Written Answers Nos. 911-930
911. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the number of advertisements that were published by the HSE in print media and radio seeking to employ home care staff over the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34440/22]
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.
912. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) paid into a spousal pension scheme as part of their HSE occupational pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34442/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter for the HSE, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
913. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health if kitchen staff, including cooks will receive the pandemic bonus payment; the person or body responsible for the decision as to which staff receive the payment in each hospital setting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34444/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
915. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Health if he consulted with the Secretary General of his Department during the period in which the revised model of care for termination of pregnancy was revised to permit telemedicine abortion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34458/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe arrival of COVID-19 in 2020 required a substantial shift in how care is provided across the health service, including the adoption of measures to facilitate social distancing, reduced personal contacts and footfall within medical facilities, as appropriate. As part of the health system response, a revised Model of Care for the Termination of Pregnancy Service was agreed to facilitate remote consultation with a medical practitioner for the purposes of accessing termination in early pregnancy. The revised Model of Care was a collaborative development between the Department of Health and the HSE.
There remains ongoing engagement between the Department and the HSE to monitor service provision around remote consultation and to facilitate the smooth-running of the service and resolve any issues that may arise. It is also important to reflect that the current public health guidance, including Guidance on Managing Risk of Transmission of Respiratory Viruses Including COVID-19 in General Practice, continues to apply and advises limiting “footfall through the practice by discouraging unnecessary attendance at the practice by people who can be dealt with equally well by telephone.”
916. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Health the date on which he expects to announce a decision on the future policy of telemedicine abortion in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34459/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to protect public health and limit the spread of COVID-19, the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE) worked together in 2020 to put arrangements in place to allow termination of pregnancy services in early pregnancy to be provided remotely.
For the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency, where the need for social distancing, reducing personal contacts and reducing the burden on medical practitioners are paramount, it became possible for a woman to access a termination under section 12 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 (i.e., before 12 weeks) from her medical practitioner by telephone or video conference consultation.
There is ongoing engagement between the Department of Health and the HSE to monitor service provision, facilitate the smooth-running of the service and resolve any issues that may arise. However, as restrictions began to ease, it became timely to revisit the Model of Care to review its operation and consider whether remote consultation as part of a blended approach to termination of pregnancy care should be continued post the COVID-19 public health emergency period. At the request of the Department, the HSE conducted a review of the Revised Model of Care for Termination of Pregnancy, examining patient safety aspects, with input from service providers in both hospital and community settings. The Department is continuing its engagements with the HSE regarding the final considerations related to this review and the next steps.
The outcome of the review will be made available once this deliberative process concludes.
It is important to reflect that COVID-19 is still with us and Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) guidance on Managing Risk of Transmission of Respiratory Viruses including COVID-19, continues to advise, amongst other things, to limit footfall in General Practice settings and support telephone consultations where care that meets the needs of the patient can be delivered - this helps to eliminate the risk of transmission of viral infection. As such the arrangements for remote access to this service in the context of COVID-19 remain in place, in the context of the wider public health guidance.
919. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health when the number of specialist neurology nurses in the Mater Hospital, Dublin will increase from six to the recommended number of 14; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34486/22]
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.
920. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will be given a CAMHS appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34487/22]
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.
921. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will be given a CAMHS appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34488/22]
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.
922. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health when the provision of dialectical behavioural therapy will be reinstated by the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34495/22]
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.
923. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if there has been much wastage or resale of items procured during the Covid emergency; if so, the types of items involved, that is, protective gear, medication, beds and equipment; the way these items are being stored or disposed of; and whether there has been a review of the procurement approach for future learnings. [34497/22]
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.
924. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health if there are a plans to include spinal muscular atrophy in the new-born heel prick test. [34515/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe expansion of the National Newborn Bloodspot (NBS) Programme is a priority for me, and the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) has been progressing work on this expansion.
The NSAC is an independent, expert committee which makes recommendations to me and my Department on new screening programmes, as well as changes to existing population-based screening programmes, based on international processes and best practice.
The NSAC has been working closely with HIQA, clinicians and other stakeholders, including patient advocates, in setting out the best approach for Ireland in relation to the further expansion of newborn screening.
I am pleased to report recent progress in expanding newborn screening with a ninth condition, ADA-SCID (Adenosine Deaminase Deficiency Severe Combined Immunodeficiency), being added to the NBS programme on 23 May 2022. The NSAC has commissioned HIQA to undertake a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) looking at the addition of other SCID types to the NBS programme. This HTA is underway and I am looking forward to receiving a recommendation from the Committee on this condition after the HTA process is finalised later this year.
The NSAC is now well established and recently published its second annual report which detailed significant progress in 2021. The Committee's first Annual Call for proposals for new screening programmes or changes to our existing programmes, received a significant response with a total of 53 submissions received, including on newborn screening. Submissions were received from various sources and are now undergoing consideration by the committee. The NSAC intends to publish its full work programme later this year once it has considered all proposals submitted.
Given that this is a complex area, careful consideration must be given to the expansion of the NBS programme and these things can take time, however, it is important that decisions are made based on internationally accepted criteria and scientific rigour.
I am aware of how difficult it is for parents whose children have received a diagnosis of a rare disease, and how challenging daily life can be for them, their families and their children. It can be an overwhelming situation and can be very isolating for many families because of the significant work that is involved when a rare disease is diagnosed. I am committed to the further expansion of newborn screening in Ireland and in identifying opportunities for future additions to it.
925. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will provide this Deputy with an update of the Irish National Antimicrobial Resistance Plan originally published in October 2017 and additional information (details supplied). [34531/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland's first National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2017-2020 , known as iNAP1, was published jointly by the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in October 2017.
Ireland's second One Health National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2021-2025, known as iNAP2, was published jointly by the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on 18th November 2021. Both plans adopt a One Health approach across the human health, animal health and environment sectors. The plans align to the five Strategic Objectives as outlined in the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Action Plan (2015) and the requirements of the European Action Plan on AMR (2017).
iNAP2 includes 90 actions specific to human health across the 5 WHO Strategic Objectives, along with 15 One Health actions agreed across the human health, animal health and environment sectors.
Ireland's National Interdepartmental Antimicrobial Resistance Consultative Committee
The Department of Health has worked with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine as part of a One Health Approach to tackling AMR since 2014 when the National Interdepartmental AMR Consultative Committee was established. It is co-chaired by the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Veterinary Officer.
The Committee has served as an AMR One Health committee and the membership is made up of both Government Departments, key stakeholders, and agencies from the three One Health sectors including representation from the environment sector. The Committee meets twice yearly. There were no meetings in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic but meetings recommenced in 2021. Minutes of these meetings are available on the joint AMR webpage, www.gov.ie/amr
CPE
CPE was first reported in Ireland in 2009. The national CPE reference laboratory service (NCPERLS) was established in 2012. In response to a rising number of cases in 2016, a Public Health Emergency was declared in October 2017 and the National Public Health Emergency Team CPE (NPHET-CPE) was subsequently convened.
In 2018 CPE was added to the statutory list of notifiable diseases, which physicians are legally required to submit information to the HSE HPSC when a case is identified. This enables more accurate and timely data to be compiled at a national level. Enhanced surveillance, clinical guidance, provision of screening and allocation of targeted resources were operationalised in 2018 and 2019 in response to this emergency. These initiatives, together with the collaborative work of the NPHET-CPE, DOH, HSE AMRIC, HPSC and the professional healthcare community have led to incidence of CPE stabilising across 2019, 2020 and 2021. The surveillance, screening, monitoring and management of CPE is now integrated into the day-to-day operations of the health service.
CPE testing is ongoing with a target of 25,000 CPE screening tests per month. The HSE maintained a high level of testing during the pandemic and continues to exceed this target. Further information regarding CPE, including the CPE Monthly Surveillance Reports, can be found on the Health Protection Surveillance Centre's website, www.hpsc.ie/a-z/microbiologyantimicrobialresistance/strategyforthecontrolofantimicrobialresistanceinirelandsari/carbapenemresistantenterobacteriaceaecre/surveillanceofcpeinireland/cpemonthlysurveillancereports/.
926. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an up-to-date list of the advice and guidance that has been provided in the past four years by his Department to organisations within its remit in respect of the risks to human health from the H5N1 virus and similar viruses; the wildlife species that are most associated with such risks; if there has been any increase in H5N1 detections in recent years; if so, the details of the infected species; and the up-to-date co-operative arrangements that are in place with other Departments, agencies and neighbouring jurisdictions to ensure that appropriate and timely protections of human and public health are in place. [34534/22]
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.
927. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will request his Department and pertinent organisations within its remit to provide the Deputy with an up-to-date summary of the science, including clinical evidence, regarding the importance of sleep and of the range of acknowledged negative health impacts of prolonged sleep deprivation on human health. [34536/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraInternationally, there is a range of research reports and journals that outline the science, including clinical evidence, regarding the importance of sleep and of the range of acknowledged negative health impacts of prolonged sleep deprivation on human health.
From an Irish perspective, the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, which is co-funded by my Department, recently published a paper that highlights that sub-optimal sleep duration has been linked to adverse health outcomes, noting that previous studies have shown that both short and long sleep duration are risk factors for premature mortality, cardiovascular and chronic disease, and impairments in cognitive and mental health.
The paper ‘Objective sleep duration in older adults: Results from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing’ is published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) and can be found here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jgs.16177
928. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health his views on whether the recent completion by Irish Water in partnership with Dublin City Council of the major five-year long infrastructure project to cover the treated water reservoirs at Stillorgan in order to finally eliminate long-standing risks of contamination for example cryptosporidium and antimicrobial resistant pathogens proven to be dispersed into the water supply by large seagull colonies in their faecal waste, marks a welcome strengthening of the protection of public health, in particular for the 200,000 + consumers served by the reservoirs. [34537/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels and the Minister for Health has no function in relation to this matter, under section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013.
In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency, as the Environmental Regulator, is the key statutory body for investigating complaints of pollution and for the enforcement, both directly and through oversight of Irish Water and local authorities, of environmental legislation in Ireland, including compliance.
The EPA is an independent public body established under the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992, and is entirely independent in the exercise of its functions.
929. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that community pharmacies are part of the free contraception scheme, in order to ensure wide access, particularly given the pressure on general practices and delays in obtaining appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34555/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 working with partners, including the HSE, towards ensuring that the scheme will commence in Q3, 2022. Funding of approximately €9m has been allocated for this in Budget 2022.
The scheme will provide for:
- The cost of prescription contraception;
- The cost of necessary consultations with medical professionals to discuss suitable contraception for individual patients and to enable prescription of same;
- 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;
- The cost of training and certifying additional medical professionals to fit and remove LARCs;
- The cost of providing the wide range of contraceptive options currently available to GMS (medical) card holders, which will also be available through this scheme, including contraceptive injections, implants, IUS and IUDs (coils), the contraceptive patch and ring, and various forms of oral contraceptive pill, including emergency contraception.
- The scheme will be open to all 17-25 year-olds ordinarily resident in Ireland.
Formal consultations with medical representative bodies with regard to service provision under the scheme have commenced and are ongoing. The design of citizen engagement information and publicity campaigns to support and promote the roll out of the scheme will be finalised in the coming weeks, to be launched in the month preceding and during the initial phase of scheme roll-out.
Consultations with representative bodies for the pharmacy sector will commence shortly. It is envisaged that these discussions will concern service provision for the scheme. It should be noted that the regulatory framework in Ireland does not currently permit dispensing the Pill without a prescription; amending this would require expert clinical input. It is not envisaged that this could be considered prior to the launch of the scheme, given the tight timelines involved.
However, scheme implementation will be subject to monitoring and evaluation, following launch, and prior to any widening of age cohorts. It is envisaged that stakeholder engagement will be undertaken, including the pharmacy sector
930. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34556/22]
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.
