Written Answers Nos. 409-424
409. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if the Health Information and Quality Authority have reported on the conditions of elderly and sick persons left on trolleys in hospitals; if so, the outcome of this report and the recommendations made to solve this unacceptable practice in respect of the most vulnerable people in society; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10257/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government regards the situation in Emergency Departments as unacceptable and acknowledges the difficulties that overcrowding in EDs causes for patients, their families and for the staff who are doing their utmost to provide safe, quality care in very challenging circumstances. All hospitals have escalation plans to manage not only patient flow but also patient safety in a responsive, controlled and planned way that supports and ensures the delivery of optimum patient care. The Government has provided additional funding of €3 million in 2014 and €25 million in 2015 to address delayed discharges and the HSE is currently finalising an action plan under the auspices of the ED Task force with a view to a significant reduction in trolley waits over the course of 2015.
The Health Information and Quality Authority has not published a specific report on the conditions of elderly and sick persons left on trolleys in hospitals; however the Authority has published a number of reports which have identified concerns and issues surrounding the use of hospital trolleys, and has made recommendations in respect of this. The recommendations contained in these reports are relevant across the hospital sector.
As the service provider, the HSE is responsible and accountable for ensuring that the appropriate arrangements are in place to ensure a safe quality service for patients. The HSE advises that the implementation of the recommendations of the HIQA Tallaght Report of 2012 is ongoing, with many of the recommendations now incorporated into the hospital governance, leadership, management and clinical processes. The ongoing implementation of this report also takes account of the recommendations of the Mallow & Ennis HIQA reports, relevant legislation & regulation and the HSE National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare.
410. Deputy Seán Conlan asked the Minister for Health the reason the on-site car park designated for the nursing staff of Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12, has been reallocated by the Health Service Executive and provided to the doctors (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10266/15]
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 with them.
411. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the North East Doctor on Call service and, in particular, the proposed changes in County Louth; the reasons for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10276/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra412. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the cost per year for the North East Doctor on Call service, by location, in the north east for each year since 2010; the numbers of patients seen annually and by location since 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10277/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 411 and 412 together.
As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply 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.
413. Deputy Eamon Gilmore asked the Minister for Health if the drug, Nadolol, has been removed from the drug payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10288/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products under the community drug schemes in accordance with the provisions of the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to you. 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.
414. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding a hospital appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10293/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraYou will appreciate that it is contrary to the HSE Governance Act of 2013 for me to make a direction to the HSE or a hospital to benefit or prioritise any individual person or patient.
The scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she should take the matter up with the consultant and the hospital involved. In relation to the specific case raised, 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.
415. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the waiting time to be seen at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin 2 for cataract removal is 18 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10296/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised, as 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 with them.
416. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a medical card application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10299/15]
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.
417. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an insulin pump in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10306/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the particular issue raised by the Deputy relates to an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to you. 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.
418. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health the standard approach to treating Lyme disease, Lyme borelliosis; the way this compares to other countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10325/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraLyme disease, also known as Lyme borelliosis, is an infection caused by a bacterium (Borrelia burgdorferi). It is transmitted to humans by bites from ticks infected with the bacterium. Lyme borelliosis was made statutorily notifiable in Ireland by the Infectious Diseases (Amendment Regulations) Regulations 2011.
Lyme borelliosis is diagnosed by medical history and physical examination and can be difficult if there has been no erythema migrans rash. The infection is confirmed by blood tests which look for antibodies to B. burgdorferi produced by an infected person's body in response to the infection. These normally take several weeks to develop and may not be present in the early stages of the disease. The standard approach to Lyme diagnostics is a two-stage approach and involves using a sensitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) as an initial, screening step. Screening EIAs can be insufficiently specific, giving false-positive reactions in the presence of other spirochaete infections including syphilis, and certain viral infections including glandular fever. In addition, sera from patients with autoimmune disorders and other inflammatory conditions can also lead to false-positive results. Samples giving reactive or equivocal results in screening tests are further investigated in a second-stage immunoblot (Western blot) tests. Use of immunoblot testing greatly increases specificity. Using this two stage approach will give a great degree of certainty around the diagnosis of Lyme.
Common antibiotics such as doxycycline or amoxicillin are effective at clearing the rash and helping to prevent the development of complications. They are generally given for up to three weeks. If complications develop, intravenous antibiotics may need to be used.
The standard approach to treatment of Lyme borelliosis is to follow the guidance laid out in the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines on the Clinical Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention of Lyme Disease, Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis, and Babesiosis: Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. This is accepted as being the most up to date synthesis of best available evidence on the clinical management of Lyme borelliosis. Treatment of Lyme borelliosis in Ireland is based upon this guidance.
A consensus statement on the clinical management of Lyme borelliosis was been issued jointly from the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, the Infectious Diseases Society of Ireland, the Irish Society of Clinical Microbiologists, the Irish Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and the Irish College of General Practitioners in November, 2012 supporting the use of this guidance.
There were 20 cases notified in 2013 and 20 notified cases in 2014, it is expected that this figure will reduce on validation. In the first seven weeks of 2015, two cases have been notified compared to 4 for the first seven weeks of 2014.
419. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 180 of 18 February 2015, if home help will be offered in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10331/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that the Health Service Executive has 15 working days from the date a question is asked to reply to the Deputy. In relation to Parliamentary Question 10331/15 a reply is due by 11 March 2015.
420. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive orthodontic treatment in view of the fact that the person was assessed in 2013. [10349/15]
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.
421. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Carlow will secure an appointment for hip replacement surgery at Cappagh Hospital, Dublin 11. [10350/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Waiting List Management Policy 'A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014' has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised, as 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 with them.
422. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Health if an urgent surgical appointment will be expedited in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10352/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraYou will appreciate that is contrary to the Health Service Executive (Governance) Act 2013 for me to make a direction to the HSE or a hospital to benefit or prioritise any individual person or patient. As 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.
423. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health the reason the balance of a State pension in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry is being paid into the Health Service Executive's central patients private account without the permission of that person's family; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10368/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra424. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if the Health Service Executive will provide a breakdown of an additional monthly charge for day-to-day spending in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10373/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 423 and 424 together.
As these are service matters they have been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply. 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.
