Written Answers Nos. 1608-1634
1608. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of community beds funded in budget 2021 and 2022 which have been delivered to date; the number that are outstanding; and the level of funding and corresponding number of beds, projected to unspent. [29842/22]
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.
1609. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated additional cost for the full implementation of the framework for safe staffing and skills mix; the initial estimates; the additional funding allocated towards the framework to date in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29843/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1610. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of hospitals and wards which are compliant with the framework for safe staffing and skills mix and the number of hospitals and wards which are not in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29844/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1611. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated number of whole-time equivalent staff that are required to fulfil the framework for safe staffing and skills mix by profession; the estimated cost of hiring the additional staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29845/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1634. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the outstanding cost for full implementation of the framework for safe staffing and skills mix for each stage. [29868/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1609, 1610, 1611 and 1634 together.
The Safe Staffing Framework is an evidence-based methodology to determine the required nursing workforce and skill mix based on patient acuity and dependency. The Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix in General and Specialist Medical and Surgical Care Settings in Ireland 2018 (Phase 1) was launched in 2018 and The Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix in Adult Emergency Care Settings in Ireland 2022 (Phase 2) was launched on the 2 June 2022 (www.gov.ie/en/collection/bebf28-taskforce-publications/).
Phase 3 of the Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing in Community settings includes (i) Long-Term residential care settings for older persons, (ii) Community care settings, and (iii) Step-down and Rehabilitation settings.
As the Deputy may be aware, my Department is currently testing the first part of Phase 3 of the Safe Nurse and Skill Mix Framework in Long-Term residential care settings for older persons. Based on the evidence and in line with the recommendation of the COVID-19 Nursing Home Expert Panel, Phase 3 (i) will, in line with other phases, be developed into a national policy for broader implementation.
Implementation of Phase 1 of the Framework is being progressed by the HSE. €15m was allocated up to 2021 to fund the associated staffing costs. This delivered 543 WTE adjustments overall to date across the Model 4 Hospitals. Full implementation of the Framework continues to be a priority for me and I allocated an additional €10 million for further continuation of Phase 1.
I have allocated a further €0.2million in 2022, to further develop the unit, within the HSE, responsible for oversight of the national implementation plan for safe nurse staffing and skill mix.
I recently launched the Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix in Adult Emergency Care Settings in Ireland 2022 (Phase 2). Implementation is a key priority for me and I have allocated €2.8m in Budget 2022 to the HSE to immediately commence implementation.
It is important to note the pandemic had an impact on the expected timelines associated with implementation progress of Phase 1. As part of my Department’s oversight role of HSE, it will be monitoring implementation during 2022.
I have provided the allocated funding in tabular form below. However, Regarding the Deputy’s request around details for estimated funding, individual settings and outstanding costs, I have asked the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy.
Funding allocated to implement Phase 1:
|
Year |
Funding allocated |
|
NSP 2020 |
€5m |
|
NSP 2021 |
€10m |
|
NSP 2022 |
€10m |
Funding allocated to implement Phase 2:
|
Year |
Funding allocated |
|
NSP 2022 |
€2.8m |
1612. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated net full-year cost of restoring all consultants to 2012 pay scales and ensuring equalisation and pay parity within contract types by contract type; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29846/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy with the cost estimate sought as soon as possible.
1613. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of providing free general practitioner care to children under eight years of age. [29847/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1614. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of providing free general practitioner care to children under ten years of age. [29848/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1615. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of providing free general practitioner care to children under 12 years of age. [29849/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1613, 1614 and 1615 together.
My officials and the HSE are engaged in preparatory work for the commencement of the initial stage of the phased expansion of GP care without fees to all children aged 12 years and under, the provision of GP care without fees to all children aged 6 and 7. Consultations with the IMO, representing GPs, are currently underway with the intention of introducing this service this year.
The consultations with the IMO include discussions on the scope of services to be provided and the rate of fees payable to GPs for the provision of that service, variables that will effect the cost of the service. For this reason it is not possible to give an estimate of the cost of extending GP care without fees to all children aged 6 and 7. Similarly, it is not possible to give an estimate of the cost of the further stages of the phased expansion of GP care without fees to all children aged 12 years and under.
1616. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of all consultants on type A contracts moving to the new Sláintecare contract. [29850/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy with the information sought as soon as possible.
1617. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of all consultants on type B contracts moving to the new Sláintecare contract. [29851/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy with the information sought as soon as possible.
1618. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of removing private practice from public hospitals. [29852/22]
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.
1619. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of removing all private healthcare from public hospitals. [29853/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1620. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of removing the private health insurance advantage from public hospitals. [29854/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1619 and 1620 together.
The removal of private practice from public hospitals is a core principle of Sláintecare, ensuring that public healthcare facilities are used for public patients only, and that public patients can access public hospitals based on clinical need. The de Buitléir Report estimated that the income from private activity was approximately €524 million in 2018 and that the additional public activity which would happen if private activity was no longer occurring in public hospitals would generate additional statutory public charges of up to €52 million. The report can be found at the following link assets.gov.ie/26529/aed7ee0317ff49a7a609974772cf2191.pdf.
1621. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the cost and applicable salary scale of a publicly employed dentist equivalent to estimated private earnings of a partner and associate dentist. [29855/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe salary scale for a General Dental Surgeon in the HSE ranges from €62,750 to €91,872. My Department does not monitor the earnings of dentists working in the private sector.
1622. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the desirable staffing ratios in public dental practice between dentists, dental nurses, hygienists, technicians and administrative supports. [29856/22]
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.
1623. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost of an additional adult eating disorder team; and the number of adult eating disorder teams in operation. [29857/22]
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.
1624. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost of an additional managed clinical rehabilitation network team; the number of such teams currently in operation; and the CHOs served and not served. [29858/22]
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.
1625. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated workforce whole-time equivalent requirements for universal counselling. [29859/22]
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.
1626. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of permanently reducing the drugs payment scheme threshold from €100 to €60 in increments of €5. [29860/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Drug Payment Scheme (DPS) provides for the refund of the amount by which expenditure on approved prescribed medicines or medical and surgical appliances exceeds a named threshold in any calendar month. The DPS is not means tested and is available to anyone normally resident in Ireland.The Health Services (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (S.I. No. 595 of 2021) reduced the DPS threshold to €100 per month as of 1 January 2022.
The Health Services (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No 77 of 2022) further reduced the DPS threshold to €80 per month as of 1 March 2022.When producing models to estimate the impact of downward threshold reductions the Health Service Executive (HSE) examines the impact of previous downward changes. This requires a reasonable amount of data at each threshold change to provide some level of assurance that an estimate is reasonable, especially as the HSE does not have data on sub-threshold prescriptions. Given the recency of the DPS threshold changes, there is insufficient data available to the HSE to robustly estimate the impact of further changes.
However, preliminary data indicates that the reduction from €114 to €100 has benefitted between 9,553 and 12,251 families per month (on average, 10,495 families per month) and the reduction from €100 to €80 has benefitted an additional 18,943 families based on the first month of data for that change. Preliminary data further suggests the full year budget impact of the threshold change from €100 to €80, which came into effect on 1 March 2022, may be around €20m.
Based on this first month of data, the full year estimated minimum cost of reducing the DPS threshold from the current threshold of €80 per month, in increments of €5, is as outlined in the below table.
|
Proposed DPS Threshold |
Cost of Reduction* |
|
€75 |
€6.5m |
|
€70 |
€13m |
|
€65 |
€19.5m |
|
€60 |
€26m |
This data is subject to the following caveats. The source data used is the claiming month March 2022, the first claiming month for the new DPS threshold of €80 per month. The source data is annualized to determine cost (i.e., multiplied by 12). The costings exclude the cost for any individuals who are below the current threshold level of €80 per month. The costings exclude any impact resulting from an aging demographic.
1627. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of reducing prescription charges by 50 cents for persons over 70 years of age with a corresponding reduction in the monthly maximum; and the estimated cost of reducing same by €1. [29861/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1628. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of reducing prescription charges by 50 cents for persons under 70 years of age with a corresponding reduction in the monthly maximum; the estimated cost of reducing same by €1; and the estimated cost of reducing same by €1.50. [29862/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1627 and 1628 together.
The Health Services (Prescription Charges) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 464/2020) reduced prescription charges to €1.50 per item for all eligible persons with a cap of €15 per person or family per month.
The Health Services (Prescription Charges) (Over 70s) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 465/2020) reduced prescription charges for medical card holders over 70 to €1.00 per item, with a cap of €10 per person or family per month.
Both reductions were effective from 1 November 2020.
The cost of the proposed reductions for those over 70. The full year minimum cost of reducing the prescription charge to €0.50c for eligible persons over 70 and reducing the monthly cap to €5.00 per person or family, is €12.9m. The full year minimum cost of reducing the prescription charge to €0.00c for eligible persons over 70 is €25.9m The cost of the proposed reductions for those under 70. The full year minimum cost of reducing the prescription charge to €1 for eligible persons under 70 and reducing the monthly cap to €10.00 per person or family, is €8.4m. The full year minimum cost of reducing the prescription charge to €0.50c for eligible persons under 70 and reducing the monthly cap to €5.00 per person or family, is €16.8m. The full year minimum cost of reducing the prescription charge to €0.00c for eligible persons under 70 is €37.7m. The cost of removing prescription charges for all eligible persons. Therefore, the minimum cost of abolishing prescription charges for all eligible persons would be approximately €63.6m .
All these costings are subject to the following caveats. The forecasted cost is based on persons with claims submitted in the period to the end of April 2022 and is annualised for a 12-month period to give the annual impact. The reported cost does not reflect the impact of the increase in eligibility numbers experienced in April 2022 onwards resulting from the Ukrainian Support Programme. Any reduction in or the removal of prescription charges may result in a change in client behaviour.
1629. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of abolishing hospital inpatient charges; and the estimated cost of abolishing same for children only. [29863/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraNormal patient activity has been affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic and as a result 2020 and 2021 are not representative of normal services. Therefore 2019 would currently be the best representation of Income levels outside of the COVID Pandemic.
In 2019, €30.6 million was raised through the statutory inpatient charge in the Acute Hospitals.
Funding was provided in Budget 2022 for measures to alleviate the financial burden of statutory hospital charges incurred for children accessing care in a public hospital. My Department has subsequently been working to prepare the draft Heads of legislation necessary to amend the Health Act 1970 to abolish the acute public in-patient charge for children.
Government approved, on 9th June 2022, the General Scheme of the Health (Exemption for Children from Public In-Patient Charges) Bill 2022 which provides for the abolition of acute public in-patient charges for children less than 16 years. The General Scheme will now be referred to the Office of the Attorney General for priority drafting of the Bill and it is intended to progress the legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas as a priority. The full year cost of funding the abolition of public in-patient charges for children will be finalised as part of the Budget 2023 estimates process.
1630. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of abolishing hospital car parking charges for HSE hospitals and voluntary hospitals. [29864/22]
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.
1631. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of increasing safeguarding team staffing levels by 10% including employer’s PRSI. [29865/22]
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.
1632. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of extending free contraception to women aged 25-55 years at 50%, 75% and 100% uptake in age bands of five years. [29866/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Report of the Working Group on Access to Contraception, published in October 2019, identified the barriers that exist to accessing contraception, which include accessibility, information, workforce capacity and, for women who may be just above the eligibility threshold for a full GMS (medical) card, cost.In consideration of the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment to the Constitution (JOC8) and the findings of the Working Group on Contraception, the Programme for Government, 2020 commits to providing free contraception for women, starting with the 17-25 age cohort. My Department’s Contraception Implementation Group was convened in July, 2021 and has been meeting on a monthly basis. The Group has been working towards commencing the scheme in August 2022, in partnership with the HSE and other key stakeholders. Funding of approximately €9m has been allocated for roll-out of the scheme in Budget 2022.The scheme will provide for:1. The cost of prescription contraception;2. The cost of necessary consultations with GPs and other doctors to discuss suitable contraception for individual patients and to enable prescription of same;3. The cost of fitting and/or removal of various types of long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs) plus any necessary checks, by medical professionals certified to fit/remove same;4. The cost of training and certifying additional medical professionals to fit and remove LARCs; the HSE is currently working on preparing to roll out these additional training supports in conjunction with the Irish College of General Practitioners.Provision of the wide range of contraceptive options currently available to GMS (medical) card holders will also be available through this scheme, to include contraceptive injections, implants, IUS and IUDs (coils), the contraceptive patch and ring, and various forms of oral contraceptive pill, including emergency contraception.
Full year costings for 17-25 year-olds may be considered in the context of Estimates 2023, but no costings have been finalised to date and no funding allocations for future years agreed at this stage. Estimated costings for wider age ranges have been included in the Report of the Working Group on Contraception, which is available on the Department’s website.
1633. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of the HPV vaccine catch-up campaign for all eligible women up to 45 years of age. [29867/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter for the HSE, I have referred the question to the HSE for a direct reply.
