Written Answers Nos. 1360-1379
1360. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the percentage of adult mental health services whole-time equivalent posts filled in contrast to the number set out in A Vision for Change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32551/18]
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.
1361. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the percentage of mental health and intellectual disability whole-time equivalent posts filled in contrast to the number set out in A Vision for Change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32552/18]
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.
1362. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the percentage of elderly mental health services whole-time equivalent posts filled in contrast to the number set out in A Vision for Change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32553/18]
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.
1363. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting a primary care psychology appointment; the number of these persons waiting more than one year and more than 18 months in each community healthcare organisation, CHO, area in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32554/18]
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.
1364. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the HSE spend on mental health agency staff in each of the years 2011 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32555/18]
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.
1365. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of children who are receiving treatment in adult psychiatric wards; the number who received treatment in these wards in each of the years 2011 to 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32556/18]
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.
1366. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Health the reason planning permission was sought for parking facilities for a facility (details supplied) and not utilised. [32563/18]
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.
1367. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the Ombudsman for Children's report, Take my Hand; his views on whether the chronic shortage of psychiatrists is the most critical factor in poor service for children requiring mental health services; and the way in which he is addressing the shortfalls in service provision. [32564/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI recently received a copy of the Ombudsman for Children report "Take my Hand - Young People's Experiences of Mental Health Services". This is a valuable contribution to the future development of mental health policies and service overall for young people.
The development of all aspects of mental health services for young people, as reflected in the agreed HSE Service Plan 2018, remains a priority for Government. Services have benefited from the significant additional investment for mental health over recent years, which has resulted in an overall provision of around €910 million in the current year.
There are currently 69 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) teams, 4 CAMHS acute units and three Paediatric Liaison Teams. Approximately 18,800 children are expected to be referred to the CAMHS service this year, with around 14,400 to be seen by CAMHS professionals.
There are acknowledged difficulties in recruiting and retaining specialist CAMHS staff, particularly Consultant Psychiatrists. Intensive recruitment efforts are ongoing but there is currently a serious shortage of suitably qualified CAMHS Consultants at both national and European level. Steady progress is being made by the HSE in filling approved posts for mental health. Despite increasing demands on CAMHS overall, the HSE Service Plan 2018 has a target of 72% for referrals offered or first appointment and to be seen within twelve weeks. Individual cases professionally assessed as urgent receive priority access to services.
The HSE Service Plan aims to reduce waiting lists and to increase the number of CAMHS referrals to be seen this year by 27%, compared to 2017 (i.e. over 3,000 additional service users year on year). Improvements are also planned for Out-of-Hours liaison, seven-day response services, and progressing the CAMHS Day Hospital service nationally.
Counselling services at Primary Care level has been improved by the recent approval by Government to appoint 114 Assistant Psychologists and 20 Psychologists to assist young people. More recently, I have given approval to the HSE to put in place an additional 10 Advanced Nurse Practitioners specifically for the CAMHS services. These will be directed to areas of greatest service need nationally.
I am progressing also as a matter of priority with the HSE new initiatives to provide advice and counselling remotely via Tele-Psychiatry, or similar initiatives to improve access to the most appropriate supports to young people experiencing mental health difficulties.
The Deputy can rest assured that, in common with previous reports published by the Ombudsman for Children, the Department of Health and the HSE will give full consideration to this report in the context of improving mental health services overall for young people.
1368. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the status of a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied); if there is a timeframe for pre-assessment; the position of the person on the list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32577/18]
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, since 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.
1369. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the reason community healthcare organisation, CHO, 9 covering Dublin north city and county has no funding for home care packages resulting in the unavailability of a package for a person (details supplied) for at least nine months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32580/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs these are service matters I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
1370. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the average ambulance response times; the target ambulance response times over the past 12 months by county in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32581/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
1371. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will have eye surgery scheduled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32588/18]
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, since 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.
1372. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the timeframe a person (details supplied) has to wait to see a consultant in rheumatoid arthritis at Navan Hospital. [32590/18]
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, since 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.
1373. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health when HSE west will replace the staff positions (details supplied) left vacant in Galway University Hospital and which have not been replaced to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32591/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
1374. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 339 of 26 June 2018, if there is a written record in all 45 cases of persons colonised or infected with carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, CPE, in Tallaght Hospital in 2018 of their having been informed of this fact. [32593/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra1375. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 339 of 26 June 2018, the number of persons colonised or infected with CPE in Tallaght Hospital in 2018 who have died as a result of acquiring same. [32594/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1374 and 1375 together.
As these are service matters, the PQs 32593/18 and 32594/18 are being referred to the HSE for attention and direct response to the Deputy.
1376. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Health the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for home help hours at weekends. [32598/18]
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.
1377. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if his Department has contracted the legal services of a company (details supplied) at any point over each of the past six years; if so, the costs involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32643/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has not contracted the legal services of the company referred to by the Deputy at any point during the past six years.
1378. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health if an application by a respite facility (details supplied) to extend from a five-day facility to a seven-day facility to provide residential care to include weekends will be sanctioned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32650/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 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.
1379. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of children awaiting early intervention in County Cork; the length of time they are awaiting assessments of need; and the age of the children involved in tabular form. [32665/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
