Gerry Adams
Ceist:1400. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the protocol used to determine the response of ambulance units to emergency calls; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32782/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAmbulance Service Response Times
Ceisteanna (1400)
Freagraí scríofa
As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
Ambulance Service
Ceisteanna (1401)
Gerry Adams
Ceist:1401. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the protocols used by the NAS to prioritise emergency calls; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32783/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
Ambulance Service Data
Ceisteanna (1402)
Gerry Adams
Ceist:1402. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of ambulance vehicles available in the north east region by location in each of the past five years. [32784/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
Ambulance Service Data
Ceisteanna (1403)
Gerry Adams
Ceist:1403. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the age of each ambulance vehicle; and the number of kilometres on each vehicle. [32785/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
Ambulance Service Data
Ceisteanna (1404)
Gerry Adams
Ceist:1404. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the numbers of ambulance staff available in the north-east region by location and in each of the past five years [32786/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
Ambulance Service Response Times
Ceisteanna (1405)
Gerry Adams
Ceist:1405. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the HSE’s implementation of HIQA’s response time standards in respect of ambulance response times in the north east region. [32787/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
Ambulance Service
Ceisteanna (1406)
Gerry Adams
Ceist:1406. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied with the effectiveness of the classifying of 112/999 emergency calls by clinical status. [32788/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
Ambulance Service Response Times
Ceisteanna (1407)
Gerry Adams
Ceist:1407. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the time allocated for ambulance response times for clinical status 1 ECHO calls in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018; and the percentage of ambulances that achieved this goal. [32789/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
Ambulance Service Response Times
Ceisteanna (1408)
Gerry Adams
Ceist:1408. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the time allocated for ambulance response times for DELTA cases in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018; and the percentage of ambulances that achieved this goal. [32790/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
Services for People with Disabilities
Ceisteanna (1409)
Micheál Martin
Ceist:1409. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health the reason a specialist paediatric dietetic service is not in place in the north Kildare disability network team; the steps being taken to appoint a qualified professional to this position; the location this position is being advertised; the newspapers and so on the advertisements were placed in; the dates of same; and when the person will commence work. [32823/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The 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.
Services for People with Disabilities
Ceisteanna (1410)
Pat the Cope Gallagher
Ceist:1410. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Health the status of a centre (details supplied); the way in which it is planned to progress this project, which requires a new build in the short term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32824/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The 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 questions relate to service matters, I have arranged for the questions to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
Occupational Therapy Provision
Ceisteanna (1411)
James Lawless
Ceist:1411. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health if an occupational therapy assessment for a person (details supplied) will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32829/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
Cancer Screening Programmes
Ceisteanna (1412, 1413)
Louise O'Reilly
Ceist:1412. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the funding given to BreastCheck in 2017; and the estimated funding for 2018. [32835/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraLouise O'Reilly
Ceist:1413. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of increasing funding for BreastCheck by 10%. [32836/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1412 and 1413 together.
The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table.
|
Programme |
Cost 2017 - €m |
Est Cost 2018 - €m |
10% Increase on 2018 Projections - €m |
|
BreastCheck |
21.1 |
24.1 |
2.4 |
Cancer Screening Programmes
Ceisteanna (1414)
Louise O'Reilly
Ceist:1414. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the funding given to CervicalCheck in 2017; and the estimated funding for 2018, in tabular form. [32837/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Deputy's question relates to service delivery matters and accordingly I have asked the HSE to respond directly to her.
Cancer Screening Programmes
Ceisteanna (1415)
Louise O'Reilly
Ceist:1415. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of increasing funding for CervicalCheck by 10%. [32838/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Deputy's question relates to service delivery matters and accordingly I have asked the HSE to respond directly to her.
National Clinical Programme for Asthma
Ceisteanna (1416)
Michael Healy-Rae
Ceist:1416. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his plans regarding the National Clinical Programme for Asthma (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32840/18]
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.
Primary Care Services Provision
Ceisteanna (1417)
Michael Healy-Rae
Ceist:1417. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his plans with regard to improving primary care for persons with asthma (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32841/18]
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.
Substance Misuse
Ceisteanna (1418)
Róisín Shortall
Ceist:1418. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health his views on the sharply increasing use of oxycontin; and the steps he is taking to prevent addiction to this and other painkillers [32842/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
My Department is aware of recent reports on trends indicating the increased prescribing of certain drugs.
In Ireland the Medical Council is the statutory body for the registration and regulation of doctors engaged in medical practice. The Council has set out specific requirements for doctors regarding prescribing of drugs at section 42 of its Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners (2016). While the Guide is not a legal code, it sets out the principles of professional practice and conduct that all doctors registered with the Medical Council are expected to follow. The Guide advises that doctors must be aware of the dangers of drug dependency when prescribing benzodiazepines, opiates such as oxycontin, and other drugs with addictive potential.
The HSE’s multi-disciplinary Medicines Management Programme (MMP) works with the National Medicines Information Centre (NMIC) and the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE), in collaboration with the HSE-Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS), to provide sustained national leadership relating to issues such as the quality of the medicines management process, access to medicines and overall expenditure on medicines. It aims to promote safe, effective and cost effective prescribing.
The MMP work plan includes monitoring the utilisation of all medicines with a high prescribing frequency and/or high expenditure based on data from the PCRS.
Additionally, in October 2017 the Medical Council of Ireland and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland launched joint guidance on the Safe Prescribing and Dispensing of Controlled Drugs aimed at registered medical practitioner and pharmacists.
Hospital Appointments Status
Ceisteanna (1419)
Michael Healy-Rae
Ceist:1419. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32845/18]
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, 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.