Written Answers Nos. 644-658
644. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health the number of children currently on the waiting list for child and adolescent mental health services in County Clare by length of time, that is, less than three months; three to six months; six to nine months, nine to 12 months and in excess of one year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32572/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
645. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health the number of children currently on the waiting list for eye examinations in County Clare by length of time waiting in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32574/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
646. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health the number of children currently on the waiting list for dental examinations and check-ups in County Clare by length of time waiting in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32575/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
647. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if he will address concerns (details supplied) relating to the funding of nursing homes under the fair deal scheme. [32585/23]
View answerFair Deal was designed to protect and support vulnerable older people, to ensure equal access to nursing home care based on what they could afford. This gives certainty to people and families. Government funding for Fair Deal is to support vulnerable older people at a time in their lives where full-time care is essential.Overall, €1.4 billion of the total Health Budget was allocated last year to support over 22,700 people under Fair Deal. This will increase to nearly €1.5 billion for 2023, and I am cognisant that the budget has to support all residents under the Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS) for the full calendar year.The long-established statutory mechanism through which private and voluntary nursing homes are funded was established by the Oireachtas under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009. This legislation outlines the process for private and voluntary providers to negotiate the prices for their services with the designated State agency, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).Maximum prices for individual nursing homes are agreed with the NTPF following these negotiations and are based on the NTPF’s cost criteria, such as costs reasonably incurred by the nursing home, local market prices, historic prices and overall budgetary capacity. Under the NHSS Act 2009 the NTPF has statutory independence, and there is no role for Ministers or the Department of Health in negotiations with individual nursing homes. I cannot comment on individual NTPF negotiations and it must be appreciated that this is a matter for each individual nursing home and the NTPF. Nevertheless, it is important that lines of communication are at all times maintained during the negotiation process.Overall, approximately 425 private nursing homes negotiate with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). The Department of Health and I have regular interaction with the NTPF and met them recently to discuss ways to support the sector, where necessary and appropriate, to complement the normal process of negotiating rate increases when contracts are renewed. Budget 2023 saw an over €40 million in additional funding for the Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS) which will provide for an uplift in the maximum prices chargeable by private and voluntary nursing homes, as negotiated. Anyone who has had a scheduled renegotiation of their Deed of Agreement this year with the NTPF has seen a significant uplift. In addition, other options to support nursing homes are also being explored, such as to help with the often costly nature of compliance for nursing homes under necessary HIQA regulations.I am conscious of private and voluntary nursing homes that are not scheduled to renegotiate their Deed of Agreement in 2023 and other options are being considered. One of the options under consideration is for nursing home providers to agree to a shorter contract duration with the NTPF.The Government is conscious of the financial challenges faced by the nursing home sector, especially smaller and voluntary nursing homes that may not have access to the same economies of scale as larger homes or groups. The Government has provided substantial support to the private and voluntary nursing home sector over the course of the pandemic. Over €150m of financial support has been provided to private and voluntary nursing homes through the COVID-19 Temporary Assistance Payment Scheme (TAPS) and the provision of free PPE and oxygen to private nursing homes continues, costing approximately €75 million to date.A new €10 million scheme (TIPS) was established last year to support private and voluntary nursing homes with increases in energy costs, covering 75% of year-on-year cost increases up to a monthly cap of €5,250 per nursing home. Following a recent review this scheme has been extended for a second time to the end of June 2023.The only mechanism for funding from the public purse for nursing home residents is Fair Deal and it is really important that private and voluntary providers continue to engage in the process as set out in the Nursing Home Support Scheme Act 2009.
648. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if pain management patches can be supplied to a person (details supplied). [32588/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
649. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite a referral to the National Rehabilitation Hospital at Dún Laoghaire (details supplied). [32589/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
654. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health to provide, in tabular form, the number of radiographers employed on a full-time and part-time basis at Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32607/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
655. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the opening and closing times for radiology at Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32608/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
656. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the number of rooms currently being used in radiology at Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32609/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
657. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health his plans to develop a heart failure registry to help reduce high hospital admission and mortality rates among patients with the condition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32611/23]
View answerHeart Failure is an important public health issue. The detection and prevention of heart failure is a priority and the National Clinical Programme for heart failure supports many approaches to improving quality of life for people living with the syndrome. The programme (HSE) is currently engaging with the European Society of Cardiology who have an excellent platform to enable registry development on not only heart failure but other cardiovascular conditions. Working under the guidance of Dr Peter Kearney the National Heart Programme are working to initiate the EuroHeart programme cardiovascular database project in Ireland.
There are clear, evidence-based guidelines and excellent Irish case studies of effective models of care in heart failure however it is recognised that further focus and development is required to prevent unnecessary hospitalisations and deaths and maximise people’s quality of life. While progress has been made there are proportions of the population that are not being reached.
To understand the challenges more, a National Review of our adult Specialist Cardiac Services which includes heart failure was commissioned. The Reviews recommendations will inform the future provision of cardiac services nationally including requirements for data to support development. The Report is now finalised and is being prepared currently for my consideration.
658. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health his plans to reduce the 90-day hospital readmission rate for heart failure patients estimated at 30% by the HSE’s national heart programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32612/23]
View answerHeart Failure is an important public health issue that affects approximately 90,000 of our population, it is a complex condition with increasing numbers. Across Europe, and in Ireland heart failure remains a significant demand on health services and in particular hospital-based care. While not all hospital admissions can be avoided there is growing evidence of how to improve hospital avoidance.
There has been progress across Ireland in this area of care and the detection and prevention of heart failure is a priority. The National Clinical Programme for heart failure is developed to improve quality of life for people living with the syndrome. To support this the programme (HSE), is currently in the process of linking in with the European Society of Cardiology who have an excellent platform to enable registry development on not only heart failure but other cardiovascular conditions. The National Heart Programme working under the guidance of Dr Peter Kearney is engaging with the EuroHeart programme to bring the cardiovascular data base project to Ireland and further improve our data and information for continued development.
Ireland’s wider community of clinical practice in heart failure has provided leading research and innovation that continues to inform this care around the world. The STOP-HF project for example is a dedicated heart failure prevention strategy. This first-of-type concept has been proven to be successful and has resulted in changes in international guidelines. Ireland is among the world leaders in developing strategies to prevent heart failure.
Ireland is promoting pioneering innovations like the HeartCare at Home, a primary care project, which is open to all people with heart failure in Ireland. To get heart failure specialist care to a wider cohort of patients ‘Virtual Consultation’ allows on-line, real-time discussion of heart failure case questions with a family doctor. This consultation results in very effective remote management, avoiding unnecessary referrals and travel for the patient and facilitates the sharing of specialist expertise.
There has been significant investment in Integrated Care Programmes for Chronic Disease which includes heart failure. This investment has enabled the development of structures of care which will significantly improve all aspects of heart failure care including speed of diagnosis, access to cardiac diagnostic and therapies.
There are clear, evidence-based guidelines and excellent case studies of effective models of care in heart failure however, recognising the importance of preventing unnecessary hospitalisations and deaths and maximising people’s quality of life is the priority. Progress has been to inform the next steps for this important work and to understand the challenges more, a National Review of our adult Specialist Cardiac Services which includes heart failure was commissioned. The Report is now finalised and is being prepared for my consideration. The Reviews recommendations will inform the future provision of cardiac services nationally.
