services more generally in the Roscrea area. I will be attending this meeting, along with the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly T.D.
Disease Management
Questions (1877, 1878)
Marian Harkin
Question:1877. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health if he will facilitate a meeting with an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40967/22]
View answerMarian Harkin
Question:1878. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health if he will facilitate a meeting with an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40969/22]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1877 and 1878 together.
Diabetes is a complex condition that can have a profound impact on the quality of life of people living with the condition. If not well managed, it can lead to debilitating complications. Management of the condition is required across the entire spectrum of healthcare delivery including self-management support as well as care delivered through general practice, community specialist care and hospital inpatient specialist care.
I am aware of the challenges faced in provision of hospital diabetes care, including difficulties in filling permanent diabetes care positions. My Department has recently received an invitation to meet with the organisation concerned which is currently being considered; due to the busy nature of Government business, it is not always possible to accept every request.
Question No. 1878 answered with Question No. 1877.
General Practitioner Services
Questions (1879)
Marian Harkin
Question:1879. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health his plans to deal with an issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40972/22]
View answerWritten answers
Where a GMS patient experiences difficulty in finding a GP to accept them as a patient, the person concerned having unsuccessfully applied to at least three GPs in the area (or fewer if there are fewer GPs in the area) can apply to the HSE National Medical Card Unit which has the power to assign that person to a GP's GMS patient list.
People who do not hold a medical card or GP visit card access GP services on a private basis and can make enquiries directly to any GP practice they wish to register with. As private contractors, it is a matter for each individual GP to decide whether to accept additional private patients.
The Government is aware of the workforce issues currently facing general practice and is working to ensure patients across the country continue to have access to GP services and that general practice is sustainable in all areas into the future.
Under the 2019 GP Agreement additional annual expenditure provided for general practice has to date been increased by €206.6m and is set to increase to €211.6m per annum next year when the Agreement is fully rolled out. This provides for significant increases in capitation fees for participating GMS GPs, and new fees and subsidies for additional services. Improvements to GP’s maternity and paternity leave arrangements, increased rural practice supports and a support for GPs in disadvantaged urban areas, have also been provided for.
The number of GPs entering training has increased steadily over the past number of years, rising from 120 in 2009 to 233 in 2021. 258 places will be available this year. The transfer of GP training from the HSE to the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) which was concluded in 2021 will allow for the introduction of a new service model for GP training in Ireland and the further expansion GP training capacity in the years ahead. The ICGP aims to have 350 training places available for new entrants per year by 2026.
These measures make general practice in Ireland a more attractive career choice and will see an increase in the number of GPs working in the State, improving access to GP services for patients throughout the country.
National Treatment Purchase Fund
Questions (1880)
Richard Bruton
Question:1880. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the 20 specialties for which the National Treatment Purchase Fund undertake to arrange alternative care for those waiting over six months; and the number of procedures in each specialty in the year to date; and projections for the full year. [40974/22]
View answerWritten answers
The 2022 Waiting List Action Plan, which was launched on the 25th of February, allocates €350 million to the HSE and NTPF to reduce waiting lists. Under this plan the Department, HSE, and NTPF will deliver urgent additional capacity for the treatment of patients, as well as investing in longer term reforms to bring sustained reductions in waiting lists.
The Plan identifies 15 rather than 20 high volume procedures and includes a commitment that anybody waiting 6 months, who is clinically suitable, will receive an offer of care by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).
The NTPF has confirmed to my Department that from January to 20 July 2022, it has arranged treatment for 10,274 patients for one of the targeted procedures, as per the attached table. The NTPF has further confirmed that sufficient capacity has been sourced to allow it to offer treatment to all bar procedure (skin lesion removal) by September with capacity for it coming on stream for it by the year end.
There remains a risk that the NTPF will face constrains in delivering additional activity by the year end especially in the event of further Covid 19 surges.
Home Care Packages
Questions (1881)
Richard Bruton
Question:1881. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the scale of the pilot home care support scheme which has been undertaken in 2022; the services and terms on which they have been offered; and if he has plans to extend them to further areas later in 2022 or in 2023. [40975/22]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Question No. 1882 answered with Question No. 1688.
Health Services
Questions (1883)
Richard Bruton
Question:1883. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if the treatment of patients in the UK is being covered under the refund for treatment abroad or under schemes that cover treatment not available in Ireland. [40977/22]
View answerWritten answers
I understand the Deputy may be seeking further information on the Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS).
The HSE operates a Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS), for persons entitled under EU Regulation 883/04. The TAS is a consultant lead scheme and allows for an Ireland-based public consultant to refer a public patient who is normally resident in Ireland for treatment in the public healthcare system of another EU member state, the UK or Switzerland. Subject to the EU Regulations and Guidelines, the TAS provides for the cost of approved public treatments in another EU/EEA member state, the UK or Switzerland through the issue of form S2 (IE) where the treatment is:
- among the benefits provided for by Irish legislation;
- not available in Ireland;
- not available within the time normally necessary for obtaining it in Ireland, taking account of the patient's current state of health and the probable course of the disease. medically necessary and will meet the patient’s needs;
- a proven form of medical treatment and not experimental or test treatment;
- provided in a recognised public hospital or other institution that will accept EU/EEA form S2 (IE) and;
- is under the control of a registered medical practitioner.
The HSE provides further information for patients on the HSE TAS website.
Patients are advised to contact the HSE TAS office directly for advice on making an application for treatment abroad, in advance of travelling abroad. Contact details are available on the HSE TAS website.
Nursing Homes
Questions (1884)
Richard Bruton
Question:1884. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the way that the sale of the home of a person within fair deal scheme and the rental of such a home are now treated within the assessment of support to be undertaken by the State for that patient’s care. [40978/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Act 2021, which was signed into law on 22 July 2021, and commenced on 20 October, introduces further safeguards in the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS) to further protect the viability and sustainability of family farms and businesses. It also includes an amendment in relation to applying the 3-year cap to the proceeds of sale of a house while a resident is in long-term care. This addresses the first relevant commitment in the Housing for All Strategy (action 19.7).
Within the NHSS, the asset value of a resident's home, known in the Scheme as the "principal residence", is assessed for 3 years, with 7.5% of its value going towards the cost of care (3.75% in the case of a couple). After a person has been in care for 3 years, the value of this property is no longer assessed. In practice, this generally reduces the nursing home fees of those maintaining their home, from year four onwards. The 2021 Act now extends the 3-year cap to cover the proceeds of sale, so that a person will be able to sell their home without incurring additional fees from their fourth year in long-term residential care onwards. This applies even if the home is sold before 3 years in care, the proceeds of sale will be assessed up to the 3-year point but excluded from assessment after that.
The Government has approved a policy change to the NHSS, to incentivise applicants to the Scheme to rent out their principal residence after they have entered long term residential care. The rate of assessment for rental properties will be reduced from 80% to 40% for income from all principal residences. This will be reviewed after six months of operation, with the potential for further amendment after that point.
This policy change addresses the commitments made under the Housing for All Strategy (action 19.8). The change is being made through a Committee-Stage amendment to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage’s Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Building Control (Amendment) Bill 2022. The Bill was approved by the Oireachtas on 30 June and was signed into law by President Higgins on the 5 July. However, there will be a further period before the Act comes into force, in order to allow for administrative and operational changes, as well as any other necessary arrangements, to be put in place.
Health Services
Questions (1885)
David Cullinane
Question:1885. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of patients on community healthcare waiting lists by each care group by adults and by children; the breakdown by length of time waiting and age for June 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41001/22]
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.
Assisted Human Reproduction
Questions (1886)
Bríd Smith
Question:1886. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 will include leave entitlements equivalent to maternity leave entitlements for all couples who have children through surrogacy; the help and support that will be available to those who have children through surrogacy given the extensive costs involved; if there are plans to help those who would like to have children through surrogacy but cannot because of the cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41006/22]
View answerWritten answers
As the Deputy will be aware, the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 passed Second Stage in the Dáil on March 23rd 2022 and has been referred to the Select Committee on Health for Third Stage. This legislation encompasses the regulation for the first time of a wide range of practices undertaken in this jurisdiction, including domestic surrogacy. The surrogacy provisions of the Bill outline the specific conditions under which surrogacy in Ireland will be permitted, including a requirement for all surrogacy agreements to be altruistic and pre-authorised by the new Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority. The legislation sets out a court-based mechanism through which the parentage of a child born through surrogacy may be transferred from the surrogate to the intending parent(s)It is not within the scope of the assisted human reproduction (AHR) legislation to include provisions in respect of statutory leave. Responsibility for various forms of family-related leave comes under the remit of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth and that Department has informed my officials that legislative changes in respect of all forms of family leave must be developed in the context of the broader legal situation concerning parentage or pertaining to any other relevant issue.Separately, a commitment to “introduce a publicly funded model of care for fertility treatment” is included in the Programme for Government. This model of care comprises three stages, starting in primary care (i.e., GPs), extending into secondary care (i.e., Regional Fertility Hubs) and then, where necessary, tertiary care (i.e., IVF, and other advanced AHR treatments), with patients being referred onwards through structured pathways.Phase One of the roll-out of the model of care has involved the establishment, at secondary care level, of Regional Fertility Hubs within maternity networks, in order to facilitate the management of a significant proportion of patients presenting with infertility issues at this level of intervention. The completion of Phase One of the roll-out, envisaged before the end of this year, will result in fully operational Regional Fertility Hubs in each of the six Hospital Groups across the country.Phase Two of the roll-out of the model of care will see the introduction of tertiary infertility services, including IVF, in the public health system. Substantial planning, development and policy work is required to establish the scope, design and requirements for this component of the model of care. At this juncture, the design and scope of this aspect of the model of care have not been finalised as detailed consideration of a range of issues including service and treatment design, eligibility and access criteria, and associated resource implications is required. This work will also need to be informed by the final Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act, the progress of this Bill, and associated regulations that will be developed following the enactment of this legislation. My officials are continuing engagement with the HSE in relation to the necessary programmes of work required to further advance consideration of the issues arising for commencing Phase Two of the roll out of the model of care. As precursors to the development of this, the priority has been to establish the necessary services at secondary level and to develop a regulatory framework, both of which are progressing well.While advanced AHR treatment, such as IVF, is not currently funded by the Irish public health service, a defined list of fertility medicines needed for fertility treatment is covered under the High Tech Arrangements administered by the HSE. Medicines covered by the High Tech Arrangements must be prescribed by a consultant/specialist and authorised for supply to the client’s nominated community pharmacy by the High Tech Hub managed by the Primary Care Reimbursement Service. The cost of the medicines is then covered, as appropriate, under the client’s eligibility, i.e., Medical Card or Drugs Payment Scheme. Given the costs associated with certain fertility medicines, I understand that these schemes can have a material impact on the total cost of AHR treatment for individuals who avail of them. In addition, there is other support available in that patients who access IVF, or other advanced AHR treatment, privately may claim tax relief on the costs involved under the tax relief for medical expenses scheme.Nevertheless, the Government and I are fully committed, through the full implementation of the model of care for infertility, to ensuring that patients always receive care at the appropriate level of clinical intervention and then those requiring, and eligible for, advanced treatment such as IVF will be able to access same through the public health system. The underlying aim of the policy to provide a model of funding for AHR, within the broader AHR regulatory framework, is to improve accessibility to AHR treatments, while at the same time embedding safe and appropriate clinical practice and ensuring the cost-effective use of public resources.