Michael Healy-Rae
Ceist:759. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of an appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54794/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraHospital Appointments Status
Ceisteanna (759)
Freagraí scríofa
Under 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.
Home Care Packages
Ceisteanna (760)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:760. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if there is scheme similar to the fair deal scheme for persons who would prefer to stay at home and receive their care there; if not, the other supports available to a couple, one of whom is in need of 24-hour care in the home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54805/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Health Service Executive provides a range of community-based services aimed at ensuring older people receive safe, timely and appropriate care and treatment at the lowest level of complexity, and as close to home as possible. This means that they are facilitated and supported to stay in their own homes and communities for as long as it is viable with services such as home support, day care, community support and/or intermediate care beds to avoid unnecessary acute hospital admissions.
Traditionally, home care was viewed as providing a lower level of support than residential care, and not as an alternative to it. Increasingly, however, it is considered possible to support many people to continue to live at home who would previously have gone into residential care. Funding for Older Persons’ Services has increased from €763 million in 2017 to €811 million in 2018. This includes approximately €408 million for the provision of home support services by the HSE or other providers. The HSE’s National Service Plan provides for a target of 17.094 million home support hours to be provided to 50,500 people, which compares with 16.34 million hours delivered to 50,000 people in 2017 (home help and home hours combined), an increase of 754,000 hours to 500 more people year on year. In addition 235 intensive home care packages will provide 360,000 home support hours for people with complex needs. The HSE will continue to encourage local integration of services and build appropriate care pathways, in particular for people with dementia and complex needs.
Improving home-care services so that people can continue to live with confidence, dignity and security in their own homes for as long as possible is a key commitment of the Government. However, the only statutory scheme in place at present to support older people is the Nursing Home Support Scheme. The Government intends to address this by establishing a new standalone statutory scheme for the financing and regulation of home care services and the further development of home care services to provide a more viable alternative to nursing home care for a greater number of people. The Department of Health is currently engaged in a detailed process to progress this. The statutory scheme for home care will introduce clear rules in relation to the services for which individuals are eligible and in relation to how decisions are made on allocating services. For that reason, developing a new statutory scheme will be an important step towards ensuring that the system operates in a consistent and fair manner for all those who need home care services. It will also help to improve access to the home care services that people need, in an affordable and sustainable way. The system of regulation for home care will help to ensure that the public can be confident that the services provided are of a high standard.
The development of a new home care scheme is a complex undertaking which will involve significant legislative, operational and financial resources. A significant amount of detailed work remains to be undertaken before final decisions are taken on the form of a home care scheme and the regulation of these services. This is necessary if reforms are to be successful, affordable and sustainable.
Disability Services Funding
Ceisteanna (761)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Ceist:761. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health if consideration has been given to funding an organisation (details supplied) in 2018 out of the Dormant Account Fund in view of the work it is doing assisting persons with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54808/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Under the Dormant Accounts Fund Action Plan, €2.7 million was allocated in January 2016 by my Department to projects focused on supporting people with disabilities and substance misuse prevention initiatives. My Department has no plans to introduce a similar dormant accounts initiative in 2018.
Home Help Service
Ceisteanna (762)
Barry Cowen
Ceist:762. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) can expect a decision on their application for home help. [54813/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Hospital Appointments Status
Ceisteanna (763)
Robert Troy
Ceist:763. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if an appointment for a person (details supplied) will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54814/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Under 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.
Hospital Facilities
Ceisteanna (764)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:764. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the status of the development of a 12-bed short stay unit at Tullamore hospital. [54823/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly.
Hospitals Policy
Ceisteanna (765)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:765. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the status of the development of an integrated care steering committee between the Dublin Midlands hospital group and relevant community health organisations 7 and 8 respectively. [54824/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
In response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly.
Health Services Provision
Ceisteanna (766)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:766. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the status of the development of a model of care proposal for the expansion of rehabilitation services in counties Laois and Offaly in conjunction with community health organisation 8. [54825/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
Health Services Provision
Ceisteanna (767)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:767. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the status of the implementation of the model for integrated care programme for older persons at Tallaght hospital in association with the local CHO, clinical strategy and programmes and social care division. [54826/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Older Persons Integrated Care Team for Tallaght Hospital in association with Community Healthcare Organisation 7 was established in October 2016. It became fully operational in January 2017 when a full compliment of six whole time equivalents were recruited, comprising of a full time Consultant Geriatrician, a Case Manager, a Social Worker, a Physiotherapist, a Occupational Therapist and an Administrator.
The team targets older persons with complex care needs in the community, typically frail older adults, receiving an average of 24 referrals per month and is carrying a caseload of about 320 clients at any one time. The majority of interventions take place in a client's home with the remainder in outpatient settings. Located in the Primary Care Centre, Tallaght Cross and funded through CHO 7, the team has established linkages with other community services, statutory and voluntary, in addressing its core function of keeping older people living at home.
Hospital Facilities
Ceisteanna (768)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:768. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the development of a frailty intervention therapy team and additional telemetry units in St. James’s Hospital emergency department. [54827/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly.
Hospital Facilities
Ceisteanna (769)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:769. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the commissioning of an MRI unit at Tullamore hospital. [54828/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly.
Hospital Facilities
Ceisteanna (770, 771)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:770. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of additional staff recruited for the phased increase in radiation oncology services at St. Luke's Hospital, Rathgar. [54829/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraBilly Kelleher
Ceist:771. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the status of the commissioning of new linear accelerators at St. Luke's Hospital, Rathgar, during 2017; and the number now in place. [54830/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 770 and 771 together.
Two new linear accelerators were installed in St. Luke’s Hospital in order to provide additional capacity to meet increasing demand. Clinical commissioning of these linear accelerators is now complete. There are now a total of four linear accelerators at St Luke’s Hospital and 14 linear accelerators in total in Dublin.
A total of 24.5 posts have been allocated relating to these new linear accelerators.
Hospital Facilities
Ceisteanna (772)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:772. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health his plans for the relocation of the Coombe maternity hospital to the St. James’s site; the progress made on this in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54831/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As announced in June 2015, the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital will in time relocate to the St James's campus, achieving tri-location of adult, paediatric and maternity services. The National Maternity Strategy, published in January 2016, reaffirms the commitment to the provision of tri-located maternity services on the campus; a site for the proposed maternity hospital is identified in the St James's campus Master Plan.
Of course the new children's hospital is currently under construction on that campus. The Deputy may however wish to note that construction of the new maternity hospital will not commence until after the new children's hospital is completed. I can confirm that the new children's hospital design has incorporated the required operational links with both the maternity and adult hospitals.
Hospital Services
Ceisteanna (773)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:773. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health his plans to increase access to the weight management programme and to bariatric surgery within the Ireland East hospital group during 2017; the number of persons who accessed the programmes during the year; and the equivalent figures for 2016. [54832/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly.
Hospital Facilities
Ceisteanna (774)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:774. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the status of the development of the 31-bed complex discharge facility in Beaumont hospital. [54833/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The HSE is awaiting the final transfer of the Rockfield facility, which is not currently owned by the HSE. The scope and cost of any development proposals will be reviewed once the transfer has been completed.
Hospital Facilities
Ceisteanna (775)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:775. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the status of the progression of the phase II capital development of 81 beds and five theatres in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. [54834/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As the HSE is responsible for the delivery of health care infrastructure projects, the Executive has been requested to reply directly to you in relation to the status of Phase 2 development at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.
Medical Research and Training
Ceisteanna (776)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:776. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if eight medical scientists were recruited by the RCSI group for the laboratory modernisation implementation of the MedLIS system. [54835/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
This is a service matter and I have asked the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy.
Hospital Facilities
Ceisteanna (777)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:777. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if will report on increased radiology capacity within the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, RCSI, hospital group; if there is a PET scanner now situated in Beaumont Hospital; and if there is a second CT scanner for Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and a MRI situated at Connolly Hospital. [54836/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
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.
Hospital Groups
Ceisteanna (778)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:778. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if implementation plans are in place for the emergency department review, the orthopaedic review, the haematology review and the histopathology review in the Saolta University Health Care Group. [54837/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
In response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
Hospital Facilities
Ceisteanna (779)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:779. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the progress made during 2017 on the replacement emergency department in Galway University Hospital. [54838/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
Hospital Facilities
Ceisteanna (780)
Billy Kelleher
Ceist:780. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the progress made during 2017 on the replacement of end-of-life catheterisation laboratories in Galway University Hospital and managed service for an additional catheterisation laboratory in Galway University Hospital and Sligo University Hospital. [54839/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
In response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.