Peadar Tóibín
Question:1712. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the total number of ambulances that were over one hour awaiting handover in hospital, including percentage, in each of the past ten years. [1523/24]
View answerAmbulance Service
Questions (1712, 1714, 1715, 1716, 1717, 1718)
Peadar Tóibín
Question:1714. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of 999 calls nationally and by division, where the patient was deceased by the time an ambulance reached the scene, in each of the past ten years. [1525/24]
View answerPeadar Tóibín
Question:1715. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the top ten longest lengths of time a person was left waiting for an ambulance in the State in each of the past ten years. [1526/24]
View answerPeadar Tóibín
Question:1716. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the longest length of time a person was left waiting for an ambulance to arrive in each of the past ten years, by ambulance station and dispatch point. [1527/24]
View answerPeadar Tóibín
Question:1717. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the longest length of time a person was left waiting for an ambulance to dispatch to them, perhaps due to a lack of available ambulances, in each of the past ten years, by ambulance station and dispatch point. [1528/24]
View answerPeadar Tóibín
Question:1718. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the average ambulance response time per region, per year, for each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [1529/24]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1712, 1714, 1715, 1716, 1717 and 1718 together.
As these are service matters I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Ambulance Service
Questions (1713)
Peadar Tóibín
Question:1713. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the location(s) for ambulance stations; the number of emergency ambulances assigned to each station; and the number of WTE assigned to each station. [1524/24]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Question No. 1714 answered with Question No. 1712.
Question No. 1715 answered with Question No. 1712.
Question No. 1716 answered with Question No. 1712.
Question No. 1717 answered with Question No. 1712.
Question No. 1718 answered with Question No. 1712.
Cancer Services
Questions (1719)
Peadar Tóibín
Question:1719. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to any differential in survival rates for cancer, between persons diagnosed in a public hospital/clinic and those diagnosed in a private hospital/clinic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1530/24]
View answerWritten answers
Successive National Cancer Strategies have delivered continuing improvements in outcomes for Irish cancer patients in terms of earlier diagnosis, better treatment, and improved rates of survival.
Effective prevention, early diagnosis, access to quality treatment, survivorship, patient involvement, and safe high-quality patient-centred care are key aims of the National Cancer Strategy. The Government has already initiated policy to improve our nation’s health through 'Healthy Ireland - A Framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing 2013-2025', which sets the overarching context in which a focus on cancer prevention will be driven as a cornerstone of this Strategy. The National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) has published the 'Early Diagnosis of Symptomatic Cancer Plan 2022-2025', which aims to increase the number of symptomatic cancers that are diagnosed at early stage disease.
The model of care for hospital cancer treatment is centred on eight Designated Cancer Centres serving a defined population and geographic area. The centralisation of specialist services into Designated Cancer Centres aims to optimise patient outcomes, through case volume, multidisciplinary working and infrastructural supports.
The National Cancer Registry (NCRI) published a report in 2019, Cancer care and survival in relation to centralisation of Irish cancer services: an analysis of National Cancer Registry data 1994-2015. This report provides comparisons of five-year cancer-specific survival between three categories of hospitals (designated centres, other public hospitals, and private hospitals), based on where patients were first treated or diagnosed. Comparisons are made for cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, rectum, pancreas, lung, breast, prostate, and brain/central nervous system.
The report found that cause-specific survival of patients improved over time, both nationally and within most hospital categories, for the majority of the cancers and other tumours analysed. There were differences in survival rates between designated centres and private hospitals, depending on the cancer or tumour-type involved. A number of factors may influence and help explain differences seen in survival, such as stage differences and, to a lesser degree, deprivation status of the patient. The report notes that differences in the appropriateness or quality of treatment and unmeasured differences in general patient health affecting suitability for treatment may contribute to survival differences between hospital categories.
It should be noted that all comparisons are based on hospital category, not on patient status, i.e. whether the patient's care is publicly funded or privately insured. Therefore, figures for cancer centres, and to a lesser extent other public hospitals, include any private patients whose first treatment/diagnosis was in a public hospital. A full copy of the report including a summary table detailing cause-specific survival of cancer patients diagnosed 2008-2014, by category of hospital where first treated or diagnosed, can be viewed and downloaded from the NCRI: www.ncri.ie/sites/ncri/files/pubs/CancerCentralisation_NCRI_Jan2019_fullreport_29012019_final.pdf/.
Ambulance Service
Questions (1720)
Peadar Tóibín
Question:1720. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number persons who have retired from the National Ambulance Service in each of the past five years; and the number of new persons employed by the National Ambulance Service in each of the past five years, in tabular form. [1531/24]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Addiction Treatment Services
Questions (1721)
Peadar Tóibín
Question:1721. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of babies born with addiction to drugs or alcohol in each of the past ten years. [1532/24]
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.
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, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
Addiction Treatment Services
Questions (1722)
Peadar Tóibín
Question:1722. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of persons to contact the HSE's drug and alcohol helplines in each of the past ten years. [1533/24]
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.
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, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
Health Services
Questions (1723)
James Lawless
Question:1723. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health if he will examine a case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1534/24]
View answerWritten answers
I fully acknowledge the distress and inconvenience for patients and their families when elective procedures are cancelled, particularly for clinically urgent procedures. While every effort is made to avoid cancellation or postponement of planned procedures, the HSE has advised that planned procedures and operations can be postponed or cancelled for a variety of reasons including capacity issues due to increased scheduled and unscheduled care demand.
Patient safety remains at the centre of all hospital activity and elective care scheduling. To ensure services are provided in a safe, clinically-aligned and prioritised way, hospitals are following HSE clinical guidelines and protocols.
Under 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, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
Departmental Schemes
Questions (1724)
Fergus O'Dowd
Question:1724. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health further to the publication of the report carried out by the Economic and Social Research Institute (details supplied) if further consideration has been given to the provision of a capitation grant or low-interest loan scheme for small- to medium-sized nursing homes to meet the cost of required upgrades/building works in order to satisfy HIQA regulations, where that nursing home can show that it does not have the capacity to meet the financial requirements on same, and where there is a clear and identified need for beds in the area in question; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1554/24]
View answerWritten answers
On December 19th, 2023, I announced a new €10 million scheme to improve infection prevention and fire safety in private and voluntary nursing homes. The Nursing Home Resident Safety Improvement (RSI) Scheme will provide funding towards structural works carried out in compliance with standards published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) under Regulation 27 (Protection against infection) and Regulation 28 (Fire precautions).
Up to €25,000 will be available to each qualifying nursing home for eligible works under this scheme. Nursing homes may also claim retrospectively for works covered by this scheme if they were carried out since 1 January 2020.
The commencement date for the RSI scheme is 1st January, 2024 and the closing date for receipt of applications is 15th November, 2024.
This scheme is a vouched scheme which is open to all operational voluntary and private nursing homes registered with HIQA and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) as of 1 January 2024 and in receipt of payment under the National Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS) for the provision of long-term residential care services.
The HSE will administer the scheme and make payments to the Nursing Homes. The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) will administer the application process and provide support and advice to the HSE.
Nursing homes whose applications are approved will have their payments processed and released on a quarterly basis by the Health Service Executive (HSE).
All funding through this scheme should be used to fund works in line with the Nursing Homes compliance plan outlined to HIQA as part of their inspection process.
The Budget 2024 allocation of funding for this scheme is €10 million. The total maximum amount that can be claimed by an individual nursing home under this scheme is €25,000.
Further details of Scheme rules and the application process are being finalised and will be circulated to all eligible Nursing Homes when available in the coming weeks.
Health Services
Questions (1725)
Fergus O'Dowd
Question:1725. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the details of the total number of primary school pupils who are currently awaiting to have their in-school eye, hearing and dental checks, by each CHO area in each of the years 2010 to date; the recommended and targeted age for each of the relevant checks; what improvements are being considered to clear the backlogs in this area, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1564/24]
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.