Written Answers Nos. 473-484
473. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE consultant breast surgeons based at each hospital part of the Saolta Hospital Group in 2021, 2022 and to-date in 2023, in tabular form. [50609/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
474. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE vacant consultant posts, by speciality currently at University Hospital Waterford; and when these vacancies will be filled, in tabular form. [50610/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
475. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of treatment bays in the accident and emergency department at Cavan General Hospital. [50611/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy directly.
476. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the early intervention psychosis services that are currently available in CHO3. [50612/23]
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.
477. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE consultants in emergency medicine based at Tallaght University Hospital in 2021, 2022 and to-date in 2023, in tabular form. [50613/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
478. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the total number of beds available in South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital in each of the years 2020 to date in 2023, by Department. [50614/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
479. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE vacancies, by job title in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory at Beaumont Hospital. [50615/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
480. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of ceiling hosts delivered to families in CHO4 in 2022 and to-date in 2023. [50616/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
481. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of theatre slots for ophthalmology surgery allocated each week to date in 2023 in the Mater Hospital. [50617/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
482. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of the current average waiting times for urgent maxillofacial surgery appointments in each of the seven hospital groups. [50618/23]
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.
The 2023 Waiting List Action Plan builds on the foundational work done in the 2021 and 2022 plans, both of which reversed the annual trend of rising waiting lists.
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 reduce hospital waiting lists by implementing longer term reforms and providing additional public and private activity to clear backlogs exacerbated during the pandemic. The remaining €80 million of the €443 million is being targeted at various measures to alleviate community/primary care waiting lists.
With the funding from Budget 2024 (€407 million), we are taking the next steps in the multi-annual approach towards achieving the 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 current average waiting times for urgent maxillofacial surgery appointments by hospital group.
The NTPF has advised that the health system does not collect the data necessary to calculate true 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.
483. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE consultant rheumatologist and rheumatologist registrars working in Kerry University Hospital in 2021, 2022 and to-date in 2023, in tabular form. [50619/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
484. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE nurses working in St. Joseph's Hospital, Raheny, Dublin 5 in 2021, 2022 and to-date in 2023, in tabular form. [50620/23]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational 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
