Written Answers Nos. 189-200
189. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the measures in place for the regulation and oversight of community residences within the HSE’s mental health services; if he has satisfied himself that there is sufficient oversight of the services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47500/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
192. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health when the first report on the progress of the implementation of the report into the Roscommon mental health services will be sent to the report’s commissioner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47503/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
193. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the actions he plans to take in order to address the shortfall in home help hours in counties Laois and Offaly; the amount allocated under budget 2018 for home help in these counties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47516/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe overall funding for Services for Older People nationally is €765 million in 2017 with €367m for direct funding of Home Help and Home Care Packages. A further €9m supported by HSE and Atlantic Philanthropies will provide Intensive Home Care Packages (IHCPs) for people with more complex needs. The HSE’s National Service Plan for 2017 provides for a target of 10.57 million Home Help Hours to support about 49,000 people, 16,750 Home Care Packages and 190 Intensive Home Care Packages for clients with complex needs supported with co-funding from Atlantic Philanthropies. This represents a significant increase on home care in comparison to last year’s Service Plan, which had an original target of 10.4 million hours home help and 15,450 Home Care Packages.
Budget 2018 has provided additional resources for Services for Older People and a significant proportion of this additional funding will go towards home care services. The Department is working with the HSE to prepare the 2018 National Service Plan. Pending agreement of the Plan I am not in a position to comment either on the funding or the specific services that will be provided.
In relation to service levels in the specific counties mentioned, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
194. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the numbers of persons on the waiting lists for speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy in counties Laois and Offaly; the waiting times for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47517/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
195. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for an assessment under the early intervention team in counties Laois and Offaly; the number of these that have been waiting over six months; the number that have been waiting over a year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47518/17]
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.
196. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for assessment under the school age team in counties Laois and Offaly; the number of these that have been waiting over six months; the number that have been waiting over a year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47519/17]
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.
197. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 951 of 26 July 2017, the status of the provision of the drug Spinraza to persons with muscular atrophy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47520/17]
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.
198. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health his plans to implement a similar practice to that in Germany for the detection and treatment of Lyme disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47521/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraLyme disease is diagnosed by medical history and physical examination. The infection is confirmed by blood tests which look for antibodies produced by an infected person's body in response to the infection. These normally take several weeks to develop and may not be present in the early stages of the disease. The standard approach to Lyme diagnostics is a two-stage approach and involves using a sensitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) as an initial, screening step. Screening EIAs can be insufficiently specific, giving false-positive reactions in the presence of other similar bacteria, and certain other viral infections, including glandular fever. In addition, blood samples from patients with autoimmune disorders and other inflammatory conditions can also lead to false-positive results. Samples giving positive or equivocal results in screening tests are further investigated in a second-stage immunoblot (Western blot) tests. Use of immunoblot testing greatly increases specificity. Using this two stage approach will give a great degree of certainty around the diagnosis of Lyme.
All clinical (and other) laboratories in Ireland must undergo continuous quality assurance to ensure that the quality of the diagnostics they provide is maintained at the highest international level for human diagnostics. Some laboratories abroad do not use antibody tests like the EIA (screening ELISA test) and Western Blot and instead will use other types of tests, for example, testing for levels of a specific white blood cell (CD-57) or lymphocyte transformation tests (tests to measure how specific cells in a person's immune system respond when exposed to antigens against Borrelia burgdorferi - the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease). These types of tests are not currently recommended by international groups such as the CDC, Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) or BIA for a number of reasons:
1. There is not enough scientific evidence that they are suitable tests to diagnose Lyme disease;
2. There is no standard method to perform and interpret these kind of tests; and
3. Positive results in these kinds of tests may be due to other illnesses or conditions and not just Borrelia infection.
The Scientific Advisory Committee of the HPSC, the Infectious Diseases Society of Ireland, the Irish Society of Clinical Microbiologists, the Irish Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and the Irish College of General Practitioners agreed a Consensus Statement on the Clinical Management of Lyme Borreliosis, which endorsed the previously referenced, internationally recognised set of guidelines (those of the IDSA) to Medical Practitioners to ensure a standardised approach to the diagnosis and management of Lyme disease in Ireland.
The Scientific Advisory Committee of the HPSC has established a Lyme Borreliosis Sub-Committee, the aim of which is to develop strategies to undertake primary prevention in order to minimise the harm caused by Lyme Borreliosis in Ireland. In addition to staff from the HPSC, the membership of the Sub-Committee includes specialists in Public Health Medicine, Consultants in Infectious Diseases, Clinical Microbiology, Occupational Health an Entomologist from the Parks and Wildlife Service, a representative from the Local Government Management Agency, an Environmental Health Officer and, very importantly, a representative from Tick Talk Ireland, the primary Support Group for Lyme disease in Ireland.
The initial work of the Lyme Borreliosis Sub-committee involved a survey of laboratory methods for the diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis in Ireland, the development of Lyme borreliosis guidance for general practitioners, the publication of medical media articles to highlight diagnostics and laboratory methods relating to Lyme borreliosis available in Ireland. Material has been produced which is aimed both at the general public and General Practitioners.
Any changes to testing and treatment will take into account the report of the HPSC Sub-Committee.
199. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of smaller pieces of equipment and aids such as over bed tables which were previously supplied by the HSE to medical card holders are now no longer supplied by the HSE (details supplied); his views on this change in policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47529/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
