Written Answers Nos 252-271
252. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health the reason a report into the Roscommon-Galway mental health services has still not been published, despite assurances that it would be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18934/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
253. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 359 of 28 March 2017, if he will provide further details (details supplied). [18936/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Service Executive (HSE) have advised my Department that they have been in contact with you in relation to this Parliamentary Question and will provide a more detailed reply. I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
254. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health the number of theatre nurses per hospital in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18942/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra255. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health the number of theatre nurses per theatre per hospital in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18943/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 254 and 255 together.
I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter.
256. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the timeframe for an appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18944/17]
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 HSE, 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.
257. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health the status of a permanent residential placement for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18946/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. This commitment is outlined in the Programme for Partnership Government, which is guided by two principles: equality of opportunity and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.
As the Deputy's question relates to an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
258. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Health if there are malfunctions with the autoclave machine in a hospital (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; if so, when repairs or sourcing of a replacement machine will be undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18963/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
259. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an offer to help alleviate the scoliosis treatment waiting lists (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18971/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt my request, a Scoliosis Waiting List Action Plan 2017 has been developed by the HSE and my Department is engaging intensively with the HSE towards its finalisation. It is my intention to publish the plan shortly. The offer referred to in the Question was made direct to the HSE. As part of the new proposal to address the spinal fusion waiting list, various options for outsourcing scoliosis procedures overseas are being considered.
260. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of persons employed to provide occupational therapy in County Meath; the number of vacant occupational therapy positions in County Meath; when these vacant positions will be filled; the number of persons waiting to receive occupational therapy; the time these persons have been waiting on treatment; the overall size of the backlog; the expected dates of treatments for these persons; and the expected time new persons will wait for treatment in tabular form. [18973/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter.
261. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health the status of the development and implementation of an ageing strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18978/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Positive Ageing Strategy (NPAS), published on 24 April 2013, provides a framework for cooperation to address age-related policy and service delivery across Government and society in the years ahead. The Strategy is intended to promote older people’s health and well being so that older people can continue to contribute to social, economic, cultural and family life in their own communities for as long as possible, thereby representing a vision for an age-friendly society. The Strategy highlights that ageing is not just a health issue, but rather requires a whole of Government approach to address a range of social, economic and environmental factors that affect the health and well-being of our ageing citizens.
At the launch of the Strategy, a commitment was made to publish an Implementation Plan to facilitate the translation of the Goals and Objectives of the Strategy into action on the ground. The approach to implementation originally included in the Strategy would have worked where a finite number of discrete and concrete steps could be taken after which the implementation could be deemed complete. However, many of the objectives included in this Strategy are quite broad, and can be viewed as a set of principles to which Government has committed, and which will inform policies that affect older people on an indefinite basis into the future, rather than concrete objectives that can be delivered in the short term.
The Department has therefore formulated new arrangements to implement and monitor the implementation of the National Positive Ageing Strategy. The revised arrangements were approved by the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform on 27 October, 2016.
The new arrangements establish mechanisms that will give stakeholder groups effective and on-going access to Government Departments and State Agencies relevant to older people. This includes an annual Forum for stakeholders to identify what they consider to be their key priorities for Government for the coming year and the next three years; and establishing clear channels of communications between stakeholders and relevant Government Departments. In this regard, a named senior official will be assigned to engage with stakeholder representatives on issues relevant to their remit, in order that the priorities identified by the stakeholders at the Forum can be pursued.
The inaugural stakeholder Forum took place on 30 March 2017, and was attended by civic society organisations who are representative of the needs and views of older people in Ireland. Following on from this successful Forum, the Department of Health, as secretariat, will open a dialogue with each of the Government Departments identified as having responsibility for the priorities agreed by stakeholders, in order that they will be aware of the issues for discussion prior to being contacted by a stakeholder representative group. The Department of Health will meet with this stakeholder representative group in late 2017 to establish progress made and assist with any issues arising.
As part of the NPAS implementation process, a Healthy and Positive Ageing Initiative has been established in collaboration with the HSE’s Health and Wellbeing Programme and the Atlantic Philanthropies to measure the impact of the Strategy and establish an ongoing system for measuring and reporting on Positive Ageing. The Initiative will monitor changes in older people’s health and well-being linked to the Goals and Objectives of the National Positive Ageing Strategy. This will be done primarily through the development of Positive Ageing indicators to be published every two years. The Initiative is intended to provide evidence of the factors contributing to positive ageing, including at local level and ultimately inform policy responses to population ageing in Ireland. The first national Positive Ageing Indicators report was published in 2016 and highlights many of the positive and negative aspects of growing old in Ireland.
The National Positive Ageing Strategy and the activities of the HaPAI are strongly embedded within the vision and actions set out for Healthy Ireland, the Government-led initiative which aims to create an Irish society where people of all ages can enjoy good physical and mental health, and where well-being is supported at every level of society. The Healthy Ireland Framework was launched in 2013 and seeks to provide people and communities with accurate information on how to improve their health and well-being and to make the healthy choices easier choices. Healthy Ireland takes a whole-of-Government and whole-of-society approach to improving health and well-being and the quality of people’s lives and a number of new structures have been put in place to ensure that all sectors of society are given opportunities to participate.
262. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health his plans to put the home care or home help scheme and the provision of home care packages on a statutory basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18979/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is Government policy to promote care in the community for older people so that they can continue to live in their own homes for as long as possible.
The only statutory scheme in place at present to support older people is the Nursing Home Support Scheme, commonly known as the ‘A Fair Deal’ . This Government is committed to establishing a new statutory home care scheme and my Department is progressing this issue.
The development of a new home care scheme is a complex undertaking, one which will involve very significant legislative, operational and financial resources. A significant amount of detailed preparation needs to be undertaken before final decisions are made on the form of a home care scheme and the regulation of these services. This is required if reforms are to be successful, affordable and sustainable.
The Health Research Board was commissioned by my Department to review approaches to the regulation and financing of home care services in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Scotland. This evidence review was published on 11 April 2017 and is an important step in the process to determine what type of home care scheme is best for Ireland in relation to both regulation and funding.
A consultation process, which is planned for the end of May, will allow all those who have views on this topic to have their say, including older people themselves, their families and health care workers.
263. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health if a person that applies for a medical card is assessed under the means test on the profit from the farming enterprise or the capital value of the farm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18982/17]
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 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 was issued to Oireachtas members.
264. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there are no proper facilities in place in County Sligo for young school leavers with autism and other learning and behavioural issues and no service manager to take responsibility for the service (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19007/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. This commitment is outlined in the Programme for Partnership Government, which is guided by two principles: equality of opportunity and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.
As the Deputy's question relates to a service issue, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
265. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the number of home help hours provided in counties Longford and Westmeath for each year since 2011 in tabular form. [19008/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra267. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the current waiting list for home help services for persons over 65 years of age and for persons with a disability in counties Longford and Westmeath. [19010/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra268. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the number of persons that have been approved home help services in counties Longford and Westmeath but are currently awaiting the provision of hours or awaiting their full complement of hours. [19011/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 265, 267 and 268 together.
As these are service matters they have been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
266. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the number of home help hours provided for persons with a disability in counties Longford and Westmeath for each year since 2011 in tabular form. [19009/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question relates to a service matter, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
269. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 243 of 6 April 2017, if he will provide further details of the HSE cook it and healthy food made easy projects; the locations being targeted by these projects; the number of communities and families that have benefitted from this; the number that are expected to benefit and the timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19018/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
270. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on waiting lists for eye procedures, by county, in tabular form; the measures being taken to speed up waiting times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19021/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
271. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the supports that will be made available for a person (detail supplied) who has lost their sight; the timeframe for the provision of the same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19041/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
