Written Answers Nos. 118-142
118. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health if the HSE has a plan in place to replace the position of a medical officer at a hospital (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45981/18]
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.
119. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of staff assigned to the child and adolescent mental health services at University Hospital Waterford in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018, inclusive; and the number of consultant posts by post, in tabular form. [45982/18]
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.
120. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of consultant posts in place at the child and adolescent mental health services at University Hospital Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45983/18]
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.
121. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the catchment area for child and adolescent mental health services at University Hospital Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45984/18]
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.
122. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his views on industrial action by psychiatric staff at University Hospital Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45985/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
123. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of radiographers in UHW 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. [45986/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly as soon as possible.
124. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the need for the HSE to provide additional funds for a section 39 organisation (details supplied) to meet its service requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45995/18]
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.
125. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that an organisation (details supplied) has recently decided to limit the working hours and duties of pharmaceutical assistants; if his attention has been further drawn to the concerns of pharmaceutical assistants; if permission will be refused for these changes having regard to the Pharmacy Act 2007; if he will consider changes to this legislation and other short-term solutions to the problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46010/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Pharmacy Act 2007 established the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) and the functions of the Society are set out in the Act. The functions of the PSI are carried out on its behalf by the Council of the Society.
Section 30 of the Pharmacy Act 2007 provides for an exception to the general provision in the Act which requires the sale and supply of medicines at a pharmacy to be conducted under the personal supervision of a registered pharmacist, and specifies that no offence is committed where a registered pharmaceutical assistant “acts on behalf of a registered pharmacist during the temporary absence of the registered pharmacist”.
Section 30 also permits the Council to make rules as to:
1. What may or may not be done by a registered pharmaceutical assistant when acting on behalf of a registered pharmacist; and
2. What constitutes the temporary absence of a registered pharmacist.
On June 21 2018, the Council of the PSI approved for issuance for public consultation the proposed draft Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Temporary Absence of Pharmacist from Pharmacy) Rules 2018. This public consultation commenced on 17 July and ran until 14 August and afforded any interested party the opportunity to make representations on the matter directly to the PSI.
Following completion of the public consultation phase, the Council of the PSI considered the proposed draft Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Temporary Absence of Pharmacist from Pharmacy) Rules 2018 at its meeting on the 20 September 2018 where the Council approved the draft rules without amendment.
I understand that since that date the PSI has undertaken to redraft the Rules in relation to what may or not be done by a registered pharmaceutical assistant when acting on behalf of a registered pharmacist. The redrafted Rules will require approval of the Council of the PSI before a public consultation phase. Subsequent to any public consultation phase the draft Rules must again be approved by the Council before submission for my consent. This Council approval is not anticipated until early in the New Year.
Correspondence outlining the concerns of registered pharmaceutical assistants has been received by my Department. My role in relation to this process is limited to the consideration of any such Rules once submitted for my approval. I must consider any Rules presented to me from a fair and impartial perspective, without prejudice or prejudgement. This includes consideration of concerns raised by, or on behalf of, registered pharmaceutical assistants.
I await the receipt of the Rules for my consideration from the PSI and until that time, I am unfortunately not in a position to comment any further on the matter raised.
126. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of patients at University Hospital Waterford on hospital trolleys in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018, by month, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46013/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Health, I am committed to maintaining the focus on addressing overcrowding in our hospital emergency departments.
My Department is working with the HSE to ensure the most effective response to the winter challenges to unscheduled care provision and I expect to be in a position to outline the detail of the winter plans very shortly.
As part of Budget 2019, an additional €10m in funding is being provided in 2018 to enable the hospital system to get patients home or to an appropriate care setting, before the end of the year, with a focus on patients in the over 75 age group.
I have asked the HSE to ensure that specific attention is given in the National Service Plan 2019 to ensure that activity is planned so as to anticipate and manage critical demand pressures, most particularly, in respect of emergency pressures in the initial and latter parts of the year.
€10 million in funding is being made available in 2019 to increase acute bed capacity in line with the recommendations in the Health Service Capacity Review. My Department is currently in discussions with the HSE, in the context of the National Service Plan 2019, to identify the sites for investment and the associated number of beds, as part of an agreed capacity programme for 2019.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked to HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
127. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of patients on inpatient and outpatient waiting lists in each of the years 2014 to 2017 and to date in 2018, by speciality; the length of time they have been waiting in bands (details supplied) in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46014/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraWith regard to the matter raised, officials of my Department are collating the data requested and will provide it directly to the Deputy.
128. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his plans to reconfigure orthopaedic services at UHW; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46015/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly as soon as possible.
129. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding budgets for persons with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46023/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to draw the Deputy's attention to the report of the Task Force on Personalised Budgets, which I published on 17 July 2018. The report is available on the Department of Health website. The report sets out how personalised budgets could work as a funding mechanism for people with a disability, providing them with greater choice and control over the services and supports they receive.
Having reviewed the national and international research evidence and consulted with service users and their families, the report of the Task Force advocates three different models of how personalised budgets might be accessed by people with disabilities:
1. Person-managed fund, often referred to as Direct payments;
2. Co managed with the service provider;
3. Broker managed fund.
The rationale for several models is a recognition of the fact that no two people are the same and therefore, ‘one size does not fit all’. The Task Force recommended that the Department of Health and the HSE should establish demonstration projects to test the delivery of personalised budgets. These demonstration projects will test the three models with a view to identifying the best approach to the wider roll-out of these payment models following the initial demonstration phase.
The Department of Health, NDA and the HSE are in the process of designing the demonstration projects, and the Department’s website will be kept updated with information on the roll out of the demonstration projects as it becomes available.
130. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health if secondary legislation to underpin the access programme for medical cannabis products is being prepared; and if this will be finalised once cannabis-based products to be included in the legislation can be sourced. [46038/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraConsiderable progress is being made in relation to the Cannabis for Medical Use Access Programme.
An Expert Group has drawn up clinical guidance for healthcare professionals treating patients through the Access Programme. These guidelines are available on the Department’s website. The guidelines contain detailed information on medical cannabis, including clinical guidance on the use of medical cannabis and guidance on which cannabis products are appropriate for medical use.
Officials in my Department are working on secondary legislation in the form of three Statutory Instruments. This work will be finalised once cannabis-based products, to be included in the legislation, can be sourced.
Whilst medical cannabis products are not medicines, ensuring that such products meet appropriate quality standards when they are made available to the Irish market is a critical aspect of facilitating safe access to medical cannabis for Irish-based patients. Department of Health officials are working intensively on this issue to ensure a supply of appropriate medical cannabis products from other EU Member States and further afield to meet the needs of Irish patients. However, the Department of Health has no control in relation to business decisions taken by commercial product manufacturers and has no powers to compel such companies to supply their products to Irish market.
Until these products are available in Ireland, it will be a matter for the prescriber and their patient to source the prescribed medical cannabis-based product. It is understood that patients who have been prescribed such products under Ministerial Licence have sourced them from the following Pharmacy in the Netherlands: Transvaal Pharmacy, Kempstraat 113, 2572 GC The Hague. Tel: 070-3469314.
131. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health the position regarding liability implications for consultants in both public and private practice who prescribe medicinal cannabis; and his plans to change same. [46039/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder existing arrangements consultants in public hospitals are covered by the Clinical Indemnity Scheme (CIS) in respect of the prescription of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) based products for a patient under their care provided that the consultant is permitted to do so under a licence granted by the Minister for Health under the Misuse of Drugs Acts and where he/she has exhausted all other treatment options for that patient.
In relation to private consultants the CIS covers the excess over the indemnity ceilings (or Caps) set by the State for private indemnifiers of consultants working in private practice settings. Effectively, the private indemnifier’s liability in respect of any claim is capped at the relevant indemnity ceiling and the State assumes responsibility for any amount in excess of the cap. Consultants in private hospitals should check with their Medical Defence Organisations to establish that such organisations will cover them up to the Caps limit in cases where they are considering prescribing THC-based medicines for a patient, under licence from the Minister and where he/she has exhausted all other treatment options for that patient.
There are no plans to change these arrangements.
132. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health his plans for a property (details supplied) owned by the State that is no longer in use. [46044/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the management of its property, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
133. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the HSE national service plan 2018 which provided for 18.25 million home support hours to be delivered to over 50,000 persons; the reason persons may still be waiting six to eight months or more for home care packages for vulnerable relatives that wish to live independently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46053/18]
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.
134. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if the blind person's allowance will be restored in the case of a person (details supplied); the reason this payment was ceased in this case; the financial and other supports available to persons diagnosed with Wolfram syndrome; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46056/18]
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 a service issue, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
135. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons availing of private health insurance by age group (details supplied). [46058/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMembership of the private health insurance market as of 1 July 2018 by age group:
|
Age Group |
Number of insured persons |
|
Aged 17 and under |
488,387 |
|
Aged 18 to age 29 |
227,672 |
|
Aged 30 to age 39 |
286,593 |
|
Aged 40 to age 49 |
332,670 |
|
Aged 50 to age 54 |
148,849 |
|
Aged 55 to age 59 |
138,809 |
|
Aged 60 to age 64 |
126,855 |
|
Aged 65 to age 69 |
110,696 |
|
Aged 70 to age 74 |
91,782 |
|
Aged 75 to age 79 |
60,947 |
|
Aged 80 to age 84 |
38,760 |
|
Aged 85 and over |
25,964 |
|
Total |
2,077,984 |
136. 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. [46070/18]
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.
137. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 180 to 182, inclusive, of 3 October 2018, if clarification will be provided and the specific questions asked answered (details supplied). [46099/18]
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.
138. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if each hospital in the HSE keeps a disclosure register for doctors of all connections to interest groups and contract organisations, particularly in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries; if so, the details on the type and amount of remuneration received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46105/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhen the HSE was asked this question in 2017 it replied that it did not centrally hold such information. However, it cited the requirements under its Code of Standards and Behaviour, the Consultant Contract and the Ethics Acts as the bases under which individuals must refrain from any activity which causes a conflict of interest.
The requirements in the Code of Practice for Governance of State Bodies also apply to doctors and other senior officials working in the HSE and other public bodies.
The regulator of the medical profession in Ireland is the Medical Council. The Medical Council’s Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics also sets standards for the conduct for doctors regarding gifts or payments they receive from pharmaceutical or other commercial companies.
The Guide states that if doctors are paid, directly or indirectly, by pharmaceutical, medical device or other commercial companies or organisations to conduct medical research, they must make sure that the payment does not influence their study design or interpretation of research data. They must also address any potential conflict of interest and disclose the payment in any publication of research results. It also states that doctors should not accept gifts (including hospitality) from pharmaceutical, medical devices or other commercial enterprises. This does not prevent those doctors attending educational meetings or receiving payment of reasonable fees for professional services to commercial enterprises.
If they are involved in any way in promoting or endorsing specific healthcare products or services, they must declare any financial or commercial interest they have in the organisation or company providing the products or services.
Since the Deputy’s question relates to the HSE, I have referred it also to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
139. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health when a place will be made available in Kilkenny city in one of the community homes for a long-term client of an organisation (details supplied); if he or she will be accommodated at a facility; the reason the family has not received respite services for over 12 months; the Minister's plans to provide respite services in counties Kilkenny and Carlow for the future and in the short-term; his further plans to provide one-to-one services for clients such as persons who have medical, psychological and mobility problems and have been in care for most of their lives; his views on whether persons fitting this profile should be given priority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46110/18]
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 an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
140. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of additional staff, emergency ambulances, intermediate care ambulances and rapid response vehicles that are required for the National Ambulance Service to meet targets set by HIQA in its 2016 capacity review, in tabular form. [46119/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
141. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the regulations being put in place to alleviate the problem of sea lice (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46143/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe control protocols for the management of sea lice are operated by the Marine Institute on behalf of the State. All stocks of fish are inspected by Marine Institute Inspectors on 14 occasions throughout the year. As part of this control strategy farm operators are required to undertake treatments to control lice infestation levels once certain trigger levels are reached. In certain circumstances treatments alone may not be the most appropriate strategy and in a number of limited circumstances an accelerated harvest may be required.
These protocols are more advanced than those operated in other jurisdictions for the following reasons:
- The inspection regime is totally independent of the industry.
- Data obtained as a result of inspection is published and made widely available.
- Treatment trigger levels are set at a low level.
The sea lice monitoring and control programme in Ireland has been acknowledged by the Environment Directorate (DG Environment) of the EU Commission as representing international best practice.
142. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the location of all the Bord na Móna bogs that are due to close under its current plans. [45972/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraInformation regarding activity on specific bogs is an operational matter for Bord na Móna.
