Robert Troy
Ceist:349. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if an appointment for surgery for a person (details supplied) will be expedited. [2440/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraHospital Appointments Administration
Ceisteanna (349)
Freagraí 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.
Hospital Appointments Administration
Ceisteanna (350)
James Lawless
Ceist:350. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health the surgery date for a person (details supplied); if the surgery will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2443/19]
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.
Emergency Departments Data
Ceisteanna (351)
Louise O'Reilly
Ceist:351. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of times a full capacity protocol was invoked in each of the years 2011 to 2018, by hospital in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2444/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The HSE National Escalation Framework consists of a tiered and incremental suite of actions to be adapted and implemented in hospitals with an ED during times when such hospitals are challenged in matching capacity and demand for acute inpatient care.
The full capacity protocol is the last escalation step in the HSE National Escalation Framework and is activated to alleviate pressure on the Emergency Department.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
Emergency Departments Data
Ceisteanna (352)
Louise O'Reilly
Ceist:352. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the emergency department waiting times greater than 24 hours for persons over 75 years of age in 2018; if the targets were met; if not, the number of persons over 75 years of age who have had a wait of more than 24 hours in an emergency department in 2018, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2445/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I acknowledge the distress overcrowded EDs cause to patients, their families, and frontline staff working in very challenging working conditions in hospitals throughout the country. Hospitals are increasingly operating at or above capacity, with year-round demand pressures that are further challenged over the winter months.
We are in a very busy period for our health services, with many sites reporting significant numbers of patient attendances. Hospitals are also reporting a significant increase in the numbers of patients presenting with respiratory and flu-like illness.
Key actions are underway as part of the Winter Plan to support hospitals during this period of peak demand. These include the opening of additional beds, the use of private hospital capacity, frailty intervention teams in EDs, additional homecare packages and transitional care beds, and additional diagnostics in hospitals and for GPs.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
Health Services Data
Ceisteanna (353)
Louise O'Reilly
Ceist:353. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the amount spent by the HSE on taxis in each of the years 2011 to 2018, in tabular form; and the reason for using taxis, for example, patient transfer, transfer of paper files between hospitals and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2446/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
Ambulance Service Data
Ceisteanna (354)
Louise O'Reilly
Ceist:354. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the amount spent on private ambulances by each hospital in each of the years 2011 to 2018, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2447/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
Ambulance Service Data
Ceisteanna (355)
Louise O'Reilly
Ceist:355. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of times an on duty private ambulance has been involved in an accident while on duty in each of the years 2011 to 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2448/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
Ambulance Service Data
Ceisteanna (356)
Louise O'Reilly
Ceist:356. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of times an on duty ambulance, rapid response vehicle or intermediate care vehicle has been involved in an accident while on duty in each of the years 2011 to 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2449/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.
Consultancy Contracts Expenditure
Ceisteanna (357)
Louise O'Reilly
Ceist:357. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the amount spent by the HSE and his Department on external consultancies in each of the years 2011 to 2018, in tabular form; the name of the company; the service provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2451/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Department's total expenditure on external consultants for the years requested since 2011 is as set out at the following link:
It is the policy in my Department only to engage the services of external consultants where highly specialised skills are not available within the Department and, in particular, when such an approach is felt to be more appropriate and cost-effective.
The tables outline the total amount spent on external consultants from 2011 to 2018. While some contracts are negotiated on the basis of a daily and hourly rate, others are paid a fee on the basis of reaching a number of milestones during the process and in some case producing a report.
I have asked the HSE to issue a separate reply.
Health Services Data
Ceisteanna (358)
Louise O'Reilly
Ceist:358. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of times surgeries have been cancelled in each of the years 2011 to 2018, in tabular form; the reason for the cancellation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2452/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
Medical Card Eligibility
Ceisteanna (359)
Charlie McConalogue
Ceist:359. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) who would be eligible for a medical card under EU regulations as a cross border worker has to have their application assessed under a household means test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2453/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Under EU Regulation 883/2004, a frontier/cross border worker working and paying social insurance in another EU/EEA country, who meets the criteria, is eligible for a medical card if they are ordinarily resident in Ireland. If the frontier worker is applying for a medical card in their own right a means assessment is not required. However if the frontier worker's spouse is employed or self employed in Ireland, they and their dependants come under Irish legislation, i.e. they are subject to a means test where both their income and the income of the frontier worker is assessed.
As the question in relation to the specific medical card application form is a service matter, I have also asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
Question No. 360 answered with Question No. 299.
HSE Agency Staff Expenditure
Ceisteanna (361)
Louise O'Reilly
Ceist:361. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the spend on agency staff in the health service in each of the years 2010 to 2018, by occupation, hospital and community healthcare organisation in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2457/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly on this matter.
Hospital Beds Data
Ceisteanna (362)
Stephen Donnelly
Ceist:362. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the investment in bed capacity in the short, medium and long-term as outlined in the Sláintecare report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2458/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Hospitals are increasingly operating at or above capacity, with year-round demand pressures that are further challenged over the winter months. It is against this background that the Health Service Capacity Review 2018 recommended an increase in acute hospitals beds of over 2,600 by 2031 to support the projected increase in demand for services in the years ahead.
The National Development Plan (NDP), published last year as part of the Project Ireland 2040 policy initiative, provides €10.9 billion to invest in infrastructure, equipment and additional service capacity for the public health sector over the next 10 years in line with the implementation of Sláintecare.
Health capital investments over the coming decade will support existing Government priority projects and commitments, facilitate the shift to new models of care and enable the roll-out of new additional capacity, guided by the implementation of Sláintecare.
The developments that this capital investment will enable include:
- 2,600 additional acute hospital beds;
- 4,500 additional long and short-term beds;
- Elective only hospitals in Cork, Dublin and Galway;
- significant investment in modern e-health and ICT infrastructure;
- Additional Primary Care facilities with greater access to diagnostics;
- Additional facilities for mental health services and for people with disabilities.
Health capital projects and programmes currently underway will continue and these major priority projects will require the bulk of the notified capital allocation over the initial period of the Plan to 2022.
Increasing capacity is a priority for the Government in line with the recommendations of the Health Service Capacity Review. In this context, an additional 240 beds have been opened over the past 12 months and the HSE's National Service Plan provides for a comprehensive capacity programme for 2019. The main elements of the this programme include:
- the opening of 78 new beds by the end of the first quarter of 2019;
- the opening of an additional 75 acute beds and 70 community beds during 2019, as part of the Winter Plan;
- preparation of 202 beds this year, to be operational in the first quarter of 2020.
It is important to recognise that the NDP and implementing Sláintecare are long-term plans. Many capital proposals are at an early stage and, as with all capital development proposals, will require further appraisal, planning, design and tender before a firm timeline or funding required can be established.
The Health Service Executive is currently developing its Capital Plan for 2019. The requirements for bed capacity and other health capital projects, currently at various stages of development, are being considered as part of this process.
Primary Care Centres Provision
Ceisteanna (363)
Gerry Adams
Ceist:363. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1819 of 24 July 2018, the location which is being developed in Dundalk as a primary care centre; when the conversion process will be completed; when the primary care centre will be operational; and the full range of services which will be delivered from this centre. [2460/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Medical Aids and Appliances Provision
Ceisteanna (364)
Marc MacSharry
Ceist:364. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Health if the case of a person (details supplied) in County Sligo will be examined; if additional staff will be assigned to the diabetic services in SUH in order that the person concerned and others in similar circumstances will receive the necessary training in order to access a device; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2463/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
Hospital Appointments Status
Ceisteanna (365)
Pearse Doherty
Ceist:365. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal can expect to receive a date for a procedure at Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2468/19]
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.
Hospital Overcrowding
Ceisteanna (366)
Alan Kelly
Ceist:366. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the number of operations cancelled in 2018 due to overcrowding by hospital. [2469/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
In relation to the number of operations cancelled in 2018 due to overcrowding by hospital , as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
Hospitals Data
Ceisteanna (367, 370, 371)
Alan Kelly
Ceist:367. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the number of operations cancelled due to staff shortages by hospital. [2470/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraAlan Kelly
Ceist:370. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the number of procedures cancelled due to unavailability of an ICU bed post-operatively by hospital. [2473/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraAlan Kelly
Ceist:371. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the number of procedures cancelled due to unavailability of high dependency beds post-operatively by hospital. [2474/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 367, 370 and 371 together.
In relation to the particular queries raised, as they concern service matters, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
National Treatment Purchase Fund Data
Ceisteanna (368)
Alan Kelly
Ceist:368. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the number of surgical procedures from public waiting lists undertaken in the private sector under the National Treatment Purchase Fund by hospital. [2471/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The 2019 Scheduled Care Access Plan is currently being finalised by my Department and will set out HSE activity levels to reduce waiting lists across specialties and improve access. The Access Plan will also set out activity levels for the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) who, following an increase in funding in Budget 2019 to €75 million, will supply additionality to HSE activity by arranging both insourced and outsourced appointments and treatments to reduce waiting times experienced by patients.
The Access Plan is being developed to ensure an appropriate balance between high volume activities and offering treatment to complex long waiting patients. The NTPF will do this by inviting public hospitals to seek solutions for very long waiters either in the private sector or through insourcing. The NTPF will provide funding to the solutions proposed if appropriate.
The NTPF advise that in 2018 they arranged 10,847 surgical procedures and 2637 GI scopes in private hospitals. In 2017 the NTPF arranged 3,636 surgical procedures and 864 GI scopes in private hospitals. Officials in my Department are further collating the information and I will provide the Deputy with a breakdown by hospital as soon as the information becomes available.