Written Answers Nos. 346-364
346. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health the staffing levels by profession in child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018, by CHO area, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22067/18]
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.
347. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health the number of persons under 18 years of age who were admitted to adult mental health units in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22068/18]
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.
348. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health the publication date of the review of the Jigsaw youth mental health service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22069/18]
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.
349. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health his policy and plans for the expansion of the Jigsaw youth mental health service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22070/18]
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.
350. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, budget by CHO area as a percentage of recommended A Vision for Change levels in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22071/18]
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.
351. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health the status of the implementation of the youth mental health task force recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22072/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Youth Mental Health Task Force was established in response to an undertaking in the Programme for Partnership Government. It was asked to produce a series of action-focused recommendations. The Taskforce report was published in December. The report made recommendations on 10 different themed areas. It also identified lead agencies associated with each recommendation that would be tasked with developing and/or implementing these as appropriate.
Since publication of the Taskforce report, a number of the recommendations have been incorporated into the service plans of lead agencies for 2018. The implementation of these recommendations will be achieved on an on-going basis over the course of this year. A small number of recommendations require evaluation and it is anticipated that all recommendations will be implemented within a three years following publication of the Youth Mental Health Task Force report. Related to this, approval is currently being sought from DPER to establish a new inter-departmental team called Pathfinder. Part of the remit of the Pathfinder team will be the continued prioritisation and implementation of outstanding Taskforce recommendations. It is hoped that the Pathfinder team will be established in 2018.
In addition, I have specifically set as a priority the development of a mental health telephone line, signposting tool and digital on-line supports for those accessing information about mental health. These priorities relate to actions two and three of the YMH Task Force. A final date for roll-out of this service is yet to be determined, but significant work is on-going.
352. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health the staffing levels in child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, as a percentage of recommended A Vision for Change levels in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018, by CHO area, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22073/18]
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.
353. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied) will be expedited. [22085/18]
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.
354. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied) will be scheduled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22087/18]
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.
355. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Health when the final report into the review of scans at University Hospital Kerry will be released; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22093/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have been advised that the final Report into University Hospital Kerry's Radiology Department review of radiology scans is being prepared. The Quality Assurance process is complete and I have been advised that all patients and their families have been supported.
I hope that the publication of the final Report will inform both the patients and the healthcare system on the lessons for improving radiology services so that future users will experience better, safer care.
356. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if a policy consideration has been given to the way in which the removal of the constitutional right to life might impact women who may wish to take legal proceedings in the event of medical negligence during pregnancy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22097/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI assume the Deputy is referring to the proposed amendment to the Constitution put forward in the Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2018.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government has made a Polling Day Order for a referendum to be held on Friday, 25 May 2018.
On Polling Day, the people will be asked to vote on whether they agree or disagree with the proposal to delete Article 40.3.3 in its entirety, and to substitute an article in the Constitution, the object and effect of which would be to articulate clearly the principle that laws may be enacted by the Oireachtas to provide for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.
357. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will address concerns that the reputation of the maternal healthcare system here is being undermined and damaged by claims it is dangerous to the health of its service users; his views on whether Ireland has a world class maternal healthcare system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22098/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is not clear which claims the Deputy is referring to. However, I welcome the opportunity to outline my views on maternity care in Ireland. While our maternity services compare very well with those in other countries in terms of safety and individual outcomes, it would be remiss of us not to strive to improve those services. In that regard, I am pleased to confirm the Government's commitment to the progressive development of our maternity services.
Ireland's first National Maternity Strategy was published in 2016 and its phased implementation is being led by the National Women and Infants' Health Programme (NWIHP). The Strategy aims to ensure that appropriate care pathways are in place in order that mothers, babies and families get the right care, at the right time, by the right team and in the right place. Similarly, it recognises that, while all pregnant women need a certain level of support, some will require more specialised care. The Strategy aims to increase choice for women whilst ensuring that services are safe. Accordingly, an integrated model is proposed that delivers care at the lowest level of complexity and encompasses all the necessary safety nets in line with patient safety principles.
With the €4.15m allocated to the Strategy this year, the NWIHP has prioritised; improving quality and safety, establishing community midwifery teams and increasing access to anomaly scans. This follows previous investment of €3m development funding provided for maternity services in 2016 and increased funding of €6.8m provided in 2017. That money was allocated in line with the Strategy and included funding for additional staff, including 100 midwives, the development of specialist bereavement teams and for the implementation of the Maternal and Newborn Clinical Management System. Such developments have, and will, deliver tangible benefits for the 80,000 families who access maternity care each year.
358. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of an operation for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22107/18]
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.
359. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the process in place in his Department to ensure that significant policy issues of public interest are escalated to the level of his office in view of the fact that three separate memos in March and July 2016 concerning the cervical cancer screening programme were not brought to his attention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22108/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2016, the Department of Health was advised by the HSE of plans to disclose retrospective clinical audit to patients and of the potential for future adverse publicity in this regard. The Department viewed the introduction of open disclosure of clinical audit as a positive development and did not consider it to be necessary to escalate it to the Minister.
Had the subsequent widespread non-disclosure been escalated by CervicalCheck within the HSE and raised with the Department, this would have triggered a major concern and a much different attitude. However, based upon the information it had at the time, my Department viewed the initiative taken to communicate audit findings to women in a positive light.
In April 2018, as soon as the Department became aware that there was an issue with disclosure of those audit findings, they immediately escalated the issue and worked with the HSE to put in place a serious incident management team.
360. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if the case of a person (details supplied) will be reviewed; and if an appointment will be expedited. [22111/18]
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.
361. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health the organisations and service provider representatives to the health sector or contracted directly or indirectly by the HSE that were met by Ministers for briefings on their roles, activities and progress reports service plans in an official capacity in each of the years 2013 to 2017 and to date in 2018. [22120/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand officials from my Department have been in touch to clarify the scope of the question. I will revert to the Deputy as soon as possible upon receipt of a revised request.
362. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 299 of 8 May 2018, the whole-time equivalent perinatal psychiatric posts located in each hub here in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22121/18]
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 Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the number of patients on the waiting list for juvenile arthritis treatment in Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin; and the waiting times for same. [22123/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is provided in the following tables.
OLCHC Paediatric Rheumatology IPDC, W/E 27th April 2018
|
0-3 Mths |
3-6 Mths |
6-8 Mths |
8-12 Mths |
12-15 Mths |
15-18 Mths |
18-24 Mths |
Grand Total |
|
32 |
21 |
13 |
30 |
17 |
6 |
1 |
120 |
OLCHC Paediatric Rheumatology Outpatient, W/E 27th April 2018
|
Crumlin |
0-3 Mths |
3-6 Mths |
6-9 Mths |
9-12 Mths |
12-15 Mths |
15-18 Mths |
18-21 Mths |
21-24 Mths |
24-36 Mths |
36-48 |
48+ |
Grand Total |
|
146 |
87 |
59 |
101 |
59 |
69 |
59 |
65 |
205 |
124 |
2 |
976 |
364. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the World Health Organization, WHO, recommendation for paediatric rheumatologists for a population the size of Ireland is six; the ratio of patients to paediatric rheumatologists; and his plans to recruit additional doctors. [22124/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am aware that there are challenges in meeting the growing demand for rheumatology services, and that the Health Service Executive is working towards improving access to such services.
In relation to rheumatology service provision, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly as soon as possible.
