Written Answers Nos. 404-422
404. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if a home care package can be facilitated prior to Christmas 2017 in the case of persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49272/17]
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.
405. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if the Dentist Act 1985 will be amended to allow dental hygienists direct access to persons in view of recent changes to the dental treatment benefit scheme reinstating a free scale and polish; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49275/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI do not proposed to make an amendment to Part VII of the Dentists Act 1985 at this point in time as my Department is currently developing new legislation to replace the Dentist Act 1985. The regulation and role of dental hygienists is being examined in the context of this new legislation.
The development of new dental legislation is a priority for me. Drafting the scheme of the Bill has commenced, however, it is at an early stage.
406. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health the amount of funding allocated to HSE managed and run disability and respite services in each of the community health organisation, CHO, areas in 2016; the amount of funding allocated to HSE managed and run disability and respite services in each of the CHO areas in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49299/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra408. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health when residential respite services will be restored in counties Sligo and Leitrim; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that it is almost a year since the state of the art, purpose built facility, Solas, stopped providing respite services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49302/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 406 and 408 together.
The 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.
The Programme for Partnership Government states that the Government wishes to provide more accessible respite care to facilitate full support for people with a disability.
As the Deputy's questions relate to service matters, I have arranged for the questions to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
407. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health the reason access to respite care in County Monaghan has been refused to persons who availed of this option previously; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49301/17]
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.
409. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the budgetary allocation for the gay men's health service, GMHS, for each of the past five years; the regional allocation of the funding for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49303/17]
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.
410. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1309 of 20 June 2017, the proposed relocation of the gay men's health service located at the clinic; and his plans to replicate this service outside of Dublin. [49304/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
411. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if an appointment for a person (details supplied) will be scheduled. [49307/17]
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.
412. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health his plans to review the loco parentis rule that restricts the nature of the HSE home care provided to sick children by agency nurses who are forbidden to allow parents to leave the home unless another adult is present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49308/17]
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.
413. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Health the status of an additional funding application under section 39 for a facility (details supplied) which provides a comprehensive service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49309/17]
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.
414. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health his plans to use the National Treatment Purchase Fund for certain urology procedures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49312/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI acknowledge that waiting times are often unacceptably long and I am conscious of the burden that this places on patients and their families.
Reducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. Consequently, Budget 2017 allocated €20 million to the NTPF, rising to €55 million in 2018. Budget 2018 allocated additional funding in the region of €10m for the remainder of 2017 to fund patient treatment across a range of key specialties and procedures.
In order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, the HSE has been implementing Waiting List Action Plans for 2017 in the areas of Inpatient/Daycase, Scoliosis and Outpatient Services. The Inpatient/Daycase Action Plan is being delivered through a combination of normal hospital activity, as well as insourcing and outsourcing initiatives utilising NTPF funding. Under the Inpatient/Daycase Plan, since early February, over 29,000 patients have come off the Inpatient/Daycase Waiting List. Long-waiting Urology patients are a core group who have received treatment under the Inpatient/Daycase Initiative.
The NTPF has advised that to date 14,548 patients have been authorised for treatment in private hospitals under its initiatives, 5,431 patients have accepted an offer of treatment in a private hospital and that 2,011 patients have received their procedure. The NTPF has also indicated that 3,821 patients have been authorised for treatment in public hospitals under the Plan’s insourcing initiatives, 1,471 offers of treatment have been accepted and 818 patients have been treated.
The NTPF have advised that, as of 17 November, the total number of Urology procedures that have been undertaken through NTPF funding in both public and private hospitals is 305.
415. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health the status of the provision of a primary care centre in Lucan, County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49314/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the HSE has responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres and other Primary Care facilities, the Executive has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy.
416. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health the status of the provision of a primary care centre in Rowlagh, Clondalkin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49315/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE advises that agreement has been reached with the adjacent college in relation to the details of the planning application, and it is expected that the planning application will be lodged by the end of the year.
417. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health if home care packages as provided for in budget 2018 will be prioritised for persons with dementia, in view of the absence of community supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49325/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraEach year 4,000 people in Ireland develop dementia – an average of 11 people every day. Currently there are approximately 55,000 people living with dementia in the Republic of Ireland, and this number is expected to almost treble to over 150,000 by 2046. These numbers highlight the need for us as a nation to acknowledge and understand the condition and its impact on individuals and society as a whole.
In recognition of the particular challenges faced by people with dementia and their carers, the Government published Ireland’s first National Dementia Strategy in December 2014. The purpose of the Strategy is to increase awareness of dementia, ensure timely diagnosis and intervention, and develop enhanced community based services.
The Strategy emphasises that most people with dementia live in their own communities and can continue to live well and to participate in those communities for far longer than many people appreciate.
My Department and the HSE agreed a joint Programme with the Atlantic Philanthropies in late 2014 to implement significant elements of the Strategy. The National Dementia Strategy Implementation Programme seeks to promote a greater focus on timely diagnosis of dementia and the value of early intervention. A key strand of the programme is the development of measures to raise public awareness, reduce stigma, and promote the inclusion and involvement in society of those with dementia. The Dementia Understand Together campaign integrates these objectives under one campaign.
The National Dementia Strategy Implementation Programme also includes Intensive Homecare Packages for people with dementia; the upskilling of GPs and Primary Care Teams to diagnose and manage dementia; and the establishment of a National Dementia Office in the HSE to coordinate and drive the Strategy’s implementation.
The projected spend for Intensive Home Care Packages in 2017 is €9m supported by HSE and Atlantic Philanthropies funding. At the end of September 2017, out of a total of 236 people in receipt of an Intensive Home Care Package, 148 people with dementia were in receipt of a dementia specific Intensive Homecare Package. It is also worth noting that people with dementia can also avail of standard home care. The HSE continues to provide mainstream home help, routine Home Care packages and other appropriate community based supports such as day care, respite etc., to people with dementia whose needs have been assessed as requiring these supports and within available resources.
In budget 2018 a further €37 million has been made available for older people services, comprising €5m once-off funding in 2017 and €32 million next year, to further strengthen supports for older people, particularly to facilitate speedier discharge from acute hospitals over the winter period. A significant proportion of this additional funding will go towards home care services.
My 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 that will be made available for dementia care or the specific services that will be provided. I will be happy to update the Deputy once the Service Plan is finalised.
418. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of locums compared with the number of HSE staff by professional medical discipline at each hospital under the aegis of the HSE each month from January 2016 to date; the salaries paid to staff compared to salaries paid to locums by medical discipline at each hospital for the same period. [49336/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter.
419. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if, following the recent launch of the palliative care services three year development framework 2017 to 2019 document, he plans to publish a framework specific to children’s palliative care; and if not, the plans he has to bring forward policy or a framework for children’s palliative care [49372/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe evaluation of the Children’s Palliative Care Programme, which was published in November 2016, contains 20 recommendations for the further development of children’s palliative care services. The Evaluation noted that the Children’s Palliative Care Programme had made a major difference to the lives of children with palliative care needs and their families and recommended a strengthening of the Children’s Palliative Care Programme to include more children’s outreach nurses, a second consultant paediatrician post with a special interest in children’s palliative medicine and a continuation of the education programme in Crumlin. To date, all but one of the recommendations (recommendation 3) have been explored in further detail, and 17 of the recommendations are being progressed. Some of the most significant areas of progress are highlighted below.
The aim of the children’s outreach nursing service is to co-ordinate seamless continuity of care between the acute paediatric unit, community services and the child’s home. The nurse develops strong working relationships with colleagues within the acute and community settings e.g. paediatric medicine, general practice, community paediatric services, disability services, nursing services, specialist adult palliative care home teams, and voluntary services such as Jack and Jill, Laura Lynn, etc. Two additional Children’s Outreach Nurses were recruited in 2017, one in Donegal and one in Dublin. A third new Nurse will be appointed in Kerry in 2018.
The Consultant Paediatrician with a Special Interest in Palliative Care leads the specialist paediatric palliative care team in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin. Preparations are under way to recruit a second consultant paediatrician with a special interest in children’s palliative medicine who will be based in Temple Street. This post will be funded by the IHF for the first year, and by the HSE thereafter. The Children’s Hospital Group has agreed that the posts will be located in the New National Children’s Hospital when opened.
A business case has been submitted to the HSE’s office for Nursing and Midwifery Service Development for the continuation of the training courses in Crumlin on caring for children with life-limiting conditions. There is a commitment to provide training to meet the needs of community based adult palliative care teams and hospital based paediatric medical and nursing staff.
The IHF and Laura Lynn have agreed to fund a national coordinator for children’s palliative care for a three-year period. Discussions are underway with the Children’s Hospital Group and the appropriate Integrated/Clinical Programmes on the job description and the full integration of the role into paediatric services.
With regard to the recommendation on the provision of adequate and needs based respite services, discussions have commenced with HSE Primary Care and Disability Services on the integration of children’s palliative care with existing and future in-home and out-of-home services.
The HSE is addressing the lack of available and standardised bereavement care in conjunction with the IHF. A scoping exercise is required to identify existing services and gaps in service provision.
As highlighted by the Evaluation, integration with disability services, primary care, complex care, the new National Children’s Hospital and the paediatric clinical care programme is being pursued as a key part of the implementation of the recommendations.
The HSE launched the Palliative Care Services Three Year Development Framework on November 14 2017. This Framework was developed in order to inform and direct the development of adult palliative care services in Ireland for the remainder of this decade. National policy on adult palliative care is largely based on the 2001 Report of the National Advisory Committee on Palliative Care. Given the advances in changes in the landscape of Irish medicine in general, and in palliative care in particular, since 2001, the new Framework was developed in order to meet the changed landscape of palliative care.
My Department does not intend to develop a separate framework for children’s palliative care at present. Implementation of the recommendations made in the evaluation of the Children’s Palliative Care Programme provides a suitable framework that guides the development of children's palliative care for the coming years.
420. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health if emergency funding will be provided to find a permanent care facility for the four adults with profound intellectual and physical disabilities currently availing of services (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49376/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra421. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health if funding will be provided to the local authority to provide a long-term full-time care facility for the four adults with profound intellectual and physical disabilities currently availing of services (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49377/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 420 and 421 together.
The 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.
422. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health his plans to provide extra funding under the section 39 grants heading to the community health care organisation, CHO, area 2 in view of the need to fund an association (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49387/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder Section 39 of the Health Act 2004, the HSE has in place Service Level Agreements with voluntary providers which set out the level of service to be provided for the grant to the individual organisation. Any individuals employed by these Section 39 organisations are not HSE employees, therefore neither the HSE nor my Department has a role in determining the salaries or other terms and conditions applying to these staff.
The staff of these Section 39 organisations are not public servants and therefore were not subject to the FEMPI legislation which imposed pay reductions. It follows then that the staff of the Section 39 bodies will not be eligible for any pay restoration associated with the unwinding of this legislation and provided for under the more recent Public Service Agreements. It is a matter for Section 39 organisations to negotiate salaries with their staff as part of their employment relationship and within the overall funding available for the delivery of agreed services.
Whilst it is understood that pay cuts were imposed on Section 39 employees, it is not clear that these cuts were applied in a universally consistent manner across all the Section 39 agencies. It is also important to recognise that this group of organisations within the health sector is just one element of a larger complex issue which could have significant cost implications for the Exchequer across the public services as a whole.
