Written Answers Nos. 861-876
861. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health when Lisadell day services, Mullingar, County Westmeath will reopen for day care services for those that, due to profound disability, urgently require this reopening; the activities which may not return; if a reduced amount of attending hours is envisaged upon reopening; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14480/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of the overall effort to contain the spread of COVID-19 and in line with public health advice, day service locations have been closed since March. However priority service users have been identified in each CHO, and individualised supports continue to be provided to many people in alternative models particularly for these individuals with higher support needs, through alternative means such as via online support and/or regular telephone contact with families. Health and social care responses to the current public health emergency are under continuing review, including specific measures such as these to support vulnerable people.
The resumption of adult day services is currently being considered by my Department and the HSE as part of broader planning to prepare for the resumption of non-COVID-19 community and social care services in the current environment, and in line with public health guidance. My Department and the HSE has established a Joint Working Group to develop a plan for Community Capacity.
The HSE is finalising plans to re-establish vital non-COVID supports and services. This includes very careful and detailed work on the part of the disability sector with national guidance and will result in directing how all funded agencies can deliver services on a medium to long-term basis. A national group for the resumption of day services representative of service users and families, service providers and the HSE is working together to prepare for the resumption of day service supports in line with COVID-19 guidance. The Framework for the Resumption of Adult Disability Day Services and Action Plan for resumption of services have been completed. The national group are currently developing guidance to support the day service sector to reopen within the parameters of public health advice.
Community Healthcare Organisations are working with service providers to ascertain the current level of service provision and innovative practises that have developed over the last number of months. The collation and analysis of this data will provide a current national picture which will enable the resumption group to address the challenges of reopening day service locations.
The resumption group plan to have completed the above strands of work soon, following which a timeframe for the phased reopening of adult day services will be planned in cooperation with HSE disability services and service providers. In the meantime, service providers continue to contact day service users regarding their support needs and are providing those supports in different ways. Some supports continue to be provided in a number of ways, for example by telephone, online communication and responses to address emergency needs.
The HSE and disability service providers, where identified, will continue to communicate with school leavers and their families to plan and organise for a transition to day services in line with public health guidance.
The safety of service users and staff is of critical importance therefore the attendance at locations will be determined by public health guidance, which may result in some reduction of capacity.
An information leaflet for service users and their families was developed by the national group and distributed widely to all stakeholders on June 9th.
It is expected that a clearer picture will emerge shortly as to when day services are likely to be reinstated and how the service will be delivered taking account of Public Health Guidance and COVID-19 restrictions.
The Framework for Resumption of Adult Disability Day Services and the information leaflet “What’s Happening” is available on the New Directions website: www.hse.ie/newdirections
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.
862. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health when day care services will reopen; when each day care service in counties Longford and Westmeath will reopen; when restrictions will be implemented to ensure adherence to health; the activities which may not return; if a reduced amount of attending hours is envisaged upon reopening; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14483/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraCommunity services such as day care play an important role in enabling older people to continue living in their communities. My Department and the HSE are undertaking work to determine the current level of service delivery in the community and to set out plans, including associated required capacity, to resume services, including day services, in line with the Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business and the ‘Return to work safely’ protocol. This process will take on board the learning of the current period, including the possibility of delivering services in a new way, and the requirement to adhere to public health guidance. This means that services, whilst being delivered in new ways, will gradually be restored to older people. As the Deputy's question is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
863. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health if a project (details supplied) will be advanced to the next stage in view of the urgent need to provide much needed additional accommodation at this healthcare facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14495/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
864. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health if the district nurse service in Maynooth, County Kildare, will be returning to the Maynooth health centre in the Covid-19 reopening arrangements; his plans to upgrade the building in which the centre is housed to bring its infrastructural standards into line with the excellence of the medical service offered there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14507/20]
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.
865. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health if pulmonary rehabilitation will be widely and readily available for patients whose pulmonary health is affected by Covid-19; if there are the facilities, technology and personnel available to make this therapy and resource widely available to patients both in hospitals and the community setting in view of the high rate of respiratory disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14509/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the issue raised is a service delivery matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy.
866. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Health if he has considered issuing guidelines to nursing homes to ease visitor restrictions when there are no active cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14511/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn line with the Government's Roadmap for the re-opening of Society and Business, the National Public Health Emergency Team has agreed that a phased approach to the recommencement of visiting to long term residential centres would be appropriate at this time. The advice is that a co-ordinated and standard national approach to the recommencement of visiting is taken.
In light of the above , and on the basis that the COVID-19 disease status in the country remains in its current stable condition , the NPHET recommended that from 15th of June, the phased resumption of indoor visiting of residents in residential care facilities may commence in accordance with guidance issued by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre. The guidance which is published and available on the HSPC's website advises that indoor visiting in residential care facilities where there is no ongoing COVID-19 outbreak will be permissible from 15th of June in circumstances where certain criteria are followed. During an ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 within a residential care facility, the guidance advises that all but essential visiting is suspended in the interests of protecting residents, visitors and staff.
I am aware of how difficult the restrictions on visiting have been for both nursing home residents and their families. Therefore this phased approach is much welcomed as it will both facilitate visits to loved ones across the country , whilst also keeping some of our most vulnerable members of society protected during this challenging time.
867. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in respect of the promised roadmap for the reopening of non-Covid-19 health services in view of growing waiting lists for services; the number of occasions on which the board of the HSE considered this plan; and when he expects to publish it. [14512/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Covid-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented interruption to normal health services both in the community and acute hospitals. While many vital services were maintained or restructured to respond more appropriately to Covid-19 related risks and evolving needs, other services were suspended or delivered on a reduced basis.
To ensure services are re-introduced in a safe, clinically aligned and prioritised way, the HSE have published a Strategic Framework for ‘Service Continuity in a Covid Environment’. This document was published on June 8th and can be found at the following link https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/service-continuity-in-a-covid-environment-a-strategic-framework-for-delivery.pdf .
The implementation of the Framework will ensure service resumption is done in an integrated and phased manner. It will consolidate new ways of working and build on international knowledge.
While not all services can return to previous levels immediately, many health services have already resumed, particularly for priority cases. The HSE are currently developing a Service Continuity Roadmap for the resumption of services across the health system.
I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to the further details sought on the Plan.
868. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health when he expects to publish a green list of countries to and from which it is deemed safe to travel; the actions which will be taken in respect of countries deemed unsafe; and if these actions will require legislation. [14513/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraClose consideration is being given by Government to policy in relation to overseas travel, including to additional measures being put in place at airports and ports to strengthen existing arrangements.
The Government continues to review the methodology and approach to be used in connection with the instituting of reciprocal unimpeded travel arrangements with countries of a broadly similar or better epidemiological profile than our own, and an announcement will be made in due course when this work is complete.
869. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to give effect to his agreement in Dáil Éireann on 30 June 2020 that all data held by his Department in respect of Covid-19 should be open source; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14514/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) met for the first time, a commitment was given to collect and publish as much relevant data as possible while ensuring individual patient confidentiality was maintained at all times. While the nature and scale of the Covid-19 pandemic has been unprecedented, the collection of timely and comprehensive data has underpinned the efforts of the public health response to COVID-19 and has been instrumental in developing the health service response to Covid-19 and to the advice provided by NPHET and the Department of Health to assist Government decision-making in the wider response to Covid-19 in Ireland.
Aggregated data are published on an ongoing basis on my Department’s website, on the Health Protection Surveillance Centre website and on the HSE website. The Central Statistics office (CSO) also makes available a range of data through regular publications on its COVID -19 Information hub, detailing the changing state of aspects of Ireland's economy and society since the COVID-19 outbreak. The CSO has also provided the infrastructure for researcher access to data to allow further analysis through the provision of researcher Microdata files.
Furthermore, comprehensive national statistics, information and data about COVID-19 in Ireland is published on a daily basis on the Covid-19 Data Hub and Dashboards which can be accessed at http://www.gov.ie/covid19dashboard/. Data is also published on the open data portal at https://data.gov.ie/. This provides data in a machine readable format, updated on a daily basis and follows the Government guidelines on making data more widely available in open free and reusable formats.
It should be noted that due to the nature of the disease transmission and the clustered effects of the disease, many of the cases occur in relatively small communities where identification of individual patients could be an issue if appropriate measures are not taken to protect individual identities and their locations. The data published to date has been aggregated with this consideration in mind while also ensuring that data is made available in a timely and comprehensive manner to inform the Department and wider Government response but also to ensure the public are kept informed to the greatest extent possible.
There is also ongoing collaboration between my Department, the HPSC, HSE, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, the CSO, Ordnance Survey Ireland and many other institutions and agencies to improve the data collected and the availability of it on an ongoing basis. I would like to assure the Deputy of my Department's ongoing commitment to publish as much Covid-19 data on an ongoing basis as is practicable, relevant and appropriate.
870. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health when this Deputy will receive a response to correspondence (details supplied). [14515/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI would like to thank the Deputy for her correspondence and can confirm a reply has issued.
I would like to reassure the Deputy that the Department made immediate contact with the HSE on the matter raised and also have brought it to the attention of the Chief Inspector, HIQA.
I fully agree with the Deputy that communication with residents and family members is of the utmost important and I understand that the HSE has stressed to the nursing home operator the importance of them keeping residents and families up to date in relation to the situation within the nursing home.
Senior officials from my Department are engaging with the HSE on an ongoing basis in relation to the COVID-19 response in respect of nursing homes.
872. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the details of the recommendations regarding incoming and outgoing foreign travel in the context of Covid-19; the details of testing and tracing regimes at airports for those coming into the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14558/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government position is clear: avoid non-essential travel overseas.
Passengers arriving to Ireland are legally required to complete a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form. The information provided on the form may be used to assist with contact tracing in the event that there is a suspected or confirmed case on board a flight or ferry.
Passengers arriving to Ireland from overseas are advised in the interest of public health to self-isolate for 14 days.
There is ongoing and close Government consideration to putting in place possible additional measures, including at points of entry into the country, in addition to the measures already in place.
873. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that nurses and midwives who were awarded a pay rise after the industrial action of spring 2019 are now in receipt of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14559/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter.
I am committed to the full implementation of the Nursing Agreement.
874. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the details of the agreement between his Department and a recruitment company (details supplied) and other recruitment agencies with regard to the Be On Call for Ireland initiative; the fee paid to the agency; the number of persons who were recruited; the nature of the contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14560/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraBe on Call for Ireland is a HSE initiative, and on that basis, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on the matter.
875. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the estimated full year cost of recruitment of 40 additional clinical midwife specialists in mental health. [14579/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter.
