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Gnáthamharc

Wednesday, 15 Apr 2015

Written Answers Nos. 503 to 516

Nursing Staff Recruitment

Ceisteanna (503)

Terence Flanagan

Ceist:

503. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding midwives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14211/15]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The Chief Nursing Office within the Department has convened a senior group of Directors of Midwives and senior lecturers from the 7 universities in Ireland, who educate student midwives on the undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This group will review the current arrangements for the recruitment and retention of midwives and will explore options for addressing the particular difficulties arising. Progress is already being made. Communications expertise is being offered to assist in the recruitment of potential students. In addition a special 'midwives week' will be held in early May during which the midwifery profession will be showcased and special initiatives undertaken to advocate and promote for the profession. It is also anticipated that these issues will be explored further this year, as part of the development of the maternity strategy.

Question No. 504 answered with Question No. 485.

Mobility Allowance Review

Ceisteanna (505)

Terence Flanagan

Ceist:

505. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter regarding a mobility allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14213/15]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Conscious of the reports of the Ombudsman regarding the legal status of the Mobility Allowance Scheme and Motorised Transport Grant, in the context of the Equal Status Acts, the Government decided to close both schemes in February 2013. However monthly payments have continued to be made by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to the 4,700 people who were in receipt of the Mobility Allowance at the time that the scheme closed, in the interests of preventing hardship. The Department has instructed the HSE that the cohort of people currently in receipt of the monthly payment should continue to be paid by the HSE at their existing rate until further instruction issues from the Department of Health, on foot of any further decisions the Government may make.

Health Services Expenditure

Ceisteanna (506)

Clare Daly

Ceist:

506. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the ratio of expenditure annually on psychotropic and anti-depressant medications prescribed under the general medical services scheme to annual expenditure on talk therapies such as are provided by counsellors, psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health professionals. [14217/15]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Services for People with Disabilities

Ceisteanna (507, 509, 510)

Clare Daly

Ceist:

507. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if mechanisms are in place to ensure that costs for services within residential and respite care facilities for children and adults with disabilities are standardised across the sector, so that costs to the Health Service Executive for services do not vary wildly from facility to facility or year to year. [14218/15]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Clare Daly

Ceist:

509. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that outsourcing care for persons with disabilities to private health care providers is the most effective way to ensure high quality care for those persons. [14220/15]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Clare Daly

Ceist:

510. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health his views on concerns that an over-reliance on private residential and respite care facilities for persons with disabilities has led to disparities in the availability of these services in different regions, such that some regions are under-served. [14221/15]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 507, 509 and 510 together.

Respite care for children and adults with disabilities is provided by the HSE directly in some instances, or by agencies funded by the HSE to provide services on its behalf. In many instances respite services are part of the overall suite of services provided by voluntary service providers to people with disabilities under their service level agreements with the HSE. The HSE remains committed to working with all voluntary disability service providers to ensure that all of the resources available for specialist disability services, including respite services, are used in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

The HSE’s Social Care Operational Plan for 2015 aims to provide 190,000 overnight stays in centre-based respite services to almost 5,300 people. The HSE is also committed to continuing to explore methods of community respite care as an alternative to centre-based respite care, including advancing the Host Family Support Model.

Agencies which provide centre-based respite care are subject to inspection by HIQA under the Health Act 2007 (Care and Support of Residents in Designated Centres for Persons (Children And Adults) With Disabilities) Regulations 2013, Health Act 2007 (Registration of Designated Centres for Persons (Children and Adults) with Disabilities) Regulations 2013 and the National Standards for Residential Services for Children and Adults with Disabilities.

Compliance with HIQA standards is a requirement under the Service Level Arrangements (SLA) between the HSE and voluntary service providers in the disability sector, including providers of respite services. The introduction of registration and inspection represents a significant advance in terms of delivering consistent and high quality services for people with disabilities in centre-based respite services.

In relation to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service issues, they have been referred to the HSE for direct reply. 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 up the matter with the HSE.

Question No. 508 answered with Question No. 477.
Questions Nos. 509 and 510 answered with Question No. 507.

Care of the Elderly Provision

Ceisteanna (511)

Clare Daly

Ceist:

511. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health when the revised standards for residential care for older persons will be published and implemented. [14222/15]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Under Section 8 of the Health Act 2007 the Health Information and Quality Authority has statutory responsibility for setting standards on safety and quality, which are subject to approval by the Minister for Health under Section 10(2) of the Act. The Board of HIQA has submitted revised standards for Ministerial approval as required. These are currently under consideration by the Department.

Medicinal Products Prices

Ceisteanna (512)

Clare Daly

Ceist:

512. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the reason for the massive regional variation in the cost of psychotropic and anti-depressant medications prescribed under the general medical services scheme, as revealed in a recent report. [14223/15]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Mental Health Services Provision

Ceisteanna (513)

Clare Daly

Ceist:

513. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health in the context that he informed Dáil Éireann on 29 January 2015 that treatment for depression usually involves a combination of medication, talking therapies, usually provided by a mental health professional, such as a counsellor, psychiatrist or psychologist, and self-help, his views that funding of only €7.5 million for counselling in primary care services is adequate to ensure adequate access to these services for persons suffering with mental health problems. [14224/15]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Counselling is provided across the health service, by both the HSE and the voluntary sector including primary care, social care and within mental health. This type of service can be provided by a range of trained health professionals and delivered to meet a clinical need at either primary or secondary care level.

The Counselling in Primary Care (CIPC) service is a national service funded from the Programme for Government investment in Mental Health, to increase the access to counselling and psychotherapy and supplementing existing services provided by Primary Care. Since 2012, €7.5 million has been provided to develop the CIPC service. The service provides short term counselling for adults with non-complex psychological problems aged 18 years and over and who hold a valid medical card. Every effort is made to see people as quickly as possible, however there are a number of people waiting extended periods many of whom will have specific requirements, for example can only attend on a specific day or time or may wish to be seen in a particular area. In some areas, there is a particular difficulty accessing accommodation in which to see clients, which in turn impacts on waiting times. This is an issue in some of the smaller rural areas and one that the HSE is working to resolve.

Within the specialist secondary care mental health service counselling and psychotherapy is provided within community mental health teams when service users are clinically assessed as requiring this intervention and is provided by a health professional on the team. Counselling is also provided by a range of voluntary organisations across the health service and HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention funds voluntary organisations such as Pieta House and Console to provide support across a range of needs.

The provision of a quality counselling service across both primary and secondary care will be developed further, as resources permit. In the first instance however, the HSE Mental Health Division must ensure that the funding currently allocated to CIPC is being used to best effect, to deliver the best outcomes. In this regard, I note the commitment in the HSE National Service Plan for 2015 to “Reviewing and improving access to psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic interventions in conjunction with the Primary Care Division” as a first step to further consolidate and direct counselling services generally.

Hospital Services

Ceisteanna (514)

Jack Wall

Ceist:

514. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health the number of hospitals where Ketogenic treatment is available; the waiting lists for such treatment at such hospitals; the number of patients who have received such treatment at such hospitals over the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14229/15]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

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.

Mental Health Services Provision

Ceisteanna (515)

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Ceist:

515. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the planned 45-bed adult psychiatric acute admissions unit, to be located at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Healthcare Campus in Drogheda in County Louth as a replacement for Saint Brigid's Hospital in Ardee in County Louth; if the unit is on-track to open in quarter 3 of 2015, as stated in the Health Service Executive Mental Health Division Operational Plan for 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14232/15]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

National Children's Hospital

Ceisteanna (516)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

516. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the treatment of cystic fibrosis at the national children's hospital (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14249/15]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board is the statutory body responsible for planning, designing, building and equipping the new children's hospital. The new hospital will be co-located with St James's Hospital, and ultimately tri-located with a maternity hospital to be developed on campus. In addition to the main hospital, the project includes two satellite centres at the campuses of Tallaght and Connolly Hospitals.

A design team is in place and is working on detailed design development, with planning submission scheduled for June 2015. Subject to planning, work is scheduled to commence at the main site at St. James's, and at satellite centre sites at Connolly and Tallaght, in January 2016.

In relation to the particular query raised about the treatment of cystic fibrosis, 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.

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