Written Answers Nos. 713-732
713. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of site visits that have been made by his public health officials to the Askeaton area in the context of a factory (details supplied); and if his Department has surveyed public health environment in the area. [11220/22]
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.
714. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if additional staff in the HSE will be made available to meet demand and deal with the current backlog of birth registrations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11223/22]
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.
715. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if the age restriction will be removed for the FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring system for persons with diabetes; when he expects that the health technology assessment the HSE commissioned will be completed. [11228/22]
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.
716. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if the Government still plan to extend free general practitioner care to children under the age of eight, and if so, when this will be implemented. [11229/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to increasing access to GP care without charges for children, an important healthcare measure that will remove a potentially prohibitive cost barrier to accessing GP care and will help to improve children’s health as they develop. At present all children up to and including the age of 5 are eligible for a GP visit card and therefore GP care without charges.
The Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Act 2020 provides, amongst other things, for the phased expansion of GP care without fees to all children aged 12 years and under in three phases: to children aged 6 and 7; to children aged 8 and 9; and to children aged 10,11 and 12. Budget 2022 provides for the initial stage of this phased expansion, the provision of GP care without fees to all children aged 6 and 7. My officials and the HSE are already engaged in preparatory work, and I expect to be in a position to bring forward proposals to the IMO, representing GPs, later this quarter, after which engagement can commence with the IMO. It is important to ensure that any additional pressures placed on general practice will not limit its capacity to meet the needs of all patients in the community.
717. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of whole-time equivalent staff by job title working in the primary care eye teams in CHO7; the number of vacancies by job title; and when each of the vacancies will be filled in tabular form. [11236/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
718. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of consultants posts by speciality that were filled in each hospital that is part of Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Group in 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [11237/22]
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.
719. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of providing 80 additional general practitioner training places. [11238/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe annual cost of one doctor on the GP Training Scheme is approximately €100,000. On that basis, the estimated full year cost in 2022 of an additional 80 GP training places would be €8 million.
720. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health if the HSE has the ability to include a clause in its contracts with private companies to require a portion of the profits made as a direct result of HSE contracts to be reinvested in the services locally here. [11239/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have referred this to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
721. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of wards under construction or planned to commence within the next six months. [11240/22]
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.
722. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) is being transferred; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11249/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra723. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) is being transferred; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11250/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 722 and 723 together.
As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
724. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if a surgery appointment will be expedited for a person (details supplied) as a matter of urgency. [11251/22]
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.
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.
725. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 214 of 16 February 2022, if he will provide the benefits realised by his Department in respect of travel episodes undertaken in 2018 and 2019 by the former Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People in his Department to Washington, New York and San Francisco; if he will provide further information regarding these travel episodes, that is accommodation costs, the number of officials that travelled with the Minister and a schedule of the costs associated with the travel; and if he will provide a schedule of the meetings and engagements that occurred during these travel episodes. [11253/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn June 2018 Minister of State Daly attended the Mental Health America 2018 Annual Conference: Fit For The Future in Washington DC on behalf of the Irish Government. This conference was organised by the World Bank, World Health Organisation, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. As well as attending the conference, Minister of State Daly also held a number of informal meetings with experts in the field of mental health to learn of new developments in this important area. Key areas examined included:
Mental Health for All;
Research into the future of mental health;
Development of mental health strategies;
Tackling Discrimination; and
The funding of mental health.
The Department paid Club Travel €9,685.42 for the cost of hotels and flights for Minister of State Daly, his Special Advisor and two other members of staff in the Department of Health who attended with Minister of State Daly. The remaining amount was for travel expenses claimed between all four people in compliance with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform circulars.
In November 2018 Minister of State Daly attended a Community Care Conference in New York. While attending this conference, Minister of State Daly also took the opportunity to visit a number of community care facilities in the state of New York to look at developments in this area to inform strategic decision-making in this policy area in Ireland.
The Department paid Club Travel €13,242.42 for the cost of hotels and flights for Minister of State Daly and one member of staff in the Department of Health who attended with Minister of State Daly. The location of the conference limited the options for Club Travel when booking the hotel. The remaining amount was for travel expenses claimed between all four people in compliance with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform circulars.
Minister of State Daly did not visit San Francisco and was not paid any expenses for such a trip. Minister Harris visited San Francisco as part of his work fulfilling engagements on behalf of the Government for St. Patricks Day in 2019.
726. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) qualifies for any assistance or contribution towards the purchase of necessary equipment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11254/22]
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.
727. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when the required intervention in respect of speech and language therapy will be provided in the case of a child (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11256/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question relates to an operational issue, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
728. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the reason HSE funding has been withdrawn from an exercise class (details supplied); the reason those attending the class have been asked to move from the free class to a class that will cost €80 per month in their nearest locations in Tallaght or Clondalkin, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11257/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe promotion of physical activity is a priority item under the Healthy Ireland Framework, as evidenced by the publication of the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) in 2016.
Substantial progress has been made in the implementation of the 60 actions set out in the NPAP, led by the Departments of Health and Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, through a cross-sectoral Implementation Group that includes a range of other Government Departments and agencies. A review of the NPAP is currently underway which will set out the priorities in this area for the coming years.
With regard to the issue raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
729. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health the engagements that have taken place between his Department and the HSE in relation to an additional package of measures that will recognise the risks faced by certain frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic; the timeframe for publication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11283/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFirstly I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all healthcare workers for their efforts during this most challenging period.
The Department of Health appreciates the levels of interest this announcement has generated. Engagements and meetings have been taking place between my Department officials and the HSE since the Government announcement, and further engagements are planned as they finalize additional details on this measure including full eligibility criteria, particulars, terms and conditions, and timelines that apply. This detail will be published as soon as possible.
It is important that this measure is applied fairly as intended and I welcome the work that is ongoing to ensure this is so.
730. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the overall national radiology waiting lists by hospital and scan type, that is, ultrasounds, CT scans and MRIs; the breakdown to the level of waiting lists for brain scans, pelvic ultrasounds and so on by hospital in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11326/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has advised my Department that they are unable to provide the level of detail requested by the Deputy. The latest available diagnostic waiting list data is outlined in the document attached, which sets out waiting list data for Quarter 4 2021 for CT, MRI and Ultrasound. The HSE advises that, at present, further diagnostic scans (including cholangiopancreatography, electroencephalogram, angiogram, and bone scan), are not yet captured as part of this project.
The HSE advises that a pilot project commenced in 2016 by the HSE Acute Hospitals Division to progress the collection of national radiology waiting list data. The project has been supported by the Radiology Clinical Care Programme and has involved key stakeholders across the system including the National Integrated Medical Imaging System (NIMIS) Team, Hospital Groups, and the support of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) for data collection and data management expertise.
The information that is currently being collected is presently being tested and validated at hospital, hospital group and national level and as such should not be used/reported without the context of the caveats set out below:
- Data is subject to inclusions and exclusions which are documented in the Data Profile Document. This document is available from Acute Operations and has been circulated to all Hospital Groups.
- Data contains urgent, routine and surveillance/planned activity which is currently not broken down in detail, as such this includes surveillance/planned activity which may not be exceeding planned date.
- Data is still undergoing validation at Hospital and Hospital Group level.
- Data does not take into account local nuances at site level (Site profile developed to support understanding of same).
- The purpose of this aggregate data is to provide a National Level overview of the number of patients waiting for modalities of CT, MRI and Ultrasound.
- This report is not intended to be used for the active management of hospital diagnostics waiting list, local reports and mechanisms should continue to be used for the management of diagnostics waiting lists at hospital level.
In Q4 2021, there were a total of 226,966 patients reported on the waiting list from all sites, this represents all outpatients waiting, urgent, semi urgent, routine and planned/surveillance (where diagnostic access is planned at particular time intervals).
731. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the percentage of patients triaged as urgent who are offered an appointment within ten working days of the date of receipt of a letter of referral in the cancer office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11327/22]
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.
732. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the percentage of patients triaged as non-urgent who are offered an appointment within 12 weeks of the date of receipt of a letter of referral in the cancer office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11328/22]
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.
