Written Answers Nos. 2034-2049
2034. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the expected date of appointment in the case of a child (details supplied) who is currently on the waiting list for treatment in Crumlin Children’s Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41842/22]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2035. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the expected date of emergency appointment in the case of a child (details supplied) who is currently on the waiting list for treatment in Crumlin Children’s Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41843/22]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2036. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when the benefits of the fair deal scheme will be approved in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41844/22]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2037. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health the number of dentists in County Mayo who are on the medical card dental scheme; the number who are accepting new patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41864/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2038. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health the additional measures that have been implemented to support patients who are looking for a dentist who accepts medical cards; the enhancement that his Department has made to resolve the issue that medical card holders are facing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41865/22]
View answerThe Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides dental care free of charge to medical card holders aged 16 and over. Services available annually include an examination, two fillings and emergency extractions. More complex care and a broader range of treatments for patients with special needs and high-risk patients is also provided, some of which requires prior approval.
I have been concerned for some time that medical card patients in some parts of the country have been experiencing problems in accessing dental services.
To help address this issue, an additional €10 million in Budget 2022 was secured to provide for expanded dental health care for medical card holders including the reintroduction of Scale and Polish. In addition, an estimated €16 million of an underspend in this year’s estimate allocation (€56 million) is being used to award fee increases across a number of items including fillings.
The combination of these two measures represents an estimated total additional investment of €26 million in the Scheme this year over and above what was spent on the Scheme in 2021, €40 million.
Following consultation with the Irish Dental Association, these new measures came into effect on 1st May. I would hope that this significant additional investment in the Scheme will encourage more and more dentists to treat medical card patients.
These measures are designed to address immediate concerns with the DTSS, pending a more substantive reform of the Scheme. It is my intention that this is addressed in the context of the implementation of the National Oral Health Policy, which sets out a body of substantial services reform. Work is underway on a governance framework for this root and branch service reform. The Chief Dental Officer is engaging with stakeholders and I understand that she will meet shortly with the Irish Dental Association.
I have been assured by the HSE that their local services on the ground will assist any persons who are still experiencing problems in accessing a service.
2039. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health the issues pertaining to the sourcing of community pharmacists; the standards that apply for retaining same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41867/22]
View answerPharmacists wishing to practise in Ireland must be registered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI – the Pharmacy Regulator). The number of registered pharmacists on the Register of Pharmacists held and maintained by the PSI has continued to grow steadily, with an average increase of 187 registrants each year over the past five years. As at 4 May 2022, 6848 pharmacists are currently registered with the PSI, under established processes based in Irish and EU law.
I understand that currently there are reports of a current workforce issue, particularly in relation to community pharmacy. The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) has been liaising with stakeholders, including the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), on efforts being taken within the sector to understand and address the issue. In February 2022, PSI met with a number of superintendent pharmacists and the IPU. The PSI also circulated a survey on behalf of the IPU to all registrants to support efforts to understand and address the issue in the short term. The fieldwork on the research was undertaken online by the IPU between 22 March and 8 April 2022. The results of which have just been finalised and recommendations have been prepared by the IPU based on their findings. The report is currently under review by the Department of Health who will continue to liaise with relevant stakeholders on this matter.
In developing its Corporate Strategy 2021-2023, the PSI was aware, through its role as the pharmacy regulator as well as through reports from stakeholders, of an increasing risk to the continued availability of a pharmacist workforce. This highlighted a need to focus on community and hospital pharmacy, with a concern being that the issue might be exacerbated into the future. The PSI are currently undertaking a project, due to run across 2022-’23, titled ‘Emerging Risks to the Future Pharmacy Workforce’. This project is set to “assess emerging risks to the continued availability of a professional pharmacy workforce within community and hospital pharmacy in Ireland”.
The European Commission is also currently supporting a health and social care workforce planning strategy and action plan, a health and social care workforce planning model, health and social care workforce projections and gap analysis project. Support includes recommendations for health and social care workforce reforms.
This is a complex problem with many contributing factors and multiple stakeholders. Workforce challenges are being experienced in other sectors nationally, and in the community pharmacy sector in a range of other countries. However, robust data for Ireland is needed to be able to determine the current landscape, assess future health system needs and understand existing sectoral challenges now and into the future. It will be on the basis of gathering and analysing this up-to-date, robust and relevant data, that recommendations can be proposed to address Ireland’s needs as our healthcare system evolves, and in the context of Sláintecare implementation.
2040. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 623 of 5 July 2022, if he will outline the nature of services outsourced to or otherwise provided by each organisation to which a payment was made in 2019, 2020, and 2021, as per the original parliamentary question reply and further information provided (details supplied) in each of the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, in tabular form; whether these payments were made under one or more service agreements or other contractual arrangements and the services provided under each arrangement, for each provider relative to the payments made in each year 2019, 2020, and 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41878/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I've asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2041. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for a psychological assessment in each county; the number waiting more than 6, 12, 18 and 24 months in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41887/22]
View answer2042. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Health the steps that are being taken to reduce the waiting times for psychological assessment for autism given that families are being informed that they will be waiting two to three years such as in the case of a family (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41888/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 2041 and 2042 together.
As the Deputy's questions relate to service issues, they have been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
2043. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Health when the last Health Information Quality Authority site inspection was carried out at Mayo University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41891/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
2044. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the number of calls the National Ambulance Service responded to in County Cork in 2021 and to the end of June 2022, broken down by call type in echo, charlie, bravo, alpha and omega in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41904/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2045. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health his plans to tackle the ongoing trolley crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41905/22]
View answerI have personally witnessed the challenging conditions for patients and staff in emergency departments during recent hospital visits. I have requested that the HSE set out short-term immediate actions to alleviate the pressure on EDs and ensure that our hospitals are ready for winter. I also requested the development of a longer-term plan for reform and improvement of unscheduled care, in line with expected increases in demand driven by population growth and an aging population. This plan will build on the substantial investment over the past two years in initiatives such as additional capacity, more staff, increased home care packages and greater GP access to diagnostics.
I met with senior officials from the HSE recently and was updated on progress in developing plans and I instructed the HSE to urgently commence the implementation of all feasible short-term actions, in advance of finalising the plans, to mitigate pressure at each ED.
My Department and the HSE will continue to work together to develop a programme building on these measures with a suite of longer-term actions to deliver systemic change to how unscheduled care is delivered. The overarching aim of this programme is to transform unscheduled care delivery across the full patient flow continuum in a structured, systemised and governed manner which is measurable and sustainable. This programme will adopt a 3-year phased approach.
The programme will be developed according to the ‘Five Fundamentals of Unscheduled Care’, which were designed and developed as an integrated framework to support sustainable and scalable unscheduled care improvement in line with the Sláintecare vision and goals. The Fundamentals were developed through an international review of published frameworks for improving unscheduled care performance. The five areas of focus are:
- Leadership, Culture and Governance
- Patient Flow at Pre-Admission
- Patient Flow at Post-Admission
- Integrated Community and Hospital Services
- Using Information to support sustainable Performance Improvement.
The patient will be at the centre of all initiatives. This framework follows a robust programmatic approach ensuring a standardised improvement approach is taken nationally while allowing for local bespoke improvement initiatives to be developed and locally owned. Enablers including data, reporting systems and project management will be provided in order to effect and sustain change. The approach is underpinned by the ethos – ‘clinically led, excellently managed’.
2046. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health when the National Ambulance Service will publish its workforce plan for 2022 to 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41906/22]
View answer2047. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the baseline whole-time equivalent staff required by the National Ambulance Service in each year from 2022 to 2026, in tabular form; the predicted turnover and retirement rates; the gross and net additional staff by grade required to meet these targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41907/22]
View answer2048. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the additional capacity requirements needed to meet 2026 workforce requirements in terms of locations, fleet and equipment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41908/22]
View answer2049. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his plans to train and recruit the requisite number of paramedics to meet the needs of the National Ambulance Service by 2026; if he has identified the number of graduates required in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41909/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 2046 to 2049, inclusive, together.
The HSE is currently finalising a new five year strategic plan for the National Ambulance Service (NAS), which will build on the significant programme of reform that has been progressed by the ambulance service in recent years. The strategic plan will incorporate the findings from an independently conducted national demand and capacity analysis, which the HSE has commissioned to inform future capacity requirements and workforce planning to 2027.
Concerning the Deputy's specific enquiries, I have asked the HSE to respond directly as soon as possible.
