Written Answers Nos. 386-400
386. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health to outline the status of the application of the FreeStyle libre to be added to the reimbursement list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32230/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines under the community drug schemes in accordance with the provisions of the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. Therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
387. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health to outline the position regarding the national review of primary percutaneous coronary intervention and percutaneous coronary intervention services being undertaken; if it will be completed by July 2017 as previously committed to; the date on which the review started; the membership of the review body; the number of meetings held to date by the body (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32231/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll decisions on how we configure our health services must be evidence-based. The Deputy will be aware that, on publication of the report of Dr Niall Herity into the requirement for a second cardiac catheterisation laboratory (cath lab) at University Hospital Waterford, I indicated my intention to arrange for a national review of all primary PCI services. The aim of the review is to ensure that as many patients as possible have access on a 24/7 basis to safe and sustainable emergency interventions following a heart attack. I can confirm that this national review will proceed, and that it will be based on independent clinical expertise, and my Department is currently considering the arrangements for the review.
A separate review will be undertaken into the impact of additional investment in planned cath lab services at UHW, and this will take place after the period of deployment of a mobile cath lab at Waterford, currently being procured.
388. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health if he will make available capital funding for works (details supplied) in County Leitrim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32232/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAny proposals for the traffic calming measures and signage in question must be considered in the context of the capital funding available to Health. Given the limited funding available and our health infrastructure including equipment needs, priority for funding must be based on verified service needs and capital funding must be directed to supporting these core services. The HSE will continue to apply the available funding for infrastructure development in the most effective way possible to meet current and future needs, having regard to the level of commitments and the costs to completion already in place.
Your question has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply as the management of the healthcare property estate is a service matter.
389. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health if he will ask the HSE to make a concession for free parking for persons attending hospitals for ongoing cancer treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32240/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraOver the past decade, parking charges have been introduced in many of our hospitals. It is important to note that these parking charges form part of a series of measures which ensure that the operational costs of providing parking services to visitors, staff and patients do not impact negatively on a hospital’s overall budget needed to provide healthcare services to patients.
I am advised by the HSE that it does not provide guidelines on hospital car parking and that each hospital or hospital group implements their own guidelines. I am aware that those hospitals which charge parking fees are very cognisant of the financial implications of parking costs for patients and their families, particularly those with long-term illnesses. Consequently, some hospitals have introduced a maximum daily fixed parking charge, thus capping this expense.
Some hospitals provide reduced car parking fees for patients with cancer who are attending for long-term treatment. However, there are many conditions which can require long-term care and it is difficult to prioritise one over another.
390. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Health if he will review a case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32242/17]
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.
391. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Health to set out in tabular form the waiting times for each hospital department in each of the years 2009 to 2016 and to date in 2017 for Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32244/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra392. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Health to set out the number of theatres and the number operational at Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital in each of the years 2009 to 2016 and to date in 2017. [32245/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 391 and 392 together.
In relation to the queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service issues, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
393. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite an appointment for a person (details supplied) who is awaiting a hearing aid and was informed that he or she would be called for same within a four to five week period but who has not yet received the appointment. [32252/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
394. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health to outline his plans to commence the consultation process on a national biosimilars policy, which he indicated he would commence in March 2017; the reason for the delay in launching this consultation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32268/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government has decided to introduce a National Biosimilar Strategy to promote the usage of biosimilar medicines in Ireland and a public consultation process will form part of the policy development.
In preparation for the consultation process and policy development my officials have conducted in-depth research on the approaches that other countries have taken to increase the usage of biosimilars and other preparatory work. This body of work is being used to shape the public consultation in order to deliver the most informative results. This data will then be used to inform the drafting of the National Biosimilar Medicines Policy.
The consultation process for the National Biosimilar Medicines policy is currently in an advanced stage of preparation and I expect it to commence in the near future.
395. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health to set out the unallocated spend within mental health for 2017; expenditure allocated to programmes in 2017 that are due to cease in 2017; the funds that will become available within his Department's expenditure profile in 2018 due to changes in demand for services and goods or changes to costs within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32300/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
396. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health if will expedite a surgery date for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32310/17]
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.
397. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Health when a clinical assessment of a site (details supplied) will be carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32314/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for a Partnership Government includes a commitment to publish a plan for advancing Neuro-Rehabilitation services in the community. The Health Service Executive's (HSE's) National Service Plan for 2017 contains a priority to finalise and progress implementation of the framework for the Neuro-Rehabilitation Strategy. The HSE Social Care Division and Clinical Programme and Strategy Division are working in tandem to progress implementation of the Strategy.
I understand that the HSE is aware of the proposal for an acquired brain injury step-down unit in Longford. However, the HSE is obliged to consider proposals for specialised residential services for people with acquired brain injury, such as that referred to by the Deputy, in the broader context of the finalisation of the implementation framework for the Neuro-rehabilitation Strategy. In this regard, the HSE has carried out a mapping exercise to establish a clear picture of where specialist rehabilitation services are currently being delivered and where the demands are for that service. The results of this exercise are now being collated.
As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for a more detailed, direct reply to the Deputy.
398. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will have surgery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32315/17]
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.
399. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health to outline the position regarding changes to organ transplant legislation to allow for an opt-out system instead of the existing system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32322/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government approved the preparation of the General Scheme and Heads of a Human Tissue Bill today, 11 July 2017. This Bill will include proposals for the introduction of an opt out system for organ donation.
400. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health to outline the steps he has taken to ensure appropriate care pathways are in place to improve cancer services and invest in end-of-life care, including the provision of hospice and end-of-life care during the perinatal period, infancy, childhood and adulthood as promised in the programme for Government; the steps he has taken to improve access to perinatal hospice care in all maternity hospitals throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32323/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn December 2009 the Department of Health published Palliative Care for Children with Life Limiting Conditions:a National Policy. The Policy provides clear direction for the development of an integrated palliative care service for children and their families, across all care settings. It aims to address the deficits identified in a national needs assessment undertaken in 2005. Following the publication of the Policy, the National Development Committee for Children’s Palliative Care (NDC) was established by the HSE to oversee the implementation of its recommendations. The Policy contains 31 recommendations under 19 headings and places significant emphasis on supporting families and health care professionals to care for children in their own homes.
The HSE National Standards for Bereavement Care following Pregnancy Loss and Perinatal Death were launched last year. The Standards provide that clinical and counselling services should be in place to support women and their families in all pregnancy loss situations, from early pregnancy loss to perinatal death, as well as situations where there is a diagnosis of foetal anomaly that may be life limiting or fatal. Each hospital will be required to have systems in place to ensure that bereavement care and end-of-life care for babies is central to the mission of the hospital and is organised around the needs of babies and their families. The Standards will be implemented on a phased basis by a dedicated Bereavement Standards Implementation Group in association with the National Women & Infants Health Programme.
To support the implementation of the children's palliative care policy, a programme of care for children with life-limiting conditions has been established including the appointment of a Paediatric Consultant with a Special Interest in Palliative Care, based in Crumlin. As well as supporting other paediatricians, the Consultant also provides clinical support and advice to maternity hospitals and neonatologists. The programme also included the appointment of 10 Children’s Outreach Nurses (CONs) whose role is to ensure that children being cared for at home by their families have access to co-ordinated and supportive services. The nurses liaise closely with statutory and voluntary service providers including local GPs, Public Health Nurses, Disability Services, the Jack and Jill Foundation and LauraLynn etc. A recent independent evaluation of the Children's Palliative Care Programme recommended that the children's outreach nursing service be strengthened, both to meet increased demand and to address geographical inequities in service provision and work has commenced on this. The Irish Hospice Foundation has also agreed to fund a second Consultant post for a one-year period after which the post will be funded by the HSE.
A national programme of structured continuing professional education on caring for children with life-limiting conditions has been developed in partnership with Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin. The programme has been delivered in locations around the country and is available to all health care staff. Integrated websites for parents and health care professionals has been developed through the All Island Institute for Hospice and Palliative Care.
The HSE continues to make progress on other recommendations including the development of the model of care, the development of a model for ‘Hospice at Home’, clinical and governance protocols, standards and pathways, and bereavement care. The HSE's Primary Care Division provides homecare packages to facilitate children with complex care needs to be cared for at home.
With regard to adult palliative care services the HSE in partnership with a number of voluntary organisations provides community palliative care (home care) in every county across the country.
For the first five months of this year 91.6% of accepted homecare referrals were seen within seven days. Specialist palliative care inpatient beds (IPU) are provided in 11 locations and 96.4% of accepted referrals were admitted within seven days. There are plans in place to open an additional seven hospices within the next five years.
