Denis Naughten
Ceist:149. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon will receive a hospital appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39802/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraHospital Appointments Status
Ceisteanna (149)
Freagraí scríofa
Under 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.
Hospital Appointments Status
Ceisteanna (150)
Barry Cowen
Ceist:150. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly will receive a hospital appointment. [39803/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Under 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.
Hospital Appointments Status
Ceisteanna (151)
Brendan Griffin
Ceist:151. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will be provided with a date for a cataract operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39808/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Under 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.
Hospital Appointments Status
Ceisteanna (152)
Colm Keaveney
Ceist:152. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) in County Galway had four appointments for the fitting of a pubic catheter cancelled at the last minute; at a policy level, the measures he has directed to be taken to ensure that the health service provides proper respect and regard to a person's time, particularly in regard to the distress and inconvenience caused by cancellations where arrangements with carers, etc. are involved; when the person will receive a new appointment; if that appointment will be honoured, or if the person will, for the fifth time, be subjected to the distress of a last minute cancellation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39813/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Under 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.
HSE Staff
Ceisteanna (153)
David Stanton
Ceist:153. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Health for details of Health Service Executive policy regarding maternity leave arrangements, specifically the manner in which vacancies which arise when staff go on maternity leave are filled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39820/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this 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.
Services for People with Disabilities
Ceisteanna (154, 167, 174)
Clare Daly
Ceist:154. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the Government’s promise to establish a scheme to replace the motorised transport grant and the mobility allowance scheme; when the new scheme will be put in place; his views on whether it is acceptable that a new scheme has yet to be put in place, given the two and half years since the schemes were closed to new applicants; if he is aware of the hardship this is causing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39841/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Robert Troy
Ceist:167. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health his plans to restore the disability car purchase scheme. [39922/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraRobert Troy
Ceist:174. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health when the new mobility scheme will be open to applications. [39992/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 154, 167 and 174 together.
Conscious of the reports of the Ombudsman regarding the legal status of both the Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant Schemes in the context of the Equal Status Acts, the Government decided to close both schemes on 26th February 2013.
The Government decided that the detailed preparatory work required for a new Transport Support Scheme and associated statutory provisions should be progressed by the Minister for Health. The Department is seeking a solution which would best meet the aim of supporting people with severe disabilities who require additional income to contribute towards the cost of their mobility needs, while remaining within the available budget and satisfying all legal and equality concerns.
Payments of up to €208.50 per month are continuing to be made by the Health Service Executive to 4,700 people who were in receipt of the Mobility Allowance at the time the scheme closed. Any proposals put to Government will seek to take account of this group.
Work is ongoing on the policy proposals to be brought to Government for the drafting of primary legislation for a new scheme. The proposals seek to ensure that:
- There is a firm statutory basis to the Scheme's operation;
- There is transparency and equity in the eligibility criteria attaching to the Scheme;
- Resources are targeted at those with the greatest needs; and
- The Scheme is capable of being costed and it is affordable on its introduction and on an ongoing basis.
Heads of Bill have now been developed in draft form and are currently subject to detailed legal examination. The approval of a General Scheme and Heads of Bill by the Government will be followed by publication and pre-legislative scrutiny by the Oireachtas Health and Children Committee. The Health (Transport Support) Bill is included in the Government Legislation Programme.
Medical Card Applications
Ceisteanna (155)
Michael Colreavy
Ceist:155. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive a medical card. [39844/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The 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.
Hospital Accommodation Provision
Ceisteanna (156)
Michael Healy-Rae
Ceist:156. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding overcrowding in Kerry General Hospital (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39860/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I can assure the Deputy that emergency department overcrowding is a key priority issue for the Government. In that regard, the ED Taskforce Implementation Group, co-chaired by the Director General of the HSE, is charged with ensuring that all relevant areas of the health service, including acute, social and primary care optimise resources to deal with the challenges arising. Significant progress has been made to date on the overall ED Taskforce plan, including a steady reduction in delayed discharges from hospital (577 on 10 November 2015, down from 830 in Dec 2014). The wait time for Nursing Home Subvention Scheme funding has been reduced from 11 weeks at the beginning of the year to between 2 to 4 weeks. This progress has been allied with increased provision for transitional care funding, home care packages and nursing home beds.
In preparation for the 2015/16 winter period, hospital groups have provided comprehensive winter resilience plans to the HSE, outlining how they will implement an integrated approach across primary, community, social and acute services to manage winter pressures. This approach is intended both to avoid unnecessary admissions to acute hospitals and to expedite discharges from hospital efficiently. Within hospitals themselves, a total of 129 beds which had been closed for refurbishment or for infection control purposes during 2015 are to be re-opened by the end of November.
A further 301 beds are being added to support the acute hospital system over the winter period across various locations, including Cork, Limerick, Drogheda, Galway and North Dublin - all areas which are regularly identified in the media as pressure points for the delivery of emergency care.
€18m in funding has been provided to support these developments. The opening of additional capacity is contingent on staff recruitment and, at some sites, the completion of minor building works within very stringent timeframes.
Emergency Department Priority Actions
In addition the Groups and CHOs are implementing the priority actions in the ED Task Force Plan to enable sustainable change. These include:
- Strong centralised operational processes within hospitals to drive bed management and discharge planning, such as – 'home by 11'; 7 day discharges; transfers to model 2 hospitals;
- Consistent access to senior decision making within ED to ensure appropriate admission and to enable effective discharge management on a 7 day basis;
- Timely and appropriate access to diagnostics;
- Delegated discharge and enhanced roles for nursing including expansion of ANP roles within ED – nurse prescribing;
- Achievement of the agreed targets for delayed discharges – 500 at national level;
- Effective management of demand and capacity requirements in relation to scheduled and unscheduled care; and
- Appropriate structures within Hospitals and with local community services to ensure an integrated and timely response to continuing care needs.
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.
I note that the emergency department in Kerry General Hospital has had some peak activity in recent weeks. As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to investigate activity levels and trends in the emergency department in Kerry General Hospital and 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.
Hospital Accommodation Provision
Ceisteanna (157)
Fergus O'Dowd
Ceist:157. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the further actions that will be taken by the Health Service Executive to reduce the number of patients on trolleys in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda in County Louth; if he is aware of the significant concerns, locally, for the patients and staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39861/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
ED overcrowding is a key priority issue for the Government. Significant progress has been made to date on the overall ED Taskforce plan, with reductions in delayed discharges and waiting times for NHSS funding, allied with increased provision for transitional care funding, home care packages and nursing home beds.
In preparation for the 2015/16 winter period, hospital groups have provided comprehensive winter resilience plans to the HSE, outlining how they will implement an integrated approach across primary, community, social and acute services to manage winter pressures. This approach is intended both to avoid unnecessary admissions to acute hospitals and to expedite discharges from hospital efficiently. Within hospitals themselves, a total of 129 beds which had been closed for refurbishment or for infection control purposes during 2015 are to be re-opened by the end of November.
A further 301 beds are being added to support the acute hospital system over the winter period across various locations, including Cork, Limerick, Drogheda, Galway and North Dublin - all areas which are regularly identified in the media as pressure points for the delivery of emergency care.
€18m in funding has been provided to support these developments. The opening of additional capacity is contingent on staff recruitment and, at some sites, the completion of minor building works within very stringent timeframes.
Emergency Department Priority Actions
In addition the Groups and CHOs are implementing the priority actions in the ED Task Force Plan to enable sustainable change. These include:
- Strong centralised operational processes within hospitals to drive bed management and discharge planning, such as – 'home by 11'; 7 day discharges; transfers to model 2 hospitals;
- Consistent access to senior decision making within ED to ensure appropriate admission and to enable effective discharge management on a 7 day basis;
- Timely and appropriate access to diagnostics;
- Delegated discharge and enhanced roles for nursing including expansion of ANP roles within ED – nurse prescribing;
- Achievement of the agreed targets for delayed discharges – 500 at national level;
- Effective management of demand and capacity requirements in relation to scheduled and unscheduled care; and
- Appropriate structures within Hospitals and with local community services to ensure an integrated and timely response to continuing care needs.
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.
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.
General Practitioner Services Provision
Ceisteanna (158)
John Perry
Ceist:158. Deputy John Perry asked the Minister for Health his plans for general practitioners in rural Ireland to deal with island allowances and the provision for house calls, depending on distance; his plans for overhauling the special type consultation list for specialist services and manpower planning to incentivise general practice in rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39862/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The HSE, the Department of Health and the Irish Medical Organisation are currently engaged in a review of the General Medical Services contract and other publicly funded health sector contracts involving GPs. This review is taking place within the context of the Framework Agreement which was signed by the above named parties in June 2014 and the Memorandum of Understanding which was signed in February 2015. Among the many topics comprehended by this review process is the issue of supports for General Practice in rural areas.