Written Answers Nos. 138-145
138. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the intern panel for care assistants in Mullingar General Hospital, County Westmeath, in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Longford. [7466/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on the matter. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
139. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a medical card application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7467/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
140. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if the Health Service Executive will provide clarification on a matter (details supplied) regarding phone calls; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7491/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to investigate the matter and to reply directly to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
141. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health his views on correspondence (details supplied) from ALONE regarding the extension of the powers of the Health Information and Quality Authority to investigate unsolicited complaints about persons in care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7500/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Information and Quality Authority is the independent authority established under the Health Act 2007 to drive continuous improvement and to monitor safety and quality in Ireland’s health and personal social care services. Since 2009 all nursing homes - public, voluntary and private have been registered and inspected by HIQA.
The functions of the Minister for Health in relation to HIQA, and the Chief Inspector of Social Services are prescribed in the Act, and in this respect the Chief Inspector is independent in the exercise of these functions.
As regulator, HIQA’s remit operates at the level of facilities rather than that of individual complaints, but the requirements at facility level impact very directly on how individual cases are dealt with.
Nursing home operators must ensure that all reasonable measures are taken to protect residents from all forms of abuse. These measures include staff training in relation to the detection and prevention of and responses to abuse. Any incident or allegation of abuse must be investigated and operators must have policies and procedures in place for the prevention, detection and response to abuse. Furthermore, they must notify HIQA of any allegation of abuse or serious adverse incidents that occur in a nursing home.
All nursing homes are required to have an accessible and effective complaints procedure, including an appeals process. They must investigate all complaints promptly, and following investigation put in place any measures required for improvement. Records of complaints made are required to be kept. These are available for inspection, thus enabling the HIQA inspector to determine whether the complaints system is sufficiently robust.
HIQA takes into account and uses all information received to inform and plan its regulatory activity, and information on individual cases can provide useful pointers in this context. HIQA’s programme of both scheduled and unannounced inspections helps to ensure that standards are maintained and where issues of non-compliance arise, that these are addressed and rectified. If a nursing home is found not to be in compliance with the Regulations it may either fail to achieve or lose its registration status. HIQA also has wide discretion in deciding whether to impose conditions of registration on nursing homes.
My Department, in consultation with both HIQA and the service providers, is working on an ongoing basis to improve and update the requirements that apply to nursing home care. Any request from HIQA for an extension of their remit on the lines suggested by the Deputy will be carefully considered.
I would also like to point out that Ireland has a highly developed and effective system in place in relation to elder abuse. In particular, within the HSE there are 30 Senior Case Workers for the Protection of Older People who assess all referrals of alleged abuse reported to them.
142. Deputy Gabrielle McFadden asked the Minister for Health the number and types of consultant posts which have been approved for Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, County Galway; if there are consultant posts planned for the Midlands Regional Hospital, Mullingar, County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7501/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
143. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health the position regarding persons with a disability in respect of a board of management appointment (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7504/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Central Remedial Clinic (CRC) provides a range of services for people with a disability on behalf of the Health Service Executive (HSE) under Section 38 of the Health Act 2004. I understand that Boardmatch Ireland were engaged to assist with identifying replacement candidates for appointment to the Board of the CRC in 2014. I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
144. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health the position regarding services for persons with a disability in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 3; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7506/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraEach Local Health Office area in the Health Service Executive (HSE) has a dedicated Disability Manager to coordinate the delivery of services to people with disabilities. It is open to the individual and their family to pursue this matter with the Disability Manager for their area who can be contacted at Coolock Health Centre, Cromcastle Road, Coolock, Dublin 5, telephone 01-8164292.
As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
145. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health in relation to the Long-Term Illness Scheme, his plans to review the terms provided to certain qualifying medical conditions; if his attention has been drawn to the offensive nature of certain terms, listed as being covered by the scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7508/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act, 1970 (as amended). Regulations were made in 1971, 1973 and 1975 specifying the conditions covered by the LTI Scheme.
The term "mental handicap", as used in the Regulations made in 1971 (S.I. No. 277 of 1971), encapsulates such conditions as Down's Syndrome and Global Development Delay etc. The Consultant or GP who signs the patient's application for a LTI book outlines which condition is relevant for the patient.
There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the LTI Scheme or to amend the terminology used in the Scheme at this time.
