Seán Sherlock
Ceist:845. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the status of the needs of a person (details supplied). [24118/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraDisability Services Provision
Ceisteanna (845)
Freagraí scríofa
The Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, recognises the need to improve services for both children and adults with disabilities through better implementation and by working together across Government in a better way.
The Government commits to prioritising early diagnosis and access to services for children and ensuring that the most effective interventions are provided for each child, to guarantee the best outcomes.
As the Deputy's question relates to a number of service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly.
Covid-19 Tests
Ceisteanna (846)
David Cullinane
Ceist:846. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the details of the Covid-19 testing and tracing regime; the structures and leadership of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24122/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Covid-19 Tests
Ceisteanna (847)
David Cullinane
Ceist:847. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the staffing requirements for meeting 100,000 Covid-19 swabs and tests per week; the associated cost related to each staffing category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24123/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Covid-19 Tests
Ceisteanna (848)
David Cullinane
Ceist:848. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the staffing and laboratory requirements for conducting and evaluating 100,000 Covid-19 tests per week; the associated cost related to each staffing category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24124/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Covid-19 Tests
Ceisteanna (849)
David Cullinane
Ceist:849. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the staffing levels related to the Covid-19 testing and tracing regime; the number employed directly for this purpose; the number seconded; the areas from which they are seconded; the agency staff and associated costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24125/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Covid-19 Tests
Ceisteanna (850)
David Cullinane
Ceist:850. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the measures that will need to be taken to deliver 100,000 Covid-19 swabs and tests per week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24126/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
A comprehensive, reliable and responsive testing and tracing operation is central to our public health strategy for containing and slowing the spread of COVID-19. The HSE has worked intensively since the start of the pandemic to put this in place and I would again like to acknowledge the huge work undertaken in this regard across the HSE.
Capacity has been in place since early summer to test 15,000 people a day/100,000 people per week. Rigorous contact tracing, automatic testing of close contacts, serial testing in high risk environments and large-scale testing in outbreak situations means we are proactively finding more cases than we would have previously.
The testing and contact tracing operational and resource model has been designed to flex up and down as needed. In recent weeks we have needed to flex it up significantly as demand has increased. We are testing more people than ever before, with almost 70,000 tests completed in the week ending 7th September. The HSE has deployed additional resources to meet this level of demand, including the opening of additional community testing centres and mobile pop-up testing units, significantly increased contact tracing teams and increased laboratory testing.
Ireland is pursuing a robust testing strategy under the guidance of NPHET and NPHET will continue to consider and review, based on public health risk assessments, how best to target testing at populations where it’s most likely and where it will do most harm. This includes testing of close contacts, and serial testing in nursing homes and food processing facilities.
That is not to say that we can’t improve further. The HSE is now finalising a future service model for testing and tracing. This service model will aim to deliver a patient-centred, accessible, consistent and flexible service. This plan includes the recruitment of a permanent workforce which has already commenced, and a range of other service improvements which will be rolled out quickly. Transition to the new model is underway and will continue through the Autumn.
The HSE is now finalising a future service model for testing and tracing. This enhanced operational model is in the final stages of design with implementation underway for priority areas such as workforce recruitment and the test centre estate. This service model will aim to deliver a patient-centred service, accessible, consistent and flexible service. This plan includes the recruitment of a permanent workforce in addition to leveraging the clinical and operational expertise embedded in our community services and this work has already commenced.
The operating model will take into account the evolving needs and future potential service demands in the context of Covid-19 surges in disease transmission. Transition to the new model is underway and will continue through the Autumn.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Ceisteanna (851)
David Cullinane
Ceist:851. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the status of the Covid-19 contact tracing regime; the number employed for same; the number seconded from elsewhere; the areas from which they are seconded; his plans to recruit and train contact tracers; the estimated number of contact tracers required; the associated costs in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24127/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Covid-19 Tests
Ceisteanna (852)
David Cullinane
Ceist:852. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of Covid-19 tests conducted, evaluated, results delivered and contacts traced in each of the weeks since the beginning of March 2020 to the end of the second week of September 2020, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24128/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Question No. 853 answered with Question No. 76.
Nursing Staff
Ceisteanna (854)
Seán Sherlock
Ceist:854. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of student nurses currently working or who will be assigned to work in each hospital; the institution of education of each; and if they will receive payment for this work, in tabular form. [24140/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As many of these queries are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
However, for the query on the number of student nurses from each institution of education will need to be directed to the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science as the Health Service Executive nor the Department of Health hold records of this.
Question No. 855 answered with Question No. 630.
Disability Services Data
Ceisteanna (856)
Seán Sherlock
Ceist:856. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of children awaiting occupational therapy in each CHO by age and length of time waiting for assessment, in tabular form. [24149/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, recognises the need to improve services for both children and adults with disabilities through better implementation and by working together across Government in a better way.
The Government commits to prioritising early diagnosis and access to services for children and ensuring that the most effective interventions are provided for each child, to guarantee the best outcomes.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
Disability Services Funding
Ceisteanna (857)
Seán Sherlock
Ceist:857. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the additional funding he will make available to disability service providers; and the organisations he has received detailed additional budgetary needs from, in tabular form, with their additional budget lines. [24150/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Disability services focus on enabling people with disabilities to achieve their full potential, living ordinary lives in ordinary places, as independently as possible while ensuring that the voices of service users and their families are heard, and that they are fully involved in planning and improving services to meet their needs. To support people with a disability, significant resources have been invested by the health sector in disability services over the past number of years.
The 2020 HSE budget for specialist disability services is €2054.5m. As the Deputy is aware, the Government has also agreed to allocate substantial additional funding to the Health Vote to meet the costs associated with the implementation of the measures outlined in the National Action Plan in response to COVID-19.
The financial implications of measures taken to mitigate impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak are matters which the Department of Health will continue to keep under review in conjunction with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, as the situation evolves.
As the Deputy will appreciate, I cannot comment at this stage on the outcome of the estimates process, or matters which will be the subject of national service planning in 2021.
Organisations providing specialist disability services to the HSE do so on a contract for services basis. The budget for services provided is a matter for the organisation and the HSE as their statutory funder. On that basis, I have referred to question to the HSE for direct response to the Deputy.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Ceisteanna (858)
Holly Cairns
Ceist:858. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his views on redefining the age brackets when reporting Covid-19 cases in children and young persons based on categories (details supplied). [24167/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
Medical Aids and Appliances
Ceisteanna (859)
Holly Cairns
Ceist:859. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his plans to reimburse all type 1 diabetics using FreeStyle Libre devices similar to the scheme previously approved for children and young adults. [24168/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug scheme under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Question No. 860 answered with Question No. 697.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
Ceisteanna (861)
Holly Cairns
Ceist:861. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if a CAMHS unit will be established in east County Cork [24170/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Primary Care Centres
Ceisteanna (862)
Holly Cairns
Ceist:862. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his plans to provide x-ray or dexa services in the new HSE centre in Bandon, County Cork [24171/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As 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.
Disability Services Funding
Ceisteanna (863)
Holly Cairns
Ceist:863. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the details of capital investment in building residential services for persons with disabilities [24172/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Following a submission to the Department of Health in June 2015, €100m, cashflowed over 5 years, was ringfenced in the Capital Plan to provide residential accommodation in the community for residents of institutional congregated settings. The submission was in response to the Department of Health’s 2011 policy document “The Congregated Settings Report – A Time to Move On” and HIQA’s “National Standards for Residential Services with Disabilities 2013”.
Over the 5 year timeframe of the programme (2016 to 2021) it is planned to relocate 800 residents with a priority focus on those sites with the greatest non-compliance issues. The priority to-date has been on the purchase of houses in the community and the adaptation of these houses to suit the requirements of the new residents. This will continue in 2020 with an added goal of working closer with Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies to avail of other Government funding through the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS).
To-date 85 houses in the community have been provided through this programme and 300 residents have been relocated from congregated settings. The construction and/or purchase and adaptation of a further 30 houses are currently being progressed.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Ceisteanna (864)
Holly Cairns
Ceist:864. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if SI No. 326 of 2020 - Health Act 1947 (Section 31A – Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (No. 4) Regulations 2020 13.(1)(c) will be amended in view of confusion on the requirement to make a record of the substantial meal or meals ordered by each member of a party of persons and each sole person permitted which is creating an excessive administrative burden on small businesses. [24173/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Health Act 1947 (Section 31A – Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (No. 4) Regulations 2020 (SI No. 326 of 2020) provide for restrictions nationally to deal with the spread of Covid-19.
The requirement to keep a record of substantial meals ordered is designed to facilitate checking compliance with the substantial meal requirement. It is intended to show that a substantial meal was ordered, not to give details of what a particular customer ordered. It is not prescriptive on how a record is made. It is not intended to place an unnecessary burden on businesses and the Regulations are.
All Regulations made under Section 31A of the Health Act 1947 reflect Government decisions at the time and are subject to ongoing review based on the current epidemiological situation.