Written Answers Nos. 884-904
884. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of patients who have presented at the long-Covid clinics in Dublin and Cork; and the measures being taken to support these clinics, including ring-fenced funding. [39524/23]
View answerAs the matter raised is a service delivery matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
885. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of staff now employed at Mallow General Hospital, those for the original sections and those hired for the new section recently built; and the number of vacancies and staff grades remaining, in tabular form. [39525/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
886. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health for an update on when the report on the cariban reimbursement scheme review will be published; if further changes will be made to the scheme than the changes (details supplied) that were announced at the end of August 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39530/23]
View answerThe Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for pricing and reimbursement decisions under the community schemes, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. Therefore, this matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
887. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a HSE hardship scheme application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39539/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
888. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health when he intends to introduce legislation regulating surrogacy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39540/23]
View answer983. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022, particularly regarding international surrogacy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40286/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 888 and 983 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 was introduced to, and passed Second Stage in, the Dáil in March 2022 and has been referred to the Select Committee on Health for Third Stage. The focus of this Bill is on the regulation, for the first time in this country, of a wide range of assisted human reproduction (AHR) practices undertaken within the jurisdiction.
The Bill as published provided for domestic altruistic surrogacy but does not contain provisions to regulate surrogacy arrangements undertaken in other jurisdictions. However, on foot of Government approval of a proposal from Minister McEntee, Minister O’Gorman and myself, the Special Oireachtas Joint Committee on International Surrogacy was formally established in February 2022.
Following the publication of the Committee’s Final Report in July 2022, through a structured and collaborative engagement process, the three relevant Departments (Departments of Health, Justice, and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth) reviewed the Report’s recommendations along with other relevant matters. This project culminated with the approval by Cabinet in mid-December 2022 of a policy approach in respect of both the regulation of international surrogacy and the recognition of certain past surrogacy arrangements (domestic and international) as well as outline draft legislative proposals.
The formal drafting process of these new surrogacy provisions by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC), in conjunction with the three relevant Departments, as appropriate, is at an advanced stage. This is notwithstanding the fact that drafting by the OPC on the AHR Bill was paused due to a diversion of OPC personnel to work on highly-prioritised, non-Department of Health legislation.
The new provisions will then need to be approved by Government following the completion of the formal drafting process. It is intended that the finalised approved legislative provisions will then in effect be added to the AHR Bill at Committee Stage, in tandem with the bringing of substantial proposed amendments to the 11 Parts and 134 pages of the published Bill.
I wish to reiterate my commitment to ensuring both that the goal of providing for a route to formal recognition by the State of past surrogacy arrangements or surrogacy arrangements in other jurisdictions is achieved and that a robust regulatory framework for AHR more broadly is put in place, as quickly as possible.
889. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will designate special funding to the healthy homes co-ordinators in local authorities to assist them in their role to help older and vulnerable people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39541/23]
View answerHealthy Age Friendly Homes is the support coordination service which seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of older adults and to enable them to remain in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. An innovative collaboration between Health, Housing, and Local Government, through the Age Friendly Ireland Shared Service, this programme has been operational in nine pilot sites since July 2021. This programme establishes the unique role of the local coordinator, situated in local government and who acts as a single point of contact for older people. By operating within the public service straddling health and housing, they act as a catalyst to signpost services on behalf of older people. On referral into the programme, a local coordinator will carry out a home visit to conduct a holistic assessment of needs in the areas of health, housing adaptations, home energy assessments and retrofits, community and social supports, and assistive technologies.
Following a successful pilot funded by Sláintecare, the programme has received funding of €5.2m in Budget 2023 to roll out nationally. This funding provides for 44 local coordinators and 6 regional managers to provide supports and advice to older people nationwide, that is, a local coordinator role for each of the 31 Local Authorities and two coordinators in certain areas based on identified need. These roles are funded by the HSE, and employed by Meath County Council as host of the Age Friendly Ireland Shared Service. Local coordinator will also be provided with a small programme budget in each local authority to facilitate local engagement and promotional activities. The programme will be coordinated across six regions, aligned to the six new HSE Health Regions.
Work to progress the recruitment of the 44 local coordinators and 6 regional managers through the Public Appointments Service has progressed over the summer period with the national programme launch expected in the Autumn as coordinators come on stream.
890. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health , further to Parliamentary Question No. 815 of 13 July 2023, to provide a breakdown of where the €14 million of new development funding was allocated for new services in mental health; for an update on any overspend or underspend of this funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39543/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
891. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health his views on the significant shortfall that clients of the cross-Border scheme are experiencing when their reimbursement comes through (details supplied). [39549/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
892. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will receive an urgent appointment in respect of a facets joint injections procedure. [39566/23]
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.
893. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health for an update following on from a primary medical certificate appeal (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39591/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
894. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will give urgent consideration to a request (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39613/23]
View answerBudget 2023 saw over €40 million in additional funding for Fair Deal which is providing for an uplift in the maximum prices chargeable by private and voluntary nursing homes, as negotiated.
Overall, nearly €1.5 billion of the total Health Budget for 2023 is allocated to support people under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS or Fair Deal).
The Government also continued to provide free PPE and oxygen to private nursing homes, and as of May 2023 this has cost approximately €77 million. A short-term extension to the Temporary Inflation Payment Scheme (TIPS), introduced last year to help with increased energy costs due to inflation, is currently under review.
I recently held a roundtable discussion with private nursing home provider representative groups where the issue of continued support for the sector was on the agenda. I will continue to engage with them going forward.
Discussions on next year’s Estimates and Budget 2024 are ongoing and a wide range of initiatives are under consideration.
It should also be noted that the Department of Health and I have regular interaction with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and have met them to discuss ways to support the sector, where necessary and appropriate, to complement the normal process of negotiating rate increases when contracts are renewed.
Any nursing home which has had a scheduled renegotiation of their Deed of Agreement with the NTPF this year has seen a significant uplift. These new contracts have seen an average baseline increase in price per bed of between 6% and 7%.
The Government is also cognisant of private and voluntary nursing homes that are not scheduled to renegotiate their Deed of Agreement in 2023.
A significant change that the NTPF have made to their negotiation process is for nursing home providers to agree to a shorter contract duration, which will aim to ensure that NTPF rate increases stay aligned with any cost pressure increases that occur over the course of the contracted period.
The NTPF are the body designated, under Section 40 of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009, to negotiate with persons carrying on the business of a nursing home, for the purposes of reaching an agreement on the maximum prices to be charged for nursing home care. There is no role for Ministers in the negotiation process which is conducted and agreed between individual nursing home providers and the NTPF.
There is no other mechanism for funding from the public purse for nursing home residents outside of the NHSS. It is imperative that private and voluntary providers continue to engage in the process as set out in the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009.
Fair 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.
The Nursing Homes Support Scheme covers the cost of the standard components of long-term residential care which are: Nursing and personal care appropriate to the level of care needs of the person; Bed and board; Basic aids and appliances necessary to assist a person with the activities of daily living; and Laundry service.
A person's eligibility for other schemes, such as the medical card scheme or the drugs payment scheme, is unaffected by participation in the NHSS or residence in a nursing home. For this reason, medications and aids that are already prescribed for individuals under an existing scheme are not included in the services covered by the NHSS, as this would involve effectively paying twice for the same service.
Although the NHSS covers core living expenses, residents can still incur some costs in a nursing home, such as social programmes, newspapers or hairdressing. In recognition of this, anyone in receipt of financial support under the NHSS retains at least 20% of their income. An operator should not seek payment from residents for items which are covered by the NHSS, the medical card or any other existing scheme.
The Department of Health is currently reviewing the available evidence and considering various policy options with relation to nursing home charges.
Part 7 of the Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2013 stipulates that the registered provider of the nursing home must agree a contract in writing with each resident on their admission to the nursing home. This contract must include details of the services to be provided to that resident and the fees to be charged. Residents should never be charged fees which are not set out in the contract. The Department of Health and the HSE are not a party to such contracts which are concluded between each resident and their nursing home.Registered providers of nursing home care are obliged to provide an accessible and effective complaints procedure. Concerns about additional charges should in the first instance be taken up with the nursing home provider. Where an individual is not satisfied with the response they receive, they may wish to take their complaint further by seeking a review from the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Office of the Ombudsman can examine complaints about the actions of a range of public bodies and, from 24 August 2015, complaints relating to the administrative actions of private nursing homes.
The Office of the Ombudsman normally only deals with a complaint once the individual has already gone through the complaint’s procedure of the private nursing home concerned.
The Ombudsman can be contacted as follows:
Office of the Ombudsman
6 Earlsfort Terrace
Dublin 2
D02 W773 Tel. (01) 639 5600 / Lo-call (1890) 22 30 30e-mail at ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie An individual can also use the following website to make a complaint to office of the Ombudsman at the ‘Make A Complaint’ portal on www.ombudsman.ie.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is an independent statutory body with a dual mandate to enforce competition and consumer protection law in Ireland. CCPC’s mission is to promote competition and enhance consumer welfare. The CCPC has published consumer protection guidelines for contracts of care in long-term residential care services for older people. The guidelines set out the obligations and responsibilities that providers must adhere to under consumer protection law and are aimed at providing greater transparency, clarity and certainty for consumers.
A formal complaint can be lodged with the CCPC at the following link: www.ccpc.ie/consumers/how-to-complain/
895. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health to outline the location of the site on Lusk Main Street referred to in the 2023 Health Capital Plan in 'Appendix 2 - Mental Health' that refers to the "Construction of a 30-bed purpose-built Psychiatry of Later Life facility on Main Street, Lusk including purchase of the site"; and if the site has to date been acquired by the HSE. [39614/23]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on the matter.
896. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the geographical areas in which it is not possible for medical card holders to get free access to vasectomies; if he will resolve this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39631/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
897. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health whether support is available for the extension of Coolmine into Galway. [39637/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
898. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health to detail the preparations being undertaken by his Department in advance of the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882); the guidance that is being issued by his Department to organisations and businesses in advance of the enactment of the directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39670/23]
View answerThe European Accessibility Act (EAA) is an important EU Directive that will introduce mandatory minimum accessibility requirements for certain products and services in the EU.
The Directive is both broad and deep in scope and covers a range of commonly used products and services that are important for daily life. It advocates for a universal design or ‘design for all’ approach to accessibility, which means ensuring access to products and services for persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others. The deadline for implementation of the Directive is 28 June 2025.
The Government recognises the importance of the EAA as a tool for increasing the availability of accessible products and services in the EU. Implementation of the Directive will benefit citizens with accessibility needs, including persons with disabilities and the elderly, as well as creating opportunities for Irish and European businesses trading in accessible goods and services.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has been working for a considerable period of time to coordinate transposition of this complex Directive with a range of Government Departments including my Department. During these discussions and after conducting extensive analysis of the implications of the Directive, it was concluded that my Department would maintain a watching brief during the duration of the transposition period, particularly in relation to disability services.
Policy responsibility for disability services has since moved to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. My Department remains committed to working with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on any implications resulting from the transposition and implementation of the Directive.
899. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health when the national discharge and annual review plan will be implemented for existing paediatric eyecare patients aged eight years and over; if this will be implemented nationally, given that it is being progressed in some areas while discussions are continuing on the fee structure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39689/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
900. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to confirm if paediatric eyecare patients aged eight years and over who are entitled to State support and funding but have been forced to pay for private treatment due to long wait times; if those who are now not existing patients will be denied access to State funding for an annual review delivered by independent optometrists under the new paediatric pathway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39690/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
901. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health if his Department issues guidance to hospitals and car park operators in respect of waiving parking fees for individuals who are admitted as in-patients without prior notice and who are experiencing financial hardship. [39710/23]
View answerI am aware that hospitals that charge parking fees are very cognisant of the financial implications of parking costs for patients and their families.
Consequently, many hospitals have introduced a maximum daily fixed parking charge and reduced rate parking for long-term patients and visitors for whom the payment of the full rate would cause hardship.
The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future, makes a commitment to introduce a maximum daily car parking charge for patients and visitors at all public hospitals, where possible, and to introduce flexible passes in all public hospitals for patients and their families. This is a reflection of the Government’s appreciation of the financial challenge that can be faced by people in meeting these expenses, in particular where they are frequent users of hospital services. Accordingly, my Department and the HSE are currently examining the issue.
902. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that funding is provided for the expansion of the Ballyhale Health Centre, County Kilkenny, as a matter of urgency, given the demand on the practice for services and the increase in population in the catchment area of the centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39715/23]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to directly to the Deputy on this matter.
903. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health for an update on the primary care centre in Blarney. [39719/23]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive (HSE) holds responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
904. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health to provide an update with respect to all future plans to develop Ennis Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39738/23]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to directly to the Deputy on this matter.
