Written Answers Nos. 587-600
587. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the measures his Department is taking to address the lack of potential candidates for recruitment to the Irish health services, in particular cystic fibrosis front-line staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14571/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland has one of the highest reported incidences of cystic fibrosis in the world, with 1:1353 live births. 2009 marked the first year that the proportion of adult cystic fibrosis patients was higher than that of paediatric patients, reflecting improved care and management of cystic fibrosis patients.
There was a requirement to reduce public service numbers and maximise savings in the public service from the time of the downturn in the economy. The HSE introduced an embargo on recruitment in 2007, and this was followed by the moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public sector in 2008. Notwithstanding that the HSE has had the capacity to recruit where it is necessary to deliver front-line services. This is reflected in the current recruitment campaign where the HSE is actively recruiting to fill consultant, NCHD and nursing posts.
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced in budget 2015 that he intends to delegate greater autonomy to Departments and Agencies to manage their own staffing levels. The change from the application of a rigid employment control framework, with its particular focus on a moratorium on recruitment and compliance with employment ceilings and targets, to one operating strictly within allocated pay frameworks will allow for recruitment where it is determined that this can achieve more economical service delivery.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) has advised that the HSE and Department of Health are required to submit a 2015 Pay and Numbers Strategy. Following approval of the strategy by DPER, a letter of delegated sanction for staffing will be issued. Pending this sanction, the existing moratorium and ECF arrangements will continue to apply. However the number of nurses employed has already increased by nearly 500 in the past 12 months. This increase encompasses initiatives undertaken by the HSE to reduce reliance on agency and to offer contracts of employment where agency can be replaced by full-time posts.
588. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of patients who accessed the cystic fibrosis paediatric inpatient service and the cystic fibrosis paediatric outpatient service in Cork University Hospital in the years 2012 to 2014 and in 2015 to date; and his plans to improve these services, with a timeframe for completion of improvements. [14572/15]
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.
589. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the status of the new children's hospital in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14573/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
The Project Brief has now been completed and approved. The Project Brief sets out details of the specialties to be provided and the planned accommodation. This will include 384 inpatient beds, all in single en-suite rooms with in-room parent accommodation, a further 85 day-care beds and 14 theatres, including three hybrid theatres to facilitate access to imaging during surgery, all in the main hospital. There will be 111 outpatient consulting examination rooms across both the main hospital and the two satellite centres, as well as ED and urgent care facilities.
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.
590. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, the number of persons diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in the years 2012 to 2014 and in 2015 to date. [14574/15]
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.
591. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health when funding will be provided to Cystic Fibrosis Ireland to complete the two new paediatric inpatient rooms in Cavan General Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14575/15]
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.
592. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Health the level of funding from his Department that has been provided to the Irish Guide Dog Association in each of the past four years in respect of the assistance dogs scheme for children with autism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14582/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe particular issue raised by the Deputy is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly I have arranged for the question to be 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.
593. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the commitment in the programme for Government on the fair deal system of financing nursing home care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9969/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra594. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the commitment in the programme for Government on providing more residential places, home care packages and community care services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9970/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 593 and 594 together.
When the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS) commenced, a commitment was made that it would be reviewed after three years. The Review, as well as considering how the Scheme has operated to date, will also consider broader issues including how community and residential supports and services should be balanced, and how prices are set for residential care. The draft Review requires further analysis and this is ongoing at present.
Government policy will continue to prioritise allowing older people to remain in their own homes and communities for as long as possible, and ensuring that appropriate residential care is available when it is needed.
In Budget 2015 the Government allocated €25m to deal with delayed discharges. This additional funding is being applied across residential and community services to reflect the varying needs of patients. This funding was targeted to support:
- 300 extra people under the Nursing Home Support Scheme;
- 50 additional transitional care beds allocated to the Dublin Hospitals on a named patient basis which will be recycled to the hospitals when available;
- 65 beds to be brought on stream on a phased basis, during 2015 at Mount Carmel Hospital;
- 400 extra Home Care Packages to benefit 600 people in the course of the year;
- The expansion of the community intervention team services in primary care.
This year hospitals have experienced increased overcrowding in Emergency Departments and an increase in the number of patients whose discharge was delayed. In order to ensure that patients received the appropriate care in the appropriate setting the Government recently approved additional funding of €74m. This has been allocated as follows:
- €44m for the NHSS to support and additional 1,600 places during 2015;
- €30m to cover the cost of additional transitional care beds through to June and additional community, convalescent and district hospital beds on a permanent basis.
The projected target levels for people receiving financial support under the NHSS, home help hours and home care packages set out in the 2014 HSE’s National Service Plan were met or exceeded. The 2015 Plan projects that 10.3m hours help hours will be provided, that 13,800 people will be in receipt of a home care package and that 22,361 people will receive financial support under the NHSS. It should be noted that following the recent announcement for additional funding allocated to the NHSS it is now projected that 23,965 people will receive financial support during 2015.
595. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will examine an appointment for a surgical procedure in Kerry General Hospital in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14603/15]
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.
596. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an operation at Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital in Dublin 11 in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14617/15]
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.
597. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an operation at Cork University Hospital in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14619/15]
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.
598. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kildare has not received any reply to an application for the renewal of a medical card after four months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14623/15]
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.
599. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an application for glasses in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14625/15]
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.
600. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if persons currently working and paying taxes in Northern Ireland, and availing of the National Health Service there, but who are resident in the Republic of Ireland, will have to pay lifetime community rating on private health insurance if they take out a policy when they retire from working there after 1 May 2015. [14642/15]
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.
