Written Answers Nos. 425-46
425. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if the provision of home help can be facilitated in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21556/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
426. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if an appointment with the neurology department in Tallaght hospital can be facilitated in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21596/17]
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 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.
427. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) was not selected for an educational course within the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21598/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter.
428. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will provide additional home care hours for a person (details supplied). [21599/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
429. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in processing a medical card application by a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; when a decision in respect of this application will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21600/17]
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.
430. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health the reason the Sacred Heart unit in Dungarvan community hospital is closing with immediate effect with a loss of 19 beds for physiotherapy, respite and rehab services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21631/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra431. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health the step-down facilities that will be available to persons in Dungarvan and west Waterford following the closure of 19 beds in the Sacred Heart unit in Dungarvan community hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21632/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra432. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the importance of the Sacred Heart unit in Dungarvan community hospital; if his attention has been further drawn to the vital services it provides for rehab, physiotherapy and respite; if he will reverse the decision to close this unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21633/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 430 to 432, inclusive, together.
As these are service matters they have been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
433. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Health if he will review the case of a person (details supplied). [21724/17]
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 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.
434. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the number of persons within the prison system that are receiving treatment for serious mental health conditions; the nature of the information held on these persons by the national forensic mental health service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21730/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
435. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 443 of 4 April 2017, the procedures in place to prevent the HSE from paying general practitioners for persons that are already deceased (details supplied). [21732/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs outlined to the Deputy in the HSE reply of 25 April, a number of channels exist through which the Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) receives notice of the death of a medical card or GP visit card holder. These include:
- Notification through the Death Event Publication Service (DEPS) via a monthly file;
- Notification through the local Community Health Offices;
- Notification through the National Medical Card Unit contact centre, where clients’ families provide information;
- Notification via letters/returned cards from clients families;
- Notification from Nursing Homes;
- Notification from GPs.
Payments to GPs in respect of services provided to persons under the GMS scheme are terminated once the notification of a person’s death is recorded. In circumstances where amounts have been paid to GPs for periods after the last day of the month in which a person has died, the PCRS makes appropriate adjustments to the monthly capitation payment made to GPs to balance any such overpayments.
Should the Deputy be aware of a specific instance where an overpayment has occurred in relation to a deceased patient, she would be welcome to submit such information to my Department or directly to the PCRS.
436. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if he will schedule an urgent appointment at St. Vincent's University Hospital for a person (details supplied). [21740/17]
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 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.
437. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the total number of claims made by persons or others against his Department and the HSE that were settled or not settled, respectively, before a court hearing, in each of the past six years; the cost to the State of the settlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21744/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe management of claims against the Health Service Executive and my Department is delegated under the National Treasury Management Agency Act to the State Claims Agency (SCA), which has a statutory mandate to investigate and manage these cases to completion. The Annual Report of the National Treasury Management Agency notes that the SCA resolves the majority of claims by negotiating a settlement, either directly with the plaintiff's legal advisors or through a process of mediation. In 2015 97% of clinical negligence cases which were handled by the SCA were settled without the necessity for a contested court hearing.
The SCA has supplied a report on the information requested by the Deputy. The data is extracted from the National Incident Management System (NIMS), a system which it hosts for the Health Service Executive, other healthcare enterprises and Delegated State Authorities.
The tables supplied show details on claims finalised for the Health Service Executive and the Department of Health from 1 January 2011 to 4 May 2017 under the following case outcomes: Settlement Agreed, Case Discontinued/Claim Statute Barred, Indemnity Received and Outside the SCA remit. A claim in this context refers to a notification of intention to seek compensation for personal injury and/ or property damage where it is alleged that the State was negligent. The application may be in the form of a letter of claim, an InjuriesBoard.ie application or a written or oral request. A finalised claim refers to when a claim and all other matters associated with it have been agreed, e.g. costs. There may still be some associated payments and reimbursements outstanding on finalised claims.
Table 1
Number of Claims by Claims Finalised Year (2011 - 2017)
Number of Claims
|
YEAR |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 Year to Date |
Total Claims |
|
Settlement agreed |
343 |
376 |
460 |
540 |
566 |
658 |
281 |
3,224 |
|
Case Discontinued/Claim Statute Barred |
148 |
169 |
189 |
255 |
362 |
361 |
191 |
1,675 |
|
Indemnity Received |
54 |
58 |
58 |
149 |
105 |
269 |
23 |
716 |
|
Outside SCA Remit |
22 |
15 |
13 |
25 |
30 |
19 |
14 |
138 |
|
Grand Total |
567 |
618 |
720 |
969 |
1,063 |
1,307 |
509 |
5,753 |
Table 2
Paid Total by Claims Finalised Year (2011 - 2017)
Paid Total (€’000)
|
YEAR |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 Year to Date |
Paid Total |
|
Settlement agreed |
56,370 |
56,769 |
61,433 |
77,282 |
77,380 |
91,317 |
46,691 |
467,242 |
|
Case Discontinued/Claim Statute Barred |
753 |
903 |
878 |
604 |
2,300 |
676 |
2,121 |
8,235 |
|
Indemnity Received |
606 |
491 |
310 |
563 |
389 |
162 |
436 |
2,957 |
|
Outside SCA Remit |
0 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
18 |
|
Grand Total |
57,729 |
58,173 |
62,622 |
78,448 |
80,073 |
92,158 |
49,248 |
478,452 |
Definitions for the terms used in the tables:
(i) 'Settlement Agreed', - i.e. a negotiated settlement has been agreed with the Plaintiff for damages or an Injuries Board award accepted. This category includes some claims that go to court and are either settled on the steps of the court or are settled during the court case but before the case concludes.
(ii) 'Case Discontinued'/Claim Statute Barred', i.e. The claim against the State Authority was discontinued and/or withdrawn by the Plaintiff, or the Statute of Limitations rendered the claim Statute Barred and prevented the claim from proceeding.
(iii) 'Indemnity Received' i.e. The SCA obtained a full indemnity, in respect of the claim, on behalf of the relevant State Authority from the Insurers of a negligent Third Party motorist.
(iv) 'Outside State Claims Agency Remit' i.e. These claims were not managed by the SCA.
It should also be noted that the figures in respect of paid totals relate to the amount of money paid on a claim over its lifetime. This may include payments made in previous years. It includes damages, legal costs and other expert costs. The data includes all Health Service Executive locations (including voluntary) and excludes Tusla.
438. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the reason an FOI request submitted on 14 February 2017 in the name of a person (details supplied) has not as yet been responded to. [21746/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere is no record in the Department of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from the person mentioned by the Deputy. I understand that this request is being processed by the Child and Family Services, Tusla. This is a prescribed body, in its own right, for the purposes of FOI. Each prescribed body is separately and solely responsible for fulfilling its obligations under the FOI Act. The Act also provides for an appeals process, should any prescribed body fail to meet its obligations.
439. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the number of admissions to a centre (details supplied) at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, each year since its establishment; the average length of time of admission; the number of persons refused admission to the centre each year; the reasons for refusing admission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21753/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
440. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the number of admissions to a unit (details supplied) at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, each year since 2014; the average length of time of admission; the number of persons refused admission to the centre each year; the reasons for refusing admission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21754/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
441. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the number of persons that accessed suicide prevention supports in the HSE Dublin north east and north Dublin area each year since 2012; the outcome of such access if available; the number of referrals to further mental health services each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21755/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
442. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the quality assurance measures in place to review the suicide prevention supports in the HSE Dublin north east and north Dublin area; if regular reviews take place; the location at which information is made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21756/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
443. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health when a person is refused admission to a psychiatric unit, the follow up that takes place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21757/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
444. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the number of vacant posts at the department of cardiology at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, by post and grade; the length of time the posts are vacant; when each of those posts will be filled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21769/17]
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.
445. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Health his plans to increase the availability of trained interveners for persons that are deafblind; and his further plans to increase availability of and accessibility to early intervention from a deafblind specialist for persons with congenital or acquired deafblindness. [21788/17]
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 (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
446. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the progress to date in assessing eligibility for a medical card in the case of persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21796/17]
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.
