Written Answers Nos. 229-252
229. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the average time it takes from the day of referral and to the day of refusal of acceptance to CAMHS; for a breakdown of this by CHO; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50341/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
230. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on his Department's request to HIQA to carry out a health technology assessment examining the cost benefits of an enhanced vaccine for the over 65s; when the health technology assessment will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50343/23]
View answerThe National Influenza Vaccination Programme ensures that those most vulnerable to the effects of influenza have access to vaccination. The objective of the programme is to reduce the overall spread of influenza in the community and to protect those most at risk from influenza-related hospital admissions.
To inform decision making in relation to the current Influenza Vaccination Programme, my Department has requested that HIQA include a Health technology assessment (HTA) in its work programme, in relation to vaccination with an enhanced quadrivalent influenza vaccine for those aged 65 and older.
A HTA is a multidisciplinary research process that collects and summarises information about a health technology to provide information regarding clinical effectiveness and safety, cost-effectiveness and budget impact, organisational and social aspects, and ethical and legal issues. The information is collected and presented in a systematic, unbiased and transparent manner to inform policy decision making.I am advised that the target completion date for this HTA is in Q3 of 2024.
231. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health whether the signing of the annual pension allowance declaration form under the Appropriation Act 1962 and relevant pension scheme rules is necessary for those over 65 years until a claimant's death; whether a notice could instead be sent to the applicants advising them of the need to contact the HSE if circumstances change; if he accepts that seeking clarification from people in their 70s and 80s as to whether they are working is unfair; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50345/23]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an administrative issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently not in a position to answer PQs due to industrial action. It is hoped that normal services will resume soon. In the meantime, this Department will continue to refer PQs to HSE for their direct reply as soon as possible.
232. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health what measures/supports are in place for women in Cavan and Monaghan who suffer from post-natal depression; if there are any plans to enhance these services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50356/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
233. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if his Department plans to open a primary care centre in Santry/Whitehall for the Dublin 9 area. [50359/23]
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.
The Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday 6th October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
234. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health his Department’s plans to improve the health outcomes in Dublin 9 by providing more medical professionals. [50360/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
The Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday 6th October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
235. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health his Department’s strategic plan for health care delivery for Dublin 9. [50361/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
The Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday 6th October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
236. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will clarify if HIQA has ordered an urgent evacuation of 68 elderly patients from Cherry Orchard hospital; if he is aware that there was no consultation with families in advance of a decision that will impact on 68 people and their families; if alternative accommodation can be arranged on campus to minimise disruption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50368/23]
View answerCherry Orchard Hospital is a designated centre for the care of older people located on the Hospital campus in Ballyfermot, Dublin 10. The Centre comprises five units: Beech, Aspen, Hazel, Willow and Sycamore, housing 95 residents in total.
In May 2023, a Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) inspection identified concerns in relation to the flooring in both the Sycamore and Willow Units at Cherry Orchard Hospital. These presented a significant potential health and safety risk. A subsequent Health Service Executive (HSE) review indicated that the flooring has underlying structural issues which require immediate remedial work.
The HSE has decided to close both Units and relocate the residents to Clondalkin Lodge, which is a private nursing home, on a temporary basis while the necessary structural works are completed. It is expected that the works will take a minimum of 1 year to complete.
HIQA has advised my Department that the HSE is required to undertake structural and fire safety works in these buildings. As part of the HSE’s plan to complete these works in as timely a fashion as possible, HIQA has further advised that transferring residents temporarily to another facility is in their best interests; to ensure their safety.
The buildings remain registered with HIQA and the HSE has committed to the Chief Inspector that, following consultation, residents will all be offered the choice of returning as soon as the works are completed, and the facility is safe. The HSE will work to address the structural issues promptly and ensure HIQA compliance so that the residents can return as soon as possible.
In consultation with HIQA, the HSE has considered several plans to address the works required that would have allowed residents to remain on-site during completion of works. However, it was agreed that to ensure health and safety of residents the units would close while the works were being carried out. This is in order to minimise disruption to residents and to comply with the HIQA requirement for a shorter timeline for the completion of works.
The safety and wellbeing of residents and staff is the primary concern.
The HSE is working in consultation with residents, their families and staff while giving full consideration to health and safety concerns and regulatory compliance. There is on-going monitoring and risk assessment to ensure that there is no immediate hazard to residents.
The HSE has assured me that all residents will remain under the overall care of the HSE and that any and all supports that residents receive in Cherry Orchard will be provided at no additional cost to the residents transferred to Clondalkin Lodge. The relocation of residents from the two units in Cherry Orchard is temporary and the HSE has confirmed its commitment to this strategically important site.
As parts of the Deputy’s questions are an operational matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
237. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if it would be considered a conflict of interest if an ex-HIQA inspector became a director of a private nursing home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50369/23]
View answerI have been informed by HIQA that there are no restrictions placed on any former employee of HIQA regarding their choice of future career once they have ceased employment with HIQA.
238. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if he will work with the Minister for Finance to rectify an issue in the Finance Bill which will detrimentally affect medical card holders and GPs regarding GMS contracts (details supplied). [50371/23]
View answerThe collection of taxes and issues relating to the interpretation of tax law are a matter for the Revenue Commissioners. New guidance regarding the tax treatment of GP's GMS income has now been issued by the Revenue Commissions.
Officials from my Department and the HSE engaged with the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Finance prior to publication to understand the context of the new guidance and to identify the potential operational issues which may arise following its publication. The guidance does not reflect a change in tax law, but clarifies how GPs’ GMS income should be treated for the purposes of tax under current tax law. To allow GPs and GP practices time to make any necessary adjustments to their arrangements to ensure compliance with applicable tax policy and legislation, Revenue have implemented transitional arrangements up to the end of 2023.
In order to address the concerns raised in relation to the guidance, the Minister for Finance has announced his intention to bring forward an amendment at Report Stage of the Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023 to provide that where individual General Practitioners (GPs) enter into contracts with the HSE to provide certain medical professional services, and provide those services in the conduct of a partnership profession with other individual GPs, the income from those professional services can be treated for income tax purposes as income of the partnership.
My Department and the HSE continue to engage with the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Finance, as well as with the IMO, on this matter.
The current contractual arrangements for the GMS, as well as other issues, will be examined under the Strategic Review of General Practice, which will propose measures necessary to modernise the contract.
239. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health for a breakdown of CAMHS-ID teams, per CHO area, in tabular form; the staffing level per team; what options are open to young people who require the services of CAMHS-ID if there are no teams in their CHO; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50392/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
240. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health the reason CareDoc CIT nurses, who provide a vital service in the region, have been excluded and treated less favourably than HSE CIT nurses across the country with regard to the non-payment of the pandemic payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50395/23]
View answerFirstly, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all healthcare workers for their efforts during the Covid 19 Pandemic.
Last year the Government announced a once-off, ex-gratia COVID-19 pandemic recognition payment for certain frontline public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic.
Eligibility criteria for the payment were set following significant consideration and consultation. I can confirm that in order to receive the recognition payment, staff must have:
• Been in COVID vaccination cohorts 1 or 2, and
• Worked ordinarily onsite in a COVID-19 exposed healthcare environment, and
• Worked for at least 4 weeks in the 1/3/2020 – 30/6/2021 period, and
• Worked in a HSE/Section 38 organisation, or one of the following:
1. Private Sector Nursing Homes and Hospices (e.g. Private, Voluntary,Section 39 etc.);
2. Section 39 long-term residential care facilities for people with disabilities, working on-site;
3. Agency roles working in the HSE;
4. Health Care Support Assistants (also known as home help / home care / home support) contracted to the HSE;
5. Members of the Defence Forces redeployed to work in frontline Covid-19 exposed environments in the HSE;
6. Paramedic staff employed by Dublin Fire Brigade to deliver services on behalf of the HSE.
Only those staff who met all the above eligibility criteria were covered for this payment. I appreciate that many other workers, volunteers, and other citizens including those working in CareDoc CIT provided very important services during the pandemic.
The Government appreciates that those organisations and staff who are not encompassed for this particular payment may feel disappointed. It was a hard task to set out the eligibility criteria for this payment but the Government based its decision on certain aspects of all the different roles within the Healthcare sector and certain risks which eligible frontline workers faced. Undoubtedly Immense efforts have been made by all healthcare staff since the onset of the pandemic which has not gone unrecognised.
241. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to set out in tabular form a detailed breakdown on how the allocated budget for new medicines was spent in the years 2021, 2022 and from 1 January 2023 to 31 October 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50400/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
242. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to set out in tabular form a detailed breakdown of the direct savings arising from discounts, rebates or substitution of generic and biosimilar medicines in the years 2021, 2022 and from 1 January 2023 to 31 October 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50401/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
243. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to confirm whether direct savings arising from discounts, rebates or substitution of generic and biosimilar medicines were routed back into the medicines budget to fund other treatments, or into general HSE funding, during each of the years 2021, 2022 and from 1 January 2023 to 31 October 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50402/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
244. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 796 of 14 February 2023, if he can confirm whether the HSE will fund the inclusion of chronic kidney disease in the chronic disease management programme in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50403/23]
View answerUnder the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. The General Practitioner (GP) Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Programme commenced in 2020 and has been rolled out on a phased basis to adult GMS (Medical Card and GP Visit Card) patients over a 4-year period. The specified chronic conditions included in the Programme are Type 2 Diabetes; Asthma; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Cardiovascular Disease (including Heart Failure, Ischaemic Heart Disease, Cerebrovascular Disease (Stroke/Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), Atrial Fibrillation).
The CDM programme represents a new approach in Ireland to working with patients to manage their healthcare. It has brought the care for chronic disease further into the community and closer to the patient, and over time is expected to reduce hospital attendance by patients with one or more of the specified conditions.
Further expansion of the programme to include additional conditions would require rigorous clinical assessment and engagement with stakeholders, including the GPs delivering the service. Nonetheless, this could be considered in the future in the context of resource availability.
245. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 794 of 14 February 2023, to provide a summary of the analysis of the opportunistic case finding assessment under the chronic disease management programme in 2022, the number of patients diagnosed with asthma, type 2 diabetes, COPD or cardiovascular disease as a result of this assessment, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50404/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
246. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health to comment on correspondence received (details supplied). [50406/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
247. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Health when the HSE and his Department will fulfil their commitment to facilitating homebirth services in north Tipperary and CHO3; if all midwife-led services are fully operational in the rural areas of north Tipperary and CHO3; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50428/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
248. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive an urgent hospital appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50449/23]
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.
As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday 6th October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, there may be a delay in the Deputy receiving a response from the HSE.
249. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health how Traveller Primary Health Care Workers employed by Section 39 agencies through the HSE can be awarded the special pandemic recognition payment given their frontline status during the pandemic and their work carried out in clinical settings for the HSE such as mobile vaccination and testing clinics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50451/23]
View answerFirstly, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all healthcare workers for their diligent efforts during the Covid 19 Pandemic.
Last year the Government announced a once-off, ex-gratia COVID-19 pandemic recognition payment for certain frontline public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic.
Eligibility criteria for the payment were set following significant consideration and consultation. I can confirm that in order to receive the recognition payment, staff must have:
• Been in COVID vaccination cohorts 1 or 2, and
• Worked ordinarily onsite in a COVID-19 exposed healthcare environment, and
• Worked for at least 4 weeks in the 1/3/2020 – 30/6/2021 period, and
• Worked in a HSE/Section 38 organisation, or one of the following:
1. Private Sector Nursing Homes and Hospices (e.g. Private, Voluntary,Section 39 etc.);
2. Section 39 long-term residential care facilities for people with disabilities, working on-site;
3. Agency roles working in the HSE;
4. Health Care Support Assistants (also known as home help / home care / home support) contracted to the HSE;
5. Members of the Defence Forces redeployed to work in frontline Covid-19 exposed environments in the HSE;
6. Paramedic staff employed by Dublin Fire Brigade to deliver services on behalf of the HSE.
Only those staff who met all of the above eligibility criteria were covered for this payment. I appreciate that many other workers, volunteers, and other citizens provided very important services during the pandemic.
The Government appreciates that those organisations and staff who are not eligible for this particular payment may feel disappointed. It was a hard task to set out the eligibility criteria for this payment but the Government based its decision on certain aspects of all the different roles within the Healthcare sector and certain risks which eligible frontline workers faced. Undoubtedly immense efforts have been made by all healthcare staff since the onset of the pandemic which has not gone unrecognised.
In recognition of the efforts of all workers, volunteers, and the general public during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in remembrance of people who lost their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government announced a public holiday in 2022. There was also a new permanent public holiday established to mark St Brigid’s Day.
250. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to provide, in tabular form, details of the funding allocation made to the LDATFs and, separately, to the RDATFs, in each of the past five years, and the respective funding that will be provided in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50456/23]
View answerDrug and Alcohol Task Forces receive annual funding from the Department of Health and the HSE.
The latest available consolidated table of funding relates to 2022 and is attached.
This table relates to core funding and does not include new development funding for strategic health initiatives (€1m) and the Community Services Enhancement Fund (€2m).
It also does not include the additional €4.1 million in once-off funding, to compensate for the inflation costs incurred by social inclusion services, including drug and alcohol taskforces in 2022. gov.ie - Health Ministers announce €81 million in once-off funding for voluntary and community providers (www.gov.ie)
In 2023, I provided an additional €3.5m in recurring funding to maintain existing level of drugs and inclusion health services. The funding is being distributed by community healthcare organisations (CHOs), based on guidance issued by the Department of Health. The allocation per CHO is between €330,000 & €450,000.
The funding recognises the important role of community and voluntary groups in providing drugs and inclusion health services, and acknowledges the increased costs of providing these essential services. Priority will be given to services, including community-based drug services, which are experiencing increased demand and have not received additional funding in recent years, in order to ensure maximum positive impact.
gov.ie - Minister Naughton announces additional annual funding of €3.5 million for drugs and inclusion health services (www.gov.ie).
251. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health in the context of Healthy Ireland, if he and or the HSE provide funding and/or assistance for the provision of grow your own/allotment spaces, and the way in which those funds are accessed by public allotment groups. [50461/23]
View answerHealthy Ireland provides funding to local authorities through the Healthy Ireland Fund to achieve prioritized health outcomes. These funds are allocated via Local Community Development Committees to initiatives and projects that will have impact on these chosen priority outcomes. In addition, funds are provided to the Sláintecare Healthy Communities areas in the form of seed funding to local authorities annually. The Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme has funded, through it's 2023 seed fund initiative, three Grow it Yourself (GIY) projects in Cork City, Inishowen and Longford. The Grow It Yourself Programme will work in schools in these areas to help develop a more sustainable. response to the issue of food poverty. The provision of grow your own/allotment spaces in itself is a matter for local authorities to reserve and provide land for this use.
Healthy Ireland also provides funding for the Incredible Edibles programme, run by Agri Aware. This programme provides ‘grow packs’ to primary and secondary schools that register for the programme, and these contain seeds that children can plant in schools and enables them to grow their own fruit and vegetables and learn about health and nutrition
252. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to respond to the concerns of an organisation (details supplied) in relation to the standards and criteria for the education and training of psychotherapists proposed by CORU; if he has engaged with the organisation on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50515/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Health and Social Care Professionals Council and Registration Boards, collectively known as CORU, are responsible for protecting the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct, education, training, and competence amongst the professions designated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act (2005). The Act is being implemented on a phased basis as registration boards and their registers are being established.
Each profession designated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act has its own independent registration board with statutory responsibility for:
• Establishing and maintaining the register of members for that profession;
• Recognising qualifications gained outside the State;
• Approving and monitoring education and training programmes for entry to the register;
• Setting the code of professional conduct and ethics giving guidance to professionals on Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
Regulations under SI No. 170 of 2018 were made by my predecessor in 2018 to designate the professions of counsellor and psychotherapist under the 2005 Act and to establish one registration board for both professions. Members were appointed to the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board (CPRB) in February 2019 and they held their inaugural meeting in May 2019.
The work of the CPRB includes consideration of the titles to be protected and the minimum qualifications to be required of existing practitioners and the qualifications that will be required for future graduates. The work of the CPRB is significantly more challenging than it is for registration boards for some of the more established professions owing to the different and complex pathways into these professions, the variety of titles used, and the variety and number of courses and course providers.
To date, the following progress has been made by the CPRB:
• Identification, verification and comprehensive assessment of legacy/historical qualifications to determine if they are appropriate for transitioning existing practitioners onto the respective registers (when open);
• Scoping and research on the regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists internationally has been conducted;
• Drafting of separate and distinct Standards of Proficiency for counsellors and psychotherapists and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes has been finalised.
A public consultation on the draft Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes has been launched and will run until 5pm on Friday 1st December 2023. As part of this consultation, the CPRB encourages feedback from stakeholders, including members of the professions, education providers, employers, professional and representative bodies, as well as members of the public.
I have not engaged with representative bodies in relation to the CPRB’s proposed standards of proficiency and criteria for education and training programmes for counsellors and psychotherapists. The CPRB is an independent body with statutory responsibility to establish registers for the professions of counsellor and psychotherapist, including setting the minimum standards required for entry to these professions and criteria for education and training programmes Given the independent role of the CPRB, and the fact that a public consultation is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to pre-empt the outcome of the consultation. CORU, on behalf of the CPRB, will brief my Department on the outcome of the public consultation in due course.
Further information on the consultation process and details on how to make a submission are available on the CORU website here: www.coru.ie/public-protection/public-consultations/current-consultations/public-consultation-psychotherapists-standards-of-proficiency-and-criteria-for-education-and-training-programmes-for-psychotherapists.html I encourage all stakeholders to make a submission as part of the process.
