Rose Conway-Walsh
Question:693. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Health the number of new acute beds that have been provided in Mayo in the past two years. [35022/23]
View answerHospital Facilities
Questions (693)
Written answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Emergency Departments
Questions (694)
Rose Conway-Walsh
Question:694. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the average emergency department waiting times in Mayo University Hospital. [35023/23]
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.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Questions (695)
Rose Conway-Walsh
Question:695. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for cataracts surgery, by county; the average wait time; the number waiting over one, two, three and four years, respectively by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35026/23]
View answerWritten answers
It 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.
The information requested by the Deputy regarding the number of people waiting for cataract surgery, is outlined in the attached document. The NTPF has advised that the health system does not collect the data necessary to calculate average wait times. In particular, the time to treatment of patients who have already received their care is not collected. The NTPF collects data on patients currently on the waiting list and the average time that these patients have been waiting is provided here is provided in the attached document.
Health Services Staff
Questions (696)
Niall Collins
Question:696. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health for an update on the process to bring parity of pay and conditions of workers in section 38 and section 39 organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35027/23]
View answerWritten answers
It is important that I acknowledge the important role that Section 39 organisations and their staff play in our health sector. They have a key role in providing services to people with disabilities and older people.
A process of engagement to examine the pay of workers in Community and Voluntary organisations was committed to by the Government in October 2022. While the Government has committed to a process, it is worth noting that Section 39 organisations are privately owned and run, and the terms and conditions of employment of staff in these organisations are ultimately between the employer and the employee.
On 17 April, officials from the Department of Health, the HSE, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and Tusla met with union representatives under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission. This engagement sought to understand and explore the scope of the unions' claim for pay rises for Community and Voluntary sector workers. Follow up engagements took place at the Workplace Relations Commission on 15 May 2023 & on the 28 of June 2023. Further engagement is due to take place at the WRC in the coming weeks. As this is an ongoing Industrial Relations process, it would be inappropriate to comment any further at this point.
Departmental Data
Questions (697)
Niall Collins
Question:697. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health if he can advise on the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35029/23]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
I would also like to remind the Deputy that it is against Department policy to comment on individual cases.
General Practitioner Services
Questions (698)
David Cullinane
Question:698. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs contracted by the HSE under the GMS scheme for the years 2018 to date, broken down by year and by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35034/23]
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.
General Practitioner Services
Questions (699)
David Cullinane
Question:699. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs not contracted under the GMS scheme but who are registered to provide other services including: the primary childhood immunisation scheme, the Health (Amendment) Act, 1996, heartwatch, the methadone treatment scheme, the national cancer screening service or any other service for the years 2018 to date, broken down by year, by county and by the service they deliver; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35035/23]
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.
General Practitioner Services
Questions (700)
David Cullinane
Question:700. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to outline the number of GPs on the specialist division of the register in general practice for the years 2018 to date, broken down by year and by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35036/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Medical Council, the statutory agency responsible for the registration and regulation of doctors in Ireland, have provided the information requested by the Deputy.
The data, below, is taken from the Medical Council’s register of medical practitioners, which is a “living” database. Each working day doctors are entered on, removed from, or transferred between the Divisions of the register.
The figures reported do not reflect the total number of doctors that may be working in general practice; as there may be doctors from other divisions (including the General Division of the register) that may be working within general practice.
Table 1 below sets out the number of General Practitioners (GPs) that retained their place on the Specialist Division of the register for the years 2018 to 2022. Doctors retaining their place on the register includes those who may not be clinically active and practicing in Ireland.
Table 1. GPs on Specialist Division, 2018-2022 (Doctors retaining their name on the register with the Specialist Division for general practice)
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
|
Total |
3801 |
3894 |
3893 |
4028 |
4082 |
Table 2 below sets out the number of General Practitioners (GPs) on the Specialist Division of the register for the years 2018 to 2022, by year. These are GPs who are/were clinically active and practicing in Ireland (it does not include the cohort of doctors who have retained but are not clinically active/practicing).
Table 2. GPs on Specialist Division, 2018-2022 (Self-reported being clinically active)
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
|
Total |
3438 |
3783 |
3717 |
3833 |
3926 |
Table 3 below sets out the number of General Practitioners (GPs) on the Specialist Division of the register for the years 2018 to 2022, by year and by County. These are GPs who are/were clinically active and practicing in Ireland.
Table 3. GPs on Specialist Division, 2018-2022 by County (Self-reported being clinically active and self-reported County of practice)
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
|
Carlow |
42 |
46 |
44 |
38 |
41 |
|
Cavan |
46 |
43 |
50 |
48 |
50 |
|
Clare |
63 |
68 |
76 |
72 |
76 |
|
Cork |
436 |
456 |
473 |
485 |
509 |
|
Donegal |
132 |
139 |
134 |
136 |
148 |
|
Dublin |
1052 |
1108 |
1146 |
1169 |
1171 |
|
Galway |
239 |
256 |
271 |
274 |
280 |
|
Kerry |
107 |
115 |
112 |
112 |
116 |
|
Kildare |
119 |
124 |
142 |
138 |
146 |
|
Kilkenny |
55 |
57 |
60 |
66 |
57 |
|
Laois |
50 |
52 |
52 |
53 |
55 |
|
Leitrim |
12 |
14 |
20 |
18 |
22 |
|
Limerick |
163 |
171 |
168 |
186 |
186 |
|
Longford |
24 |
22 |
24 |
26 |
26 |
|
Louth |
88 |
90 |
91 |
96 |
95 |
|
Mayo |
87 |
88 |
89 |
89 |
93 |
|
Meath |
97 |
101 |
90 |
100 |
105 |
|
Monaghan |
32 |
28 |
28 |
31 |
27 |
|
Offaly |
45 |
47 |
40 |
42 |
50 |
|
Roscommon |
45 |
46 |
45 |
47 |
50 |
|
Sligo |
58 |
61 |
63 |
65 |
65 |
|
Tipperary |
101 |
101 |
100 |
104 |
108 |
|
Waterford |
105 |
104 |
103 |
110 |
102 |
|
Westmeath |
63 |
68 |
66 |
67 |
78 |
|
Wexford |
177 |
88 |
96 |
96 |
112 |
|
Wicklow |
- * |
97 |
96 |
104 |
114 |
|
Unreported ** |
- * |
193 |
38 |
61 |
44 |
|
Total |
3438 |
3783 |
3717 |
3833 |
3926 |
* Data is absent for this year, however subsequent years data is recorded.
** Indicates where a Dr has not self-reported their County of practice.
General Practitioner Services
Questions (701)
David Cullinane
Question:701. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to outline the nature of State funding by way of subsidy to GPs; the total cost of such subsidies for the years 2018 to 2022, broken down by year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35037/23]
View answerWritten answers
Under the General Medical Services (GMS) scheme, GPs can receive subsidies towards the employment of practice staff, contributions towards locum expenses to cover periods of leave, contributions towards medical indemnity insurance premiums and support payments for rural GPs who qualify under the Rural Practice Support Framework. A support is also available to GPs working in areas of social deprivation.
In relation to the total cost of these subsidies for the years 2018 to 2022, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
General Practitioner Services
Questions (702)
David Cullinane
Question:702. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to outline the number of GPs providing an out-of-hours care service for the years 2018 to date, broken down by year and by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35038/23]
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.
Departmental Data
Questions (703)
David Cullinane
Question:703. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to outline the total health budget allocated to section 38 and section 39 organisations for the years 2018 to 2023, broken down by total Section 38 cost and Section 39 cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35039/23]
View answerWritten answers
This PQ relates to the HSE funding relationship with s38 and S39 agencies and therefore they are best placed to answer. Can we request for DoH to be copied on the response, please. similar PQ already referred PQ Ref: 34586/23
Departmental Data
Questions (704)
David Cullinane
Question:704. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to outline the portion of HSE spend on section 38 and section 39 organisations that covers pay; the total HSE spending on funding such organisations in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35040/23]
View answerWritten answers
I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
Departmental Data
Questions (705)
David Cullinane
Question:705. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to outline what modelling has been done to cost equalising pay for workers who work for the HSE with those who work for section 38 and section 39 organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35041/23]
View answerWritten answers
It is important that I acknowledge the important role that Section 39 organisations and their staff play in our health sector. They have a key role in providing services to people with disabilities and older people.
A process of engagement to examine the pay of workers in Community and Voluntary organisations was committed to by the Government in October 2022. While the Government has committed to a process, it is worth noting that Section 39 organisations are privately owned and run, and the terms and conditions of employment of staff in these organisations are ultimately between the employer and the employee.
On 17 April, officials from the Department of Health, the HSE, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and Tusla met with union representatives under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission. This engagement sought to understand and explore the scope of the unions' claim for pay rises for Community and Voluntary sector workers. Follow up engagements took place at the Workplace Relations Commission on 15 May 2023 & on the 28 of June 2023. Further engagement is due to take place at the WRC in the coming weeks.
As this is an ongoing Industrial Relations process, it would be inappropriate to comment any further at this point.
Health Service Executive
Questions (706)
David Cullinane
Question:706. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to outline the number of HSE-employed staff or contracted staff providing a service for the HSE who earn less than the living wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35043/23]
View answerWritten answers
I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on the matter
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (707)
Louise O'Reilly
Question:707. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, the total spend on external legal fees for representing the HSE and/or his Department in third-party industrial relations hearings for the period 2016 to 2023, broken down by company and by case type; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35049/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Department engages the legal services of the legal unit within the Department as well as the services of the Chief State Solicitors Office in matters pertaining to Industrial Relations that require legal assistance or opinion. The Department engages the Chief State Solicitors Office where the Department needs to be represented in Industrial Relations hearings.
As the Health Service Executive is the employer in the Industrial relations process I have referred to them in this matter.