Written Answers Nos. 590-606
591. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will examine and expedite an application for a medical card in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry in view of the fact the person has submitted all relevant information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19824/15]
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.
592. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health when an operation will be provided in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19828/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder 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.
The 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.
593. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown in tabular form by county of the number of persons attending child and adolescent mental health services. [19829/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra594. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown in tabular form by county and length of wait of the number of persons on the waiting list to be assessed by child and adolescent mental health services. [19830/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra595. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown in tabular form by county and length of wait of the number of persons on the waiting list for an appointment following initial assessment with child and adolescent mental health services. [19831/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 593 to 595, inclusive, together.
As these are service issues I have referred your questions to the HSE 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.
596. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if a magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, scan will be provided in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare. [19834/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder 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.
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.
597. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form a breakdown of the management structure of the national ambulance service by grade and county and by regional superiors and county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19836/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra598. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health in regard to the national ambulance service the cost of placing a paramedic in an administrative role or a clerical support role; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19837/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 597 and 598 together.
As these are service matters, 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.
599. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will be reimbursed for the costs of private care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19838/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Service Executive provides a range of community-based services aimed at ensuring older people receive safe, timely and appropriate care and treatment at the lowest level of complexity, and as close to home as possible. This means that people are facilitated and supported to stay in their own homes and communities for as long as it is viable, in accordance with the views expressed consistently by older people themselves.
The Home Help Service can provide a range of personal care supports, following an assessment of the individual's care needs. In addition, for those with more complex needs, the HSE provides Home Care Packages (HCPs) which may include enhanced home care and a range of other supports including nursing, physiotherapy or attendance at day care centres.
I would suggest that the individual the Deputy is referring to contact the local HSE Office to establish what options are available to him.
600. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health his Department's strategy for tackling and preventing suicide and self-harm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19840/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra601. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the current status of the national strategic framework to reduce suicide 2015 to 2020; when it will be published; the difference it will make; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19841/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 600 and 601 together.
Government policy on suicide prevention is guided by Reach Out, the National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention (2005-2014). Reach Out contains 26 action areas and 96 recommendations in the areas of research, training, co-ordination of efforts to prevent suicide, mental health promotion, suicide prevention initiatives, bereavement support and reporting of suicide and self-harm.
The HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) was established to oversee the implementation of the Reach Out Strategy and to co-ordinate suicide prevention initiatives around the country. NOSP has developed a range of initiatives to support people who are suicidal and also supporting their families, friends and peers in recognising and responding appropriately to signs of emotional distress and suicidal thoughts. It has progressed substantial work on almost every recommendation of Reach Out, and funds over 40 individual organisations and programmes, both internal and external to the HSE.
Reach Out came to the end of its 10-year term at the end of 2014 and consequently the Department of Health and the HSE have been developing a new strategic framework for suicide prevention for the period 2015-2020, building on the comprehensive work delivered under Reach Out. The new strategy is focused on a whole-of-government approach, including engagement with several other Government departments, and sets out a comprehensive and multi-layered response, with interventions at different levels, and involving a range of stakeholders. It provides a set of strategic goals, objectives, related actions and high-level outcomes to progress suicide prevention over the next five years. Each area of action is led by a Government department or agency, working closely with communities and non-statutory partners. An implementation plan will be developed which will identify clear roles and responsibilities, robust monitoring and accountability structures to support and drive action across all stakeholder organisations.
Work on finalising the new National Strategic Framework is at an advanced stage. Subject to Government approval, the Framework should be completed and published by end-June 2015. The publication of the new Framework will present opportunities for further cooperation on suicide prevention initiatives in the areas of research, evaluation, raising awareness, promoting positive mental health, shared learning and good practice. The new Framework includes a number of actions and outcomes which I hope will help us achieve our goal of fewer lives lost through suicide.
602. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health his Department’s current funding programme for suicide prevention. [19842/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra603. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the amount of funding spent on suicide prevention since 2010 in tabular form by constituency, county and group. [19843/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 602 and 603 together.
The role of the HSE's National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) is to oversee the implementation of Reach Out the National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention and to co-ordinate suicide prevention efforts around the country. The NOSP, in partnership with the voluntary sector, helps to support a wide array of work in communities across the country that focus on promoting positive mental health and reducing suicide and self-harm by providing significant grant funding each year as well as by assisting in co-ordinating and giving strategic direction to the work undertaken. Funding for suicide prevention is provided to the NOSP by the HSE from its overall budget for mental health. Funding provided in the years 2010 to 2015 is as follows:
|
Year |
Funding €m |
|
2010 |
3.7 |
|
2011 |
4.1 |
|
2012 |
7.1 |
|
2013 |
8.1 |
|
2014 |
8.8 |
|
2015 |
8.8 |
The funding of specific programmes/organisations is a service issue, therefore these questions have been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a response within 15 working days, please contact my private office and they will follow up the matter with them.
604. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the up-to-date Department statistics on suicide and self-harm since 2010 in tabular form by constituency and county. [19844/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraNational mortality data, including that relating to suicide, is published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on a quarterly and annual basis. The most recent CSO data available is for 2013; however this data is provisional and is subject to change, when the data by year of occurrence is published. Details of the number of deaths by suicide, for the period 2010 to 2013 is set out in the following table.
Deaths by Suicide and Intentional Self-harm from 2010-2013 by Area of Residence
|
Province |
County |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
*2013 |
|
Leinster |
|||||
|
Carlow |
7 |
7 |
5 |
11 |
|
|
Dublin City |
51 |
57 |
61 |
48 |
|
|
South Dublin |
18 |
37 |
15 |
16 |
|
|
Fingal |
19 |
10 |
17 |
17 |
|
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
18 |
10 |
16 |
13 |
|
|
Kildare |
18 |
27 |
24 |
23 |
|
|
Kilkenny |
8 |
14 |
12 |
13 |
|
|
Laois |
18 |
13 |
10 |
10 |
|
|
Longford |
4 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
|
|
Louth |
17 |
14 |
21 |
17 |
|
|
Meath |
10 |
14 |
18 |
11 |
|
|
Offaly |
15 |
10 |
12 |
8 |
|
|
Westmeath |
13 |
12 |
9 |
11 |
|
|
Wexford |
16 |
29 |
33 |
23 |
|
|
Wicklow |
15 |
17 |
10 |
5 |
|
|
Munster |
|||||
|
Clare |
8 |
13 |
15 |
14 |
|
|
Cork City |
22 |
16 |
27 |
14 |
|
|
Cork County |
44 |
62 |
37 |
42 |
|
|
Kerry |
24 |
26 |
32 |
28 |
|
|
Limerick City |
8 |
13 |
15 |
8 |
|
|
Limerick County |
19 |
18 |
19 |
12 |
|
|
North Tipperary |
6 |
10 |
5 |
6 |
|
|
South Tipperary |
13 |
12 |
13 |
12 |
|
|
Waterford City |
4 |
7 |
4 |
1 |
|
|
Waterford County |
9 |
7 |
7 |
8 |
|
|
Connacht |
|||||
|
Galway City |
5 |
13 |
3 |
6 |
|
|
Galway County |
22 |
24 |
25 |
22 |
|
|
Leitrim |
6 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
Mayo |
18 |
17 |
25 |
16 |
|
|
Roscommon |
10 |
5 |
7 |
12 |
|
|
Sligo |
9 |
7 |
7 |
4 |
|
|
Ulster (part of) |
|||||
|
Cavan |
7 |
8 |
7 |
15 |
|
|
Donegal |
6 |
13 |
12 |
15 |
|
|
Monaghan |
8 |
4 |
12 |
9 |
|
|
Total |
495 |
554 |
541 |
475 |
Statistics on the number of people presenting to hospital emergency departments as a result of an episode of deliberate self harm are published on an annual basis by the National Registry of Deliberate Self-Harm. Information by HSE Hospitals Group, for the years 2010 to 2013, is set out in the following table.
Treated Episodes of Deliberate Self Harm by Hospital HSE Region
|
Dublin./Mid-Leinster |
Dublin North East |
South |
West |
Total |
|||||
|
Dublin Midlands |
Dublin South |
Dublin North East |
North Eastern |
South Eastern |
Southern |
Mid -Western |
West North Western |
||
|
2010 |
1630 |
1642 |
1868 |
932 |
1325 |
1632 |
1169 |
1768 |
11966 |
|
2011 |
1642 |
1752 |
2131 |
936 |
1273 |
1825 |
1015 |
1642 |
12216 |
|
2012 |
1814 |
1623 |
2050 |
941 |
1298 |
1719 |
1003 |
1562 |
12010 |
|
2013 |
1716 |
1631 |
1960 |
749 |
1156 |
1492 |
894 |
1463 |
11061 |
605. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health if he will respond to issues raised regarding ambulance cover in newspaper stories (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19863/15]
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.
606. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form by county or functional area the number of advanced paramedic response cars and jeeps; the number of these on 24-hour rosters; if these are advanced paramedic vehicles, the number on five-hour or 12-hour cycle rosters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19878/15]
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.
