Written Answers Nos. 183-195
183. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if a hip and knee operation will be arranged at University Hospital Waterford as a matter of urgency in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny. [25572/15]
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.
184. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if an early appointment will be arranged at University Hospital Waterford in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Carlow. [25573/15]
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.
185. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the date from which funding to provide nursing home care was approved for payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny. [25574/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has 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.
186. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath is provided with an ear, nose and throat appointment at the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore, County Offaly, as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25595/15]
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.
187. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if an appointment for an orthopaedic outpatient will be arranged as a matter of urgency at University Hospital Waterford in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if he will expedite the matter. [25596/15]
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. 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.
188. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the reason an urgent operation at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, has been cancelled at short notice on three occasions in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if he will ensure the date now provided will be honoured as the patient is in severe pain. [25597/15]
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. 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.
189. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when a medical card will issue to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 6W; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25622/15]
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.
190. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form the annual net and gross saving to the Exchequer following the implementation of the Haddington Road agreement if hospital consultant pay were capped at €150,000 per annum. [25626/15]
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.
191. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the annual saving to the Exchequer if the full economic cost for the use of beds in public and voluntary hospitals for the purposes of private medical practice were paid for by private insurance operators. [25627/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra201. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the additional revenue which would be raised if all private patients in public hospitals were charged in full for services provided rather than being charged a maintenance or per diem charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25638/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 191 and 201 together.
It is Government policy to move towards charging the full economic cost for the provision of private acute in-patient services. Persons who opt to be treated on a private basis on admission to hospital are liable for the fees of all consultants involved in his or her care and for hospital charges under Section 55 for that episode of care. Those charges are a per diem rate set out in the 2013 legislation and were informed by overall cost of the provision of the private in-patient services and the policy of moving towards the recovery of full economic cost, but they are not directly related to the cost of specific treatments provided to individual private patients, the level of complexity of a case or the costs of individual hospitals.
The issue of hospital financing has been the subject of recent Departmental reports. In the case of public acute hospital care, a prospective, casemix-adjusted activity based system was recommended. It has been recommended that the existing ‘per diem’ charging regime for private activity in public hospitals be replaced by a case-based charge using DRGs. Taking account of international evidence and of the detailed analysis already undertaken in the context of the above reports it was advised that the Programme for Government commitment on ‘Money Follows the Patient’ should be realised through the introduction of a prospective Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) case-based payment system. Since January, 2014 the Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) grouping system has been used to facilitate the introduction of a new prospective, case-based funding model for public hospital care called Activity Based Funding (ABF - also known as Money Follows the Patient).
Activity Based Funding is being rolled-out on a phased basis and full implementation will take a number of years. The ABF approach is initially being applied to in-patient and daycase activity in public hospitals. It is the Government’s intention to develop policy proposals for the introduction of a case-based charging system for private patients in public hospitals. However, it must be acknowledged that given the complexity and breadth of the issues to be examined and addressed, significant preparatory policy work must be undertaken. This work must take full account of eligibility and legal issues, private income issues and the need for a sustainable mechanism for meeting the cost of private patients in public hospitals. It would require substantial technical work and analysis on the financial impact on public hospitals. The focus for the short to medium term is on implementing ABF in the public system, as outlined in the recently launched HSE ABF Implementation Plan 2015 – 2017. Until this further work has been completed it will not be possible to present the Deputy with the figure requested.
192. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the number of Health Service Executive public sector workers in receipt of salaries within certain bands (details supplied). [25628/15]
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.
193. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the annual average cost of employing a basic grade Health Service Executive staff nurse. [25630/15]
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.
194. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the annual average cost of employing a basic grade Health Service Executive social worker. [25631/15]
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.
195. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the annual average cost of employing a basic grade Health Service Executive midwife. [25632/15]
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.
