Written Answers Nos. 675-689
675. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE consultant intervention cardiologist attached to Beaumont Hospital in the years of 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [32680/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
676. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of full-time HSE employed drug and alcohol outreach workers in County Kildare in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [32681/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
677. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of hoists currently in use in radiology departments at both CHI Temple Street and CHI Crumlin, in tabular form. [32682/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
678. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the necessary funding to recruit one WTE consultant clinical geneticist for Beaumont Hospital. [32683/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
679. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health to outline the status of podiatry services provided by the HSE in County Clare; the status of the service going forward; the number of persons on the waiting list for the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32688/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
680. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the rate of theatre utilisation in UHL Dooradoyle for 2022; if he will provide the rate of theatre utilisation in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s hospitals, respectively, for 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32690/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
681. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting on hip and or knee surgery and cataract surgery in counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32691/23]
View answerIt is recognised that waiting times for many scheduled appointments and procedures were too long before and have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Department of Health continues to work with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to identify ways to improve access to care. On the 7th March, I published the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, which is the next stage of a new multi-annual approach to sustainably reduce and reform hospital waiting lists, and builds on the foundational work done through the short-term Waiting List Action Plan between September and December 2021, which was followed by the first full year Waiting List Action Plan for 2022, both having reversed the annual trend of rising waiting lists.
The 2023 Plan sets out the priorities to continue to address waiting lists this year. The 30 actions in the Plan, which are governed by the Waiting List Task Force, focus on delivering capacity, reforming scheduled care and enabling scheduled care reform.
For 2023, funding totalling €443 million is being allocated to tackle Waiting Lists with €363 million of this being allocated to the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, to implement longer term reforms and provide additional public and private activity to clear backlogs exacerbated during the pandemic. This will reduce hospital waiting lists by 10% in 2023 as well as continuing to significantly reduce waiting times in line with Sláintecare recommendations. The remaining €80 million of the €443 million is being targeted at various measures to alleviate community/primary care waiting lists.
With this ambitious 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, my Department, the HSE and the NTPF are taking the next steps in the multi-annual approach towards achieving our vision of a world-class public healthcare system in which everyone has timely and transparent access to high-quality scheduled care, where and when they need it, in line with Sláintecare reforms.
In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, the attached information, provided to my Department by the NTPF sets out the number of persons waiting on hip, knee and cataract surgery in counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary.
Number of persons waiting on hip, knee and cataract surgery in Counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary as at 25/05/2023
|
Time Band (months) |
0-6 Months |
6-12 Months |
12-18 Months |
18+ Months |
Small Volume Time Band |
|
25/05/2023 |
|||||
|
Clare |
170 |
41 |
15 |
4 |
|
|
Cataracts |
148 |
41 |
15 |
||
|
Hips |
11 |
||||
|
Knees |
11 |
||||
|
Small Volume Procedure |
4 |
||||
|
Limerick |
311 |
91 |
39 |
2 |
|
|
Cataracts |
246 |
91 |
39 |
||
|
Hips |
34 |
||||
|
Knees |
31 |
||||
|
Small Volume Procedure |
2 |
||||
|
Tipperary |
253 |
65 |
18 |
6 |
11 |
|
Cataracts |
182 |
60 |
18 |
6 |
|
|
Hips |
39 |
||||
|
Knees |
32 |
5 |
|||
|
Small Volume Procedure |
11 |
682. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the reason a representative organisation (details supplied) was not consulted about the development of the National Endometriosis Framework; if he intends to meet this organisation to discuss the framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32693/23]
View answerI recognise that endometriosis is a significant health issue for women in Ireland today, and work is underway to improve services in this area. In that regard, the HSE’s National Women & Infants Programme (NWIHP) has commenced the development of a National Endometriosis Framework, which will be rolled out in a phased basis and published in 2023. This Framework will identify how care for women in this area needs to be delivered, with this care spanning primary care to local hospital care to specialist complex care. It should be noted that this Framework was developed in conjunction with endometriosis specialists and gynaecologists.
The process around the development of the National Endometriosis Framework is a matter for NWIHP, and, as such, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
683. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health his plans to develop a heart failure registry to provide vital real-time information to help cut excessive mortality and hospital admission rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32694/23]
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.
684. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health his plans to tackle the revolving door syndrome in heart failure treatment that has resulted in a 90-day re-admission rate to hospital of 30%, according to the HSE’s Heart Failure Model of Care 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32695/23]
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 currently for my consideration. The Reviews recommendations will inform the future provision of cardiac services nationally.
685. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number of hospitals that provide a clinical psychology service to heart failure patients; the proportion of patients identified as requiring clinical psychology who receive the service in each of these hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32696/23]
View answerReferring to HSE as this is an operational/services question.
687. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health if he can confirm when the HSE older persons’ services in the south east region will meet with local representatives in south Tipperary and local Clonmel-based palliative care groups, considering this meeting has been postponed numerous times and a new date is yet to be set despite assurances it would be; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32727/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
688. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health to address concerns (details supplied) regarding the funding of current trainee educational psychologists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32738/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be 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 focused on supporting counselling psychology students in an equitable way and that delivers value for money. The structure of this funding is still 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 required 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.
In relation to the question raised, the Deputy may wish to seek the view of the Minister for Education as regards funding opportunities for educational psychologists.
689. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health what services are available in County Longford for adults living with eating disorders. [32750/23]
View answerThe National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorders (NCPED) aims to establish an eating disorder network. This network will consist of 8 adult teams and 8 CAMHS teams in line with the agreed Model of Care 2018. These multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) will provide specialist eating-disorder assessment and treatment in the community.
Since 2016, over €8 million has been made available for Eating Disorder posts. This investment funded the set-up of eating disorder teams (CHO7, CHO4 (CAMHS), CHO9, CHO6 (Adult)). This funding has also enabled the establishment of teams at varying stages of recruitment (CHO4, CHO5, CHO1 (Adult), CHO2, CHO6 (CAMHS)). Recruited clinicians for these teams are currently delivering eating disorder care and receiving training via the NCPED. The NCPED continues to support these 9 teams to further develop services to increase access to both assessment and treatment for eating disorders.
Recruitment continues for Eating Disorder posts under the Model of Care, with more than 60% of WTE positions filled. In total, 96.3 WTEs have been funded. It should be noted that it is a challenge to recruit Consultant Psychiatrists and dieticians.
To the extent that the local side of the query is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
