Written Answers Nos. 537-553
537. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in his Department who work in the mental health section; the grades at which each person is employed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12344/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe staffing in Mental Health Unit in my Department is as follows:
Principal Officer x 1;
Assistant Principal Officer x 5;
Higher Executive Officer x 4;
Administrative Officer x 1; and
Executive Officer x 1.
538. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Health if a HSE tender for the supply of medicine for a specific therapy area will preclude the HSE from reimbursing newly launched medicines for that therapy throughout that tender period regardless of whether the new medicine is more cost effective and clinically effective than the existing treatment option; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12345/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra539. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Health if a HSE tender for the supply of a medicine for a specific therapy area will deny clinicians' autonomy of choice for their determination of the most appropriate licensed and reimbursed therapy option for their patient should that medicine not be the designated tender winner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12346/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra540. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Health if the HSE plans to issue tenders to pharmaceutical manufacturers for the supply of medicine for specific therapy areas in the coming months; if so, the therapy areas that will be tendered for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12347/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 538 to 540, inclusive, together.
Under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the pricing and reimbursement of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
541. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when an operation will be facilitated in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12350/18]
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 the Deputy directly.
542. 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. [12353/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
543. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if a reimbursement to be issued to a person (details supplied) will be arranged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12356/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraReducing waiting times for hospital procedures is a key priority of this Government. In Budget 2018 a total of €55m was allocated to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to improve access and reducing waiting time for inpatient and day-case procedures.
Waiting List Figures for the end of February, published by the NTPF on 14 March, show that 72% of Inpatient Day Case patients and 61% of outpatients are waiting 9 months or less.
At the end of February 2018, there were 79,039 patients in total waiting for an inpatient or day case procedure, this is a reduction of 1,165 patients waiting compared to the end of January 2018 and a reduction of 7,075 when compared to the numbers waiting at the end of July 2017.
This is against a background of increasing demands on our Acute Hospitals, which, since 2000 are carrying out four times more procedures for patients aged 65 and over and twice as many in the under 65 age group.
Treatments, such as the procedure referred to by the Deputy, are provided to patients in public hospitals and also through the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). There is no statutory scheme for the reimbursement, by the public health system, of the cost incurred by an individual for private healthcare carried out in Ireland.
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.
544. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the process used by his Department in the past of bringing different bodies under CORU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12361/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am aware of the public consultation process the Deputy refers to. At my request, the Department engaged in a formal consultation process in September 2016 in which interested persons and organisations were invited to formally submit their views on how the statutory regulation of the counsellors and psychotherapists should proceed. A total of 80 submissions were received by the closing date of 30 November 2016.
Having considered the submissions and taken into account the advice of the Health and Social Care Professionals Council, I decided for the purpose of regulation to proceed with the designation under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, of two distinct professions, counsellor and psychotherapist, each with its own register, under one registration board.
The draft Regulations to designate the professions of counsellor and psychotherapist under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 and to establish a registration board for the professions have, in accordance with the provisions of the Act, been laid before each House of the Oireachtas. Resolutions approving the drafts have been submitted to each House and these will be considered by both Houses next week. The Joint Committee on Health met on 7 March to discuss the resolutions; no objections to the proposed regulations were raised at that time.
Subject to the approval by the Houses of these regulations later this month, the next step will be the appointment of the 13 members of the registration board following the submission of suitable candidates for my consideration by the Public Appointments Service. I hope that the registration board will be in a position later this year to begin the task of drafting the various bye-laws to allow it to establish its registers.
The registration board will also be requested to advise the Council and the Minister, where appropriate under the provisions of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, on a range of issues pertaining to the regulation of the professions including minimum standards of education and training, titles to be protected and minimum grandfathering qualifications for existing practitioners.
545. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the way in which his Department will engage with the development of the action plan on Internet safety, particularly on the issue of advertising and marketing to children in the context of the voluntary codes of practice recently launched by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12364/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraSection 10 of the Codes of Practice concerned provide that the Codes will be monitored for compliance and effectiveness by a monitoring body designated by the Minister for Health; and that it will be free to decide on its operational methods. The engagement referred to by the Deputy will be considered as the monitoring body evolves, in the context of any overlap that may arise in its work with internet safety.
547. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health the number of dedicated beds for neurology here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12381/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
549. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the status of proposed amendments to the fair deal scheme in view of concerns among the farming and business communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12385/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhen the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS) commenced in 2009, a commitment was made that it would be reviewed after three years. The Report of the Review was published in July 2015. Arising out of the Review, a recommendation was made to examine the treatment of business and farm assets for the purposes of the financial assessment element of the Scheme. The programme for a Partnership Government has also committed to reviewing the NHSS to remove any discrimination against small businesses and family farms.
It is important to remember that the NHSS is largely underpinned by primary legislation and changes to the NHSS will require legislative implementation. My Department has been advancing work on this matter and having regard for this complex issue and for the sensitivities of the Scheme I requested legal advice from the office of the Attorney General regarding potential changes to the legislation that will address this matter.
The Department has received this advice and is exploring the legislative changes necessary and any potential impacts as a result of amending the scheme. A Memo for Government on this issue will be brought forward shortly and subject to Government approval and the drafting process, I then hope to bring forward these legislative proposals thereafter.
550. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the alternative speech and language services that will be made available for a child (details supplied) in County Donegal in view of ongoing service disruption locally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12388/18]
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.
551. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if an appointment for a person (details supplied) will be scheduled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12389/18]
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 the Deputy directly.
552. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if an appointment for a person (details supplied) will be expedited. [12393/18]
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 the Deputy directly.
553. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health the actions that have been taken on foot of the evaluation report of the minor ailment pilot scheme which was carried out for the HSE in 19 pharmacies in four rural towns (details supplied); his plans to publish the report; and his further plans carry out a pilot in city pharmacies [12398/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE has concluded its evaluation of the pilot of the pharmacy based Minor Ailment Scheme and has submitted the report to my Department for consideration.
