Written Answers Nos. 439-456
439. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the status of the allocation of the €15 million in new funding for mental health in 2017; the additional or new services being provided in 2017 and the funding provided to each, by community health care organisation, CHO, in tabular form; and the additional posts being provided in each. [23108/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra440. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of new whole-time equivalent positions the allocation of the €15 million in new funding for mental health in 2017 will provide; and the number of positions in categories (details supplied). [23109/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 439 and 440 together.
Details of the Budget 2017 allocation of €15m development funding are presently being finalised with the HSE in the context of the HSE Mental Health Division’s Operational Plan for 2017.
The Government is committed to increasing the Mental Health budget annually, as shown by the substantial additional funding of some €115m and over 1,100 new posts provided for mental health from 2012 to 2016. Budget 2017 provided significant additional funding for mental health, which means that the HSE funding for this key care programme will increase from around €826m in 2016 to over €850m this year.
Budget 2017 made allowance for an additional €35 million for services to be initiated in 2017. Key priorities being addressed in the HSE 2017 Service Plan include youth mental health, further improvement to child & adolescent (CAMHS) and adult services, older people's services and further enhanced out-of-hours response for those in need of urgent services. Recognising the time lag in new staff taking up posts and the completion of preparations for the introduction of these services, it is estimated that the revenue spend in 2017 associated with this increased allocation will be some €15 million. There will also be a further additional spend of €9.5 million in mental health associated with increased pay rates.
441. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health if the HSE or a specified service provider is responsible for meeting the needs of a person (details supplied); the body responsible for meeting their needs in respect of speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy; when such services will be provided; if the person can have access to a clinical psychologist as a priority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23110/17]
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 service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
442. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health when an MRI scan will be scheduled for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23115/17]
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.
443. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health when treatment will be given to a person (details supplied) which is of an urgent nature; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23116/17]
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.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
444. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Health if the HSE funds emergency accommodation services; if so, the details and the amount of funding provided to each of these services in 2015 and 2016 and to date in 2017; and if persons resident in HSE funded accommodation are included in the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government's PASS data that forms the basis of the official monthly homelessness data report. [23120/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
445. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Health the psychology services for adults with disabilities and autism available in County Wexford; the number of whole-time equivalent psychologists for adults with disabilities and autism currently employed in County Wexford; the number that were employed in each of the years 2010 to 2016; if the HSE in County Wexford operates a waiting list for psychology services for adults with disabilities and autism; the number of persons currently on the waiting list; and the average wait times for each of the years 2010 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form. [23123/17]
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 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 if a medical card will issue in the case of a person (details supplied) who has provided all documentation as requested; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23127/17]
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.
447. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the current waiting time for an assessment of need for children and adolescents in north Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23129/17]
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 service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
448. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the status of the reimbursement of the drug Respreeza/Zemaira; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23132/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
449. Deputy Frank O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health if consideration is being given to the inclusion of Parkinson's disease as one of the medical conditions for which cannabis for medicinal use could be approved on the list of medical conditions which is being compiled by the Health Products Regulatory Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23142/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraCannabis is strictly controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Acts, 1977 to 2016 and the Regulations made thereunder.
There are two pathways for medical practitioners to prescribe cannabis-based products containing THC for medical purposes: (i) through the Medicinal Cannabis Access Programme (which is currently being established); (ii) through the Ministerial licence application route.
(i) Medicinal Cannabis Access Programme:
In February I published the Health Products Regulatory Authority’s (HPRA) report ‘Cannabis for Medical Use – A Scientific Review’. On foot of the conclusions from the HPRA’s report I announced my intention to establish an access programme for cannabis-based treatments, for patients under the care of a medical consultant, for the following medical conditions:
- spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis resistant to all standard therapies and interventions;
- intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, despite the use of standard anti-emetic regimes;
- severe, refractory (treatment-resistant) epilepsy that has failed to respond to standard anticonvulsant medications.
The HPRA Report did not recommend the inclusion of Parkinson’s disease in the access programme. This position will be kept under review, and if better clinical evidence becomes available in future, the inclusion of such conditions can be reconsidered.
(ii) Ministerial licence application route
It is the decision of a clinician to prescribe a particular treatment, including cannabis for medicinal purposes, for a patient under their care. As Minister for Health I have no role in the clinical decision-making process.
Under the existing arrangements the role of a Minister for Health comes into play when an application for a licence to prescribe medicinal cannabis has been received by the Department of Health from a clinician. In such cases it is open to me to consider granting a licence under the Misuse of Drugs Acts, for access to medical cannabis for that named patient, where the proposed course of treatment has been endorsed by the patient’s consultant who is responsible for the management of that patient, and who is prepared to monitor the effects of the treatment over time. One such licence has already been granted under this mechanism.
The main elements of an application submitted under the Misuse of Drugs legislation for a licence for cannabis for medicinal use must include:
- An outline of the treatment the patient has received to date and justification from the doctor as to why it is appropriate in their patient’s specific circumstances to prescribe a Schedule 1 drug;
- Details of the cannabis-based product which it is proposed to prescribe and administer to the patient;
- The source of the cannabis-based product;
- The arrangements for the ongoing monitoring and care of the patient once the cannabis-based treatment has commenced.
451. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Health the criteria, including financial limits, required to qualify for an intensive home care package. [23144/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
452. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health if he will respond to an invitation to meet a group further to a request by a person (details supplied). [23145/17]
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 service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
453. Deputy Ciarán Cannon asked the Minister for Health the services in place to manage children with type 1 diabetes in Galway University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23146/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra454. Deputy Ciarán Cannon asked the Minister for Health the services in place to manage children with type 1 diabetes on insulin pumps attending Galway University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23150/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra455. Deputy Ciarán Cannon asked the Minister for Health the number of children under 16 years of age with type 1 diabetes who attend Galway University Hospital; the number of those who are on insulin pump therapy; the number of these children waiting on insulin pump initiation training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23151/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 453 to 455, inclusive, together.
In response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
456. Deputy Ciarán Cannon asked the Minister for Health the reason there is a delay in holding interviews for the vacant consultant paediatrician post to provide services for children with type 1 diabetes in Galway University Hospital; when the interviews will take place; when he expects the post to be filled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23148/17]
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.
