Tuesday, 21 Mar 2023

Written Answers Nos. 1500-1520

Care Services

Questions (1500)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

1500. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if an extra home help will be provided for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13820/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Health Services

Questions (1501)

Mark Ward

Question:

1501. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health if CORU has considered protecting and regulating the title psychologist in preference to trying to regulate individual areas of psychology that is, clinical, counselling, educational and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13826/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As the Deputy will be aware, CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession health and social care regulator. CORU’s role is to protect the public by regulating the health and social care professions designated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (as amended), including setting the standards that health and social care professionals must meet to be eligible for registration and maintaining registers of persons who meet those standards.

Seventeen health and social care professions are designated for regulation by CORU. There are currently registers open for ten professions and CORU is continuing the substantial work required to open the registers for the remaining designated professions of Podiatrists; Social Care Workers; Psychologists; Counsellors and Psychotherapists; Clinical Biochemists; and Orthoptists.

The Psychologists Registration Board (PSRB) was established in 2017. The work of the PSRB includes consideration of the titles to be protected, the minimum qualifications to be required of existing practitioners, the qualifications that will be required for future graduates, and drafting the Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes.

Regulating a new profession is a complex and lengthy process, requiring careful consideration and preparatory work to ensure that it is effective in protecting the public. Psychology has been a uniquely challenging profession to regulate due to the diversity of its specialisms (for example clinical psychology, counselling psychology, occupational and work psychology, sports and performance psychology) and the fact that there is no common education pathway or standards for entry to the profession.

Entry to practice as a psychologist is currently defined by specialist post-graduate education. By establishing a common minimum threshold for entry to a single register for psychology, the PSRB would essentially be creating a ‘generalist’ role of psychologist that currently does not exist. This would have significant implications including for educational pathways leading to qualification.

In 2020 a public consultation on the draft Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes developed for the profession revealed significant issues and a lack of consensus on how to proceed with regulation. Key areas of disagreement among the profession are around the minimum level of qualification required for entry to the profession, the number of placement hours, and the appropriateness of practice placement settings.

Having reached an impasse, CORU wrote to me on behalf of the PSRB in September 2021 seeking guidance on how to proceed. Having considered the matter with due regard to the complexity of this profession, its diverse specialisms (including non-health and social care specialisms), the lack of consensus among the profession on how to proceed, and risks to the public of delays in opening a register, I wrote to CORU in August 2022 requesting that the PSRB consider a dual-stream and phased approach to regulating the profession. This approach will allow the PSRB to prioritise regulating the psychology specialisms which present the greatest risk to public safety, while simultaneously continuing to work towards the long-term objective of protecting the title of ‘psychologist’.

The PSRB have proceeded to make recommendations on which specialisms should be prioritised for regulation using an evidence and risk-based methodology. On 3 March 2023 CORU wrote to me on behalf of the PSRB with their recommendations and I am currently reviewing these recommendations with a view to progressing this work as quickly as possible.

CORU, the PSRB, and my Department are fully committed to delivering regulation of this very important profession through protection of the title of ‘psychologist’.

Hospital Waiting Lists

Questions (1502)

Maurice Quinlivan

Question:

1502. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health if the case of a person (details supplied) will be examined, who following a referral to St. John’s Hospital, Limerick for an operation has yet to receive any correspondence on a surgery date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13832/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Under 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.

Ambulance Service

Questions (1503)

Jim O'Callaghan

Question:

1503. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health the average time it takes for an ambulance to arrive at the location of a 999 call; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13849/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.

Health Services

Questions (1504)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

1504. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if the copper coil is covered under the free contraception programme; if not, the decision-making process that led to it not being included; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13857/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The free contraception scheme for women aged 17 -25 was launched on 14th September, 2022, and expanded to include 26 year-olds on January 1st, 2023. The scheme is currently open to women aged 17-26 who are ordinarily resident in Ireland, and will be expanded to those aged 30 and under by September 1st, 2023.

For eligible women, the free contraception scheme provides for:

- The cost of consultations with GPs, family planning clinics and other relevant medical professionals to discuss contraceptive options with eligible patients and to provide prescriptions for these;

- The cost of prescription contraception, dispensed at local pharmacy of choice;

- The cost of fitting and/or removal of various types of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) plus any necessary checks, by medical professionals certified to fit/remove LARCs (e.g. intrauterine devices (IUD), systems (IUS), coils and implants);

- The cost of providing the wide range of contraceptive options on the HSE's Re-Imbursement List, including contraceptive injections, various types of LARCs, the contraceptive patch and ring, and various forms of oral contraceptive pill, including emergency contraception.

It is my understanding that the "Ballerine MIDI Intrauterine Device", a copper coil, was included on the Reimbursement List in January, 2023. The full list of products on the Re-Imbursement List can be accessed on the HSE website.

For further detail regarding the administration of the Reimbursement List, as this is an operational matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Health Services

Questions (1505)

Cathal Crowe

Question:

1505. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health when the Sláintecare project on the development of a National Diabetes Register will recommence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13858/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is an operational matter, I have referred the question to the HSE for direct reply to you.

Health Services

Questions (1506)

Cathal Crowe

Question:

1506. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if he accepts the need for a National Diabetes Register; the reason there is no current register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13859/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Diabetes is a complex condition that can have a profound impact on the quality of life of people living with the condition. Management of the condition is required across the entire spectrum of healthcare delivery, through general practice, community specialist care and hospital inpatient specialist care.

Budget 2023 provides funding for a number of initiatives aimed at improving diabetes care, including commencing the development of a National Diabetes Register.

The development of a National Diabetes Registry will have a long-term benefit on patient care by facilitating benchmarking of individual care against guideline recommendations and QI feedback to practitioners, and on the provision of appropriate health services by providing reliable information to healthcare planners and policymakers.

My Department and HSE National Clinical Programme for Diabetes are currently engaged in preparatory work for phase 1 of this multi-year project.

Departmental Staff

Questions (1507)

Róisín Shortall

Question:

1507. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he intends to create a chief pharmaceutical officer position in his Department; his views on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13860/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The Department of Health recognises the key role of Pharmacy in the Community, and the ongoing significant contribution made by this sector to patients and the public, particularly during the pandemic.

The potential role that pharmacy may play in the development and implementation of future healthcare reform, especially in regard to the aims and vision of Sláintecare, is under consideration. The Department is open to exploring any evidence based appropriately governed services, delivered by appropriately trained professionals which will support this aim.

In this regard a number of proposals and ways to progress the potential extension of the scope of practice of community pharmacists in the short, medium and longer term are currently being considered.

To answer the specific question, at this time currently there are no active proposals to develop a Chief Pharmaceutical Officer role in the Department of Health.

The Department has professionally qualified pharmacists among its staff. Furthermore a number of units within the Department have responsibility for advancing policy in key areas of our health system. They are cognisant of potential deliverables that can be realised by and through pharmacists and pharmacy services, to deliver patient centred care in line with the vision of Sláintecare.

Health Services Staff

Questions (1508)

Alan Farrell

Question:

1508. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the ongoing sick pay dispute HSE employees diagnosed with long-Covid who contracted Covid-19 in the workplace are currently engaged with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13867/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform have provided for Special Leave with Pay (SLWP) for the recommended isolation period (currently 7 days), for civil and public servants nationally who contract Covid. For certain employees who remain unfit to attend the workplace and are suffering from long-Covid, a temporary Scheme, specific to the public health service was introduced to provide for Paid Leave for Public Health Service Employees unfit for work post Covid infection. Employees who met the eligibility criteria for the Scheme will have transferred to the Scheme on 1st July 2022. For those who do not meet the criteria for the temporary Scheme but remain unwell, the provisions of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme may be utilised.

I am acutely aware of the issues experienced by public health employees in relation to Long Covid and I am committed to providing support. Department officials are working to establish a process for engagement with stakeholders to analyse how support could be provided going forward.

Hospital Facilities

Questions (1509)

Alan Farrell

Question:

1509. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Health if hyperbaric oxygen therapy for long-Covid symptoms is being considered as an approved and licensed treatment by the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13868/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Hospital Services

Questions (1510)

Alan Farrell

Question:

1510. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Health if the appointment only system introduced in the paediatric outpatient and urgent care centre in Blanchardstown Hospital is initially for three months and then up for review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13869/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

CHI at Connolly, which opened in July 2019, is a children’s Outpatient and Urgent Care Centre staffed by specialist paediatric team including nurses, doctors, health and social care professionals and support staff. Urgent care is for the diagnosis and treatment of injuries or illnesses requiring medical review which are not serious enough to require Emergency Department attendance or inpatient admission.

The demand for services in CHI at Connolly Urgent Care Centre has steadily increased since it opened and CHI has advised that the Urgent Care Centre is currently seeing daily attendances far beyond the planned level of service activity. This demand is putting significant pressure on the system, resulting in long waiting times, and impacting on patient experience, which is difficult for both families and staff.

To address these issues CHI, informed by clinical advice, changed the Urgent Care Centre at Connolly from a walk-in service to a same day appointment service from the 22nd of February. A digital swift queue process on the CHI at Connolly website allows families to book an appointment at short notice and there are options for parents who cannot access online services.

This approach will improve patient experience by reducing onsite waiting times for families and will also redirect attendances which are more clinically suited to primary care or an Emergency Department. CHI is monitoring the impact of this change across the CHI sites during the three-month pilot period.

Hospital Facilities

Questions (1511)

Claire Kerrane

Question:

1511. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the disposal of HSE buildings (details supplied); the stage at which this process is at and the intended timeframe for this to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13871/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the management of the public healthcare property estate, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to you in relation to this matter.

Social Welfare Benefits

Questions (1512)

Róisín Shortall

Question:

1512. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the position for people who were illegally docked their disabled persons maintenance allowance during their stay in psychiatric hospitals; the process by which they can seek a refund of their money; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13873/23]

Awaiting reply from Department.

Health Services Staff

Questions (1513)

Róisín Shortall

Question:

1513. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on his plans for the €750,000 funding announced for trainee counselling psychologists; if this funding will cover part of the three-year doctorate programme fees and provide for trainee salaries, similar to clinical psychology trainees (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13874/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As the Deputy is aware, €750,000 has been provided in Budget 2023 to support counselling psychology training places. This funding demonstrates the Government’s commitment to strengthen access to psychology training.

I am focussed on using the funding from Budget 2023 to support counselling psychology students in an equitable way that benefits all students in all years of the Doctorate in Counselling Psychology, and that delivers value for money. The structure of this funding is currently being finalised by officials in the Department. The approach will be based on best practice and knowledge gained from other health and social care funded training models.

Further detailed discussions are now taking place between the Department and HSE to progress this. I hope to be in a position to announce the details shortly for academic year 2023-2024

Departmental Data

Questions (1514)

Gary Gannon

Question:

1514. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health the number of general practitioners, by HSE regional area, who have applied to be approved to prescribe PrREP to patients under the drug payment scheme, by calendar year from 2017 to 2022, inclusive; the number of general practice practitioners, by HSE regional area, who have been approved to prescribe PrREP to such patients under the DPS during these calendar years; the reasons any number of GP practices have not been approved to prescribe this service to patients, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13896/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Question No. 1515 answered with Question No. 1147.

Departmental Data

Questions (1516)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1516. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the amount paid out in compensation by each hospital in the State for adverse incidents, medical negligence, and so on, in each of the past ten years; and if a breakdown can be provided per year, per hospital or per hospital group, in tabular form. [13933/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

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.

I have been informed by the SCA that the information contained in the attached report has been extracted from the National Incident Management System (NIMS) according to the below criteria.

The SCA does not release transaction data into the public domain at individual hospital level because to do so would effectively provide a league table of hospitals and could cause the public to draw false and unwarranted assumptions in relation to the clinical performance of an individual hospital in the absence of further relevant contextual information.

Criteria used

- Payments relate to Acute Statutory and Voluntary Hospitals only.

- Relates to payments made under the Clinical Indemnity Scheme and the General Indemnity Scheme.

- Amount paid in damages for the period 2013-2022

State Claims Agency Data

Emergency Services

Questions (1517)

Chris Andrews

Question:

1517. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Health his views on the case of a person (details supplied); and the steps he will take to prevent such a situation occurring again. [13964/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Mental Health Services

Questions (1518)

Michael Lowry

Question:

1518. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Health if he will review correspondence from a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary concerning proposed amendments to the Mental Health Act 2001; if he will address the concerns raised by this person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13967/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

All aspects of mental health services continue to be developed through implementation of the national mental health policy Sharing the Vision 2020-2023 (StV), and the annual HSE Service Plans. The policy aims to enhance the provision of mental health services and supports across a broad continuum from mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention to acute and specialist mental health service delivery.

A core value of both Slaintecare, and Sharing the Vision, is that of Equity, particularly in terms of timely access to services, characterised by inclusiveness, fairness and non-discrimination. The importance of supporting positive mental health as part of a spectrum of population-based responses highlights mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention.

As the Deputy will be aware, in mid-2021, the Government approved a General Scheme of a Bill to amend the Mental Health Act. This General Scheme took into account the 165 recommendations of the Expert Group Review of the Act, the observations of key stakeholders such as the Mental Health Commission and the HSE, the results of a 2021 public consultation wherein 100 submissions were received, changes in domestic legislation, most significantly the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, and Ireland’s international commitments, including under the European Convention on Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.A Mental Health Bill is now being prepared in line with the General Scheme. The Bill will significantly update existing mental health legislation through, inter alia , the introduction of a set of guiding principles for adults and children receiving inpatient treatment, a revised set of criteria for detention, an overhauled approach to consent to admission and treatment, aligning capacity in mental health legislation with the provisions of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, the introduction of a new, discrete Part on the care and treatment of children, and the introduction of additional safeguards for people receiving inpatient mental health treatment. The finalisation and introduction to the Oireachtas of a Mental Health Bill is a priority for the Government, and it is listed for priority drafting for this spring legislative session with a view to introducing the Bill as early as possible this year.

In the context of the above, and of the correspondence in question, the Deputy can rest assured that I will continue to keep to the fore the key objectives of improved human rights and better person-centered care in developing our mental health legislation, policies and services.

Health Services

Questions (1519)

Michael Lowry

Question:

1519. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 532 of 13 December 2022 and 528 of 5 December 2022, according to the these response, University Hospital Waterford will provide 20 Level 3 inpatient beds; it is also recommended in best palliative care practice that each level 3 bed have an equal number of Level 2 support beds in the region; according to the response, 5 level 2 palliative care support beds are located in Dungarvan, and 5 to 6 palliative care beds in south Tipperary; is it not opportunistic and prudent to increase the number of Level 2 beds in urban centre also, and increase the number of palliative care bed in Clonmel at the new development in St. Anthony’s; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13969/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter for the HSE, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.

Departmental Meetings

Questions (1520)

Michael Lowry

Question:

1520. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 532 of 13 December 2022 and 538 of 5 December 2022, if he will clarify a date for the meeting between the SECH Older People Services and the Hospital Palliative Care Tipperary committee, prior responses indicate that such a meeting will take place in the first quarter of 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13970/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter for the HSE, the PQ has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.