Written Answers Nos. 580-599
580. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health the breakdown of home help hours allocated by the HSE in slots of half an hour, an hour and greater than an hour in County Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41200/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra581. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health the breakdown of home help hours provided by agencies in slots of half an hour, an hour and greater than an hour in County Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41201/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 580 and 581 together.
As these are operational matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
584. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total workforce, disaggregated between dedicated new hire and redeployed and seconded from the health service or otherwise, engaged in swabbing and testing on 1 October, 1 November and 1 December 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41204/20]
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.
585. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total workforce, disaggregated between dedicated new hire and redeployed and seconded from the health service or otherwise, engaged in contact tracing on 1 October, 1 November and 1 December 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41205/20]
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.
589. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has been waiting so long for an appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41210/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic the HSE had to take measures to defer most scheduled care activity in March, April, and May of this year. This was to ensure patient safety and that all appropriate resources were made available for Covid-19 related activity and time-critical essential work. This decision was in line with the advice issued by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) in accordance with the advice of the World Health Organisation.
Patient safety remains at the centre of all hospital activity and elective care scheduling. To ensure services are provided in a safe, clinically-aligned and prioritised way, hospitals are following HSE clinical guidelines and protocols.
The HSE continues to optimise productivity through alternative work practices such the use of alternative settings including private hospitals, community facilities and alternative outpatient settings.
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 is a standardised approach used by the HSE to manage scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures. It sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists and was developed in 2014 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.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
590. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some medical card patients are unable to avail of dental work as their dental services providers have withdrawn from the scheme due to issues with HSE funding for PPE; the status of HSE funding for PPE; his plans to address this issue to ensure that medical card patients continue to receive necessary dental care from their assigned practitioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41212/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides dental care free of charge to medical card holders aged 16 and over. These services are provided by over 1,400 independent dental practitioners who have a contract with the HSE. I understand that since the beginning of March, 173 dentists have withdrawn from the DTSS and that 58 new applications are being processed. This is within the normal range of fluctuations of dentists participating in the Scheme in recent years. Patients are not assigned a dentist by the HSE but may choose a dentist who participates in the Scheme. The HSE will assist medical card holders in accessing such treatment if required.
While the interruption to services caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic has led to some delays in the provision of non-emergency care, there are signs that activity levels have been returning to normal in recent months.
My Department, in conjunction with the HSE and supported by guidance from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), is examining the issue of the provision of PPE across all parts of the health service, including health service contractors. My Department has been engaging with dentists throughout the pandemic and is preparing for further engagement on any additional measures to support the oral health of the public during these difficult times.
591. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Health the testing capacity he expects to be in place for when a Covid-19 vaccine is available. [41220/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraTesting and contact tracing is a key component of the Government’s and the country’s response to the pandemic. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have pursued a robust testing and contact tracing strategy to combat the spread of Covid-19. The HSE worked intensively to put in place a comprehensive, reliable and responsive testing and tracing operation in a very short timeframe.
We continue to build agility in our system to meet the increasing community demand, examples of this include the outlined nationwide recruitment campaign for swabbers and contact tracers, standing up temporary swabbing sites and making process improvements to our end to end test and trace system. The current resource model has been stress tested at higher activity levels and can respond quickly to changes in demand.
The total workforce now includes circa 736 staff working in tracing and circa 976 working in swabbing. Recruitment in testing and contact tracing will continue until the targets of dedicated staff of 800 in contact tracing and 1,000 in swabbing are met. This will also allow remaining redeployed staff to return to their substantive roles.
We now have on-island capacity to test up to 126,000 people per week, which can be increased to 140,000 per week by utilising available surge capacity. Testing and tracing and the public health advice relating to Covid-19 is kept under continuing review by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).
592. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will consider a training programme for all medical, pharmacy and veterinarian personnel, nursing students, the Army and other appropriate groups, requesting the use of general practitioners' surgeries out of hours in advance of a Covid-19 vaccine becoming available in order to prepare for mass vaccination. [41221/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland is currently involved in an EU Procurement Exercise being operated by the European Commission on behalf of member states to procure a portfolio of suitable, safe and effective vaccines, in sufficient quantities, to combat COVID-19.
I can assure the Deputy of the Government's commitment to the timely implementation of a COVID-19 immunisation programme, as soon as one or more of these vaccines in the portfolio are approved for use.
In this regard, a cross-Government High-Level Taskforce has been established to support and oversee the development and implementation of the programme. Decisions on who will administer the vaccine and the associated training required are amongst the range of matters that will be addressed in the context of the work of the Taskforce and the State agencies and other stakeholders with which it will work.
593. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Health the checks in place to ensure that private Covid-19 testing centres are operating to the appropriate standard as well as integrating into the national contact tracing effort. [41222/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn Ireland, the National Testing Strategy for COVID-19 involves testing people who meet the case definition (people with symptoms), their identified close contacts, and established serial testing programmes. It is directed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and coordinated by the HSE. Samples are taken by healthcare professionals in healthcare settings, community test centres, workplaces or in the patient’s home.
The current testing strategy in Ireland, based on expert advice, involves laboratory-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. All testing for COVID-19 as part of the national strategy is currently conducted in the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL), hospital diagnostic laboratories and other designated laboratories overseen by the NVRL.
These tests are provided free of charge and there is currently sufficient capacity in the system for testing through this pathway. Members of the public are advised to follow the HSE guidance in respect of testing. This is available on the HSE website.
A national testing strategy has been implemented to ensure that:
- test results are reported to the relevant stakeholders (for monitoring and surveillance purposes as COVID-19 is a notifiable disease);
- contact tracing activities are initiated (where appropriate);
- an incorrect test result does not lead to false reassurance resulting in individuals failing to seek the necessary medical help. During this time, the individual may also unknowingly spread the virus.
Under the Infectious Disease Regulations (S.I. No. 53/2020 - Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2020 which amended the Infectious Diseases Regulations 1981 (S.I. No. 390 of 1981) and the National Testing Strategy, all medical practitioners, including clinical directors of diagnostic laboratories, are required to notify the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) / Director of Public Health of certain diseases, including COVID-19. The MOH also reports such cases onwards to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). This is to ensure that test results are reported to relevant stakeholders for monitoring and surveillance purposes and to investigate cases, thus preventing spread of infection and further cases. This requirement also applies to all private testing services who are, therefore, legally obliged to report positive Covid-19 case to the relevant authorities.
594. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has been waiting so long for an assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41230/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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, as soon as possible.
595. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if half an hour's home help per day will be provided for a person (details supplied). [41248/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE provides a range of assisted living services including Home Support Services to support individuals to maximise their capacity to live full and independent lives.
Home Support Services are provided either directly by the HSE or through a range of voluntary service providers. The majority of specialised disability provision (80%) is delivered through non-statutory sector service providers.
Services are accessed through an application process or through referrals from public health nurses or other community based staff. Individuals’ needs are evaluated against the criteria for prioritisation for the particular services and then decisions are made in relation to the allocation of resources. Resource allocation is determined by the needs of the individual, compliance with prioritisation criteria, and the level of resources available. As with every service there is not a limitless resource available for the provision of home support services and while the resources available are substantial they are finite. In this context, services are discretionary and the number of hours granted is determined by other support services already provided to the person/family.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
596. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the position on the extension of a scheme (details supplied) to County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41250/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
597. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the position on the provision of a service (details supplied) in County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41251/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
598. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who have availed of cancer screening at each acute hospital in 2018, 2019 and to date in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41255/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
599. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health if his Department has carried out an analysis of the number of cancers missed due to Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41256/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraCancer diagnostic and treatment services continued throughout the Covid pandemic in line with Government prioritisation. However, the number of people coming forward to their GPs, being referred to Cancer Rapid Access Clinics and attending these clinics decreased significantly in mid-March to May due to the fears in regard to Covid, and the reaction of people to restrictions in place at that time.
Cancers diagnosed in Rapid Access Clinics to end September 2020 stood at 4,088 - approx 90% of the comparable figure in 2019. This reduction does not arise from ‘missed cancers’ (cancers not being detected), rather they arise from less people presenting for diagnosis.
Latest data shows a recovery in the numbers of people presenting in primary care, and in attendances at Cancer Rapid Access Clinics. In September, the total number of attendances at Rapid Access Clinics amounted to 4,440, an increase on the same month last year.
The full impact of Covid-19 on cancer survival rates and outcomes for patients may not be known for some years.
Meanwhile, an important message to everyone now is that, if you have any concerns about cancer please go to your GP. Our cancer diagnostic and treatment services are open, and our healthcare staff will provide any necessary care.
