Written Answers Nos. 351-365
351. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Health if the ketogenic diet will be available from Cork University Hospital to persons who could benefit from it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20046/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
353. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the budget available to the HSE Cork South Lee for mental health services in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20071/18]
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.
354. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied there is proper democratic accountability in respect of governance and budgetary oversight of all hospitals within the South-South West hospital group. [20072/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE’s Performance and Accountability Framework (PAF) makes explicit the responsibilities of health service managers in relation to the four domains of performance, which are: Access to and Integration of services, the Quality and Safety of those services, specific Financial, Governance and Compliance requirements and effectively harnessing the efforts of the Workforce. The emphasis of the Framework is on recognising good performance, improving performance at all levels of the health service and ensuring that individual managers are held to account for their performance.
The Framework ensures that named senior health service managers designated as Accountable Officers, including all Hospital Group CEOs, are explicitly and personally accountable for performing within their budget allocation. The sole line of executive accountability for the Hospital Group CEO is to the National Director for Acute Hospital Services.
Accountable Officers are provided with a budget to deliver the services set out in the National Service Plan and in their service level operational plans. They are accountable for their performance in delivering against these plans within budget, and for any specified performance improvements. Accountable Officers are responsible for preparing a financial plan in line with their Performance Agreement which sets out the actions that they will take to meet the agreed performance targets across the four domains of performance outlined above.
It is a core responsibility of managers to manage the delivery of services for which they are accountable and they are required to keep performance under constant review, have in place a monthly performance management process and take timely corrective actions to address any underperformance emerging. Under the PAF, Hospital Group CEOs are expected to have formal monthly performance management processes in place with their direct reports who are accountable at hospital level, to satisfy accountability requirements under the PAF. This includes the Voluntary Hospitals within their Group (this responsibility exercised via the Service Level Arrangement (SLA) signed by the Group CEO with each Voluntary Hospital).
In relation to the governance and budgetary oversight of hospitals within the South/South West Hospital Group specifically, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
355. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health when an application on behalf of a child (details supplied) in County Cork for an item of equipment was received by the HSE; when the equipment will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20114/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
356. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the policy of the HSE in respect of non-disclosure and confidentiality clauses being included in circumstances in which settlements are reached in or out of court by the HSE and a person taking a case against the HSE in the broad area of medical negligence or a failure of a duty of care; the number of such non-disclosure and confidentiality clauses that have been entered into by the HSE or representatives on its behalf in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20119/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe management of clinical indemnity claims relating to the HSE has been delegated to the State Claims Agency under section 9 of the National Treasury Management (Amendment) Act 2000.
The State Claims Agency has advised my officials that it settles very few claims which are subject to a confidentiality agreement with the exception of cases settled through mediation. It has noted that part of the process of mediation is that parties are bound by a strict confidentiality provision contained in the mediation agreement. In the very rare case that the Agency agrees a confidentiality proviso, it is usually because of some extremely sensitive, controversial or disputed element of a claim which may be requested by either party.
The Agency has further advised that it does not formally record, on its IT system, the fact that any individual settlement is bound by a confidentiality clause. Therefore, this information is not readily available.
357. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Health if the National Screening Service will implement the recommendations of the HIQA review of information management practices at BreastCheck; the timeframe for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20120/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraHIQA published its Review of Information Management Practices at BreastCheck on 8 March 2018 and the National Screening Service has already commenced work on the implementation of the majority of the recommendations. Full implementation is envisaged but this will take some time to achieve.
358. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Health the amount earned from the car park of Tallaght hospital in 2017; and the amount for 2016. [20149/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
359. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Health the HSE car park income for 2017 for each hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20150/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn March, I requested that the HSE carry out a review of hospital car parking charges, with the aim of establishing clear national guidelines in this area. The review will involve the relevant stakeholders and will take account of the income generated by charges, the impact of any reduction in car parking income on hospital services and the views of patient advocacy groups. The HSE expects that the review will be completed by mid 2018.
In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to her directly as soon as possible.
360. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 466 of 27 February 2018, if the two paediatric outpatient and urgent care centres in Connolly and Tallaght hospitals are still on schedule to open in mid-July 2018 and 2019. [20151/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI would like to refer to the Deputy's previous Parliamentary Question No. 466 of 27 February 2018. Unfortunately, due to an administrative error, incorrect dates for the opening of the two paediatric outpatient and urgent care centres were provided to the Deputy in that reply. My Department is arranging for the Dáil record to be corrected and I apologise for this error.
The Paediatric Outpatients & Urgent Care Centres at Connolly Hospital and Tallaght Hospital are on schedule to open in mid 2019 and 2020 respectively, in advance of the planned opening in late 2022 of the main hospital on the St James's Hospital campus.
The Children's Hospital Group has commenced the process for recruitment of the consultant posts to support the opening of the centres at Connolly and Tallaght Hospitals.
361. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in CHO area 9 who received an electric powered wheelchair in each of the years 2015 to 2017, inclusive, and to date in 2018; the average waiting time to receive such a wheelchair in those years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20153/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
362. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health his plans to increase home care services in County Wexford in circumstances in which families are struggling to provide vital care necessary for their family members' health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20156/18]
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.
363. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of children on CAMHS waiting lists by age and gender in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20157/18]
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.
364. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of children on primary care psychology waiting lists by age and gender in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20158/18]
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.
365. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Health the amount paid to a company (details supplied) in each of the years since 2008 to analyse smear tests; the number of smear tests it analysed in each year; and if he will provide the same information in respect of clinical pathology laboratories and other laboratories here or overseas for the years in which they had a contract to analyse smear tests. [20165/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am establishing a Scoping Inquiry in relation to issues that have arisen at CervicalCheck.
A range of issues in relation to cytology laboratory services contracted by CervicalCheck will be examined under the terms of reference of that Inquiry.
