Written Answers Nos. 854-873
854. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the status of the Sláintecare consultant contract negotiations; if a date has been set to reconvene talks; the progress that he has made in appointing a new chair; the timeline that he is now working towards for the introduction of a new contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39452/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government, as provided for in the Programme for Government, is committed to introducing a public-only consultant contract in a timely manner. It is intended that the Contract will be introduced following engagement with the representative bodies, the IMO and the IHCA, that is currently in train.
I appointed a new Independent Chair, Tom Mallon, in early June. Engagement between the parties resumed on 23 June.
When the date of implementation of the new Contract is set, it is intended that the new consultant contract will apply to all consultant appointment offers from that date.
855. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the status of plans to introduce a new contract for general practitioners; the status of the 2019 general practitioner agreement strategic review; when he expects this review to conclude; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39453/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe vision of Sláintecare is to deliver safe, quality health and social care services that meet the needs of the growing population.
General practice policies central to the implementation of Sláintecare are the reform of the GMS GP contract and the roll out of a Chronic Disease Management programme for GMS patients, and the move towards universal access to GP services without charges on a phased basis.
The 2019 GP Agreement helps to modernise and reform the GMS scheme, expanding services for patients and making general practice a more attractive career option for doctors. Implementation of the Agreement is ongoing and will continue into 2023 to bring the programme to completion.
The Agreement includes a commitment to undertake a strategic review of GP services within the lifetime of the Agreement, to examine how best to ensure the provision of GP services in Ireland for the future. Preparatory work has commenced on this. The review will examine the broad range of issues affecting general practice and will set out measures necessary to deliver a sustainable service into the future. The outcome of this review will inform future contractual changes.
856. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the status of a product (details supplied); when he expects the full technology assessment to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39454/22]
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.
857. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of treating a patient with a product (details supplied). [39455/22]
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.
858. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health when the next booster for Covid-19 will be rolled out; the availability of the vaccine for those currently at risk and a timeline for further vaccinations programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39508/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland's COVID-19 vaccination programme is based on the principles of safety, effectiveness and fairness, with the objective of reducing severe illness, hospitalisations and deaths from COVID-19 infection.The immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The NIAC makes recommendations on vaccination policy to the Department of Health based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practices in relation to immunisation.Following the recommendation for use of vaccines against COVID-19 by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and authorisation for use by the European Commission, the NIAC develops guidance for their use in Ireland which is contained in the Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland. These guidelines are continuously updated and include guidance on all new vaccines as they are approved for use in Ireland.You can view the guidelines here: www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/hcpinfo/guidelines/covid19.pdf.The NIAC has recently advised a second booster dose for people over 65 and people with a weak immune system aged 12 and over. The Committee will continue to examine emerging evidence regarding booster vaccines for others in the population where there is evidence of waning immunity and reduced effectiveness and will make further recommendations if required.
The NIAC advised in April that they consider it likely that a third booster dose will be required for older persons and the immunocompromised in Autumn/Winter 2022. It continues to actively examine the evidence regarding the likely benefit of a second booster to other groups, vaccine choice and interval considering the likely predominant variant in order to make further recommendations in this regard.
The HSE has developed a revised operating model to underpin the continuation of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Autumn/Winter 2022.
859. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of delivering the committed to home support service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39528/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government commits the government to “increase homecare hours and introduce a Statutory Homecare Scheme.”
The overall budget for home support this year is in excess of €670 million. This included the additional funding of €150 million I secured in Budget 2021 to progress the development of a reformed model of service delivery to underpin the statutory scheme for the financing and regulation of home-support services and to provide 5 million additional hours of home support.
In 2022, our aim is to provide 23.67 million hours of home support which is more than 25% above the 2020 National Service Plan target.
Work is ongoing to progress the development of the new home support scheme within the broader context of the ongoing reform of our health and social care system, as envisaged in the Sláintecare Report. The scheme will provide equitable access to high-quality services based on a person’s assessed care-needs. The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) undertook a programme of work on behalf of the Department on the potential demand for, and cost of, home support which culminated in two reports.
This research will form an important part of the evidence base for the development of a sustainable funding model for home support services in the context of our ageing population.
An internal consultation process on a range of potential funding options is underway. Targeted external consultation will follow in due course.
860. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health the number of healthcare workers and amount paid county-by-county under HSE HR Circular 012/2022 as part of the pandemic bonus payment in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39535/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFirstly I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all healthcare workers for their efforts during this most challenging period.
On January 19th, the Government announced a COVID-19 pandemic recognition payment for frontline public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic. Following extensive engagement with healthcare unions on the matter, on 19th April the HSE published eligibility guidelines and FAQs, as apply to the HSE and Section 38 agencies, which are available on its website: www.hse.ie/eng/staff/resources/hr-circulars/hr-circular-012-2022-pandemic-special-recognition-payment.html.
Payment is currently receiving priority across all Hospital Groups and Community Services in the HSE. As of Friday, 8 July, 68,943 eligible HSE staff have received payment around the country. This number excludes Section 38 agencies which are estimated to have paid 20,000 staff to date thereby bringing the total number of employees paid to 88,943.
All payments across the HSE and Section 38 organisations are being progressed by local management and each site will assess the eligibility of their staff before processing payment. As eligibility is still being assessed and payments are still being processed across sites locally, I cannot provide you with the number of public service workers who have been paid county by county, at this point.
The HSE and the Department are currently examining progressing the rollout to the list of 6 non-HSE/non-Section 38 organisation types covered by the Government Decision. It is hoped that information will be published shortly for those certain non-HSE/S38 healthcare employees that are covered by the Government Decision and the process available to their employers to implement this measure for their eligible staff. This shall cover eligible staff in:
1. Private Sector Nursing Homes and Hospices (e.g. Private, Voluntary, Section 39 etc.);
2. Eligible staff working on-site in Section 39 long-term residential care facilities for people with disabilities;
3. Agency roles working in the HSE;
4. Health Care Support Assistants (also known as home help / home care / home support) contracted to the HSE;
5. Members of the Defence Forces redeployed to work in frontline Covid-19 exposed environments in the HSE;
6. Paramedics employed by Dublin Fire Brigade to deliver services on behalf of the HSE.
The rollout of payments to the eligible workers highlighted above has not yet begun, and eligibility has not yet been assessed across the private sector. We expect the rollout to begin shortly and for eligible workers to be paid as soon as possible
861. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied) to the treatment abroad scheme. [39546/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
862. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the number of children and young persons on waiting lists for an assessment of need in each HSE region [39548/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra863. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the number of children currently on waiting lists for therapeutic care in each children’s disability network team according to each speciality; the average waiting time for an appointment;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39549/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 862 and 863 together.
As the Deputy's questions relate to service issues, they have been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
864. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if he will set a national ambition to reduce the number of stillbirths and neo-natal deaths. [39550/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Women and Infants Health Programme was established in the HSE to lead on the management, organisation and delivery of maternity, gynaecological and neonatal services nationally. In that context, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
865. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if he will establish a committee/unit to study stillbirth and neo-natal death as a public health issue and to make recommendations for reducing the number of stillbirths and neo-natal deaths, including testing and screening for Group B Strep, vasa praevia, pre-eclampsia, and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. [39551/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Women and Infants Health Programme was established in the HSE to lead on the management, organisation and delivery of maternity, gynaecological and neonatal services nationally. In that context, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
867. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the number of children and adults on the orthodontic waiting lists in Cork; the average waiting times for appointments; the number that are waiting more than six months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39556/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.
868. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the number of people waiting on the CAMHS waiting list in Cork the average waiting time; the number waiting more than six months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39557/22]
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.
869. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the number of people that are waiting homecare support in Cork; the total number of hours allocated in each of the past 12 months in Cork the average number of hours granted to each successful applicant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39558/22]
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
870. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the number of people awaiting colonoscopy in each of the Cork hospitals; the number of these that have been waiting up to 30, 30 to 60, 60 – to 90 and more than 90 days broken down in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39559/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. While significant work continues to positively impact on waiting times and improve pathways to elective care, acute hospitals have been impacted by operational challenges arising from surges in cases related to the Omicron variants.
The HSE has confirmed to the Department that 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 Department of Health continues to work with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to identify ways to improve access to care, including through increased use of private hospitals, funding weekend and evening work in public hospitals, funding “see and treat” services, providing virtual clinics, and increasing capacity in the public hospital system.
The 2022 Waiting List Action Plan, which was launched on the 25th of February, allocates €350 million to the HSE and NTPF to reduce waiting lists. Under this plan the Department, HSE, and NTPF will deliver urgent additional capacity for the treatment of patients, as well as investing in longer term reforms to bring sustained reductions in waiting lists.
The plan builds on the successes of the short-term 2021 plan that ran from September to December last year. The 2021 plan was developed by the Department of Health, the HSE and the NTPF and was driven and overseen by a senior governance group co-chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of Health and the CEO of the HSE and met fortnightly.
This rigorous level of governance and scrutiny of waiting lists has continued into this year with the oversight group evolving into the Waiting List Task Force. The Task Force will meet regularly to drive progress of the 2022 plan.
This is the first stage of an ambitious multi-annual waiting list programme, which is currently under development in the Department of Health. Between them, these plans will work to support short, medium, and long term initiatives to reduce waiting times and provide the activity needed in years to come.
In relation to the particular query raised, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has provided the attached table which outlines the waiting list for colonoscopy at each of the Cork Hospitals in standardised time bands of 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months and 18+months.
The NTPF publishes waiting list data in standardised time-bands and Statistical Disclosure Control (SDC) techniques are applied to the data to preserve confidentiality and mitigate against identification or self-identification of individuals.
871. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the number of people awaiting endoscopy in each of the Cork hospitals; the number of these that have been waiting up to 30, 30 to 60, 60 to 90 and more than 90 days broken down in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39560/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. While significant work continues to positively impact on waiting times and improve pathways to elective care, acute hospitals have been impacted by operational challenges arising from surges in cases related to the Omicron variants.
The HSE has confirmed to the Department that 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 Department of Health continues to work with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to identify ways to improve access to care, including through increased use of private hospitals, funding weekend and evening work in public hospitals, funding “see and treat” services, providing virtual clinics, and increasing capacity in the public hospital system.
The 2022 Waiting List Action Plan, which was launched on the 25th of February, allocates €350 million to the HSE and NTPF to reduce waiting lists. Under this plan the Department, HSE, and NTPF will deliver urgent additional capacity for the treatment of patients, as well as investing in longer term reforms to bring sustained reductions in waiting lists.
The plan builds on the successes of the short-term 2021 plan that ran from September to December last year. The 2021 plan was developed by the Department of Health, the HSE and the NTPF and was driven and overseen by a senior governance group co-chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of Health and the CEO of the HSE and met fortnightly.
This rigorous level of governance and scrutiny of waiting lists has continued into this year with the oversight group evolving into the Waiting List Task Force. The Task Force will meet regularly to drive progress of the 2022 plan.
This is the first stage of an ambitious multi-annual waiting list programme, which is currently under development in the Department of Health. Between them, these plans will work to support short, medium, and long term initiatives to reduce waiting times and provide the activity needed in years to come.
In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, the attached document, provided to my Department by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) provides the number of people on the waiting list for Inpatient/Day Case Endoscopy in each of the Cork hospitals in standardised time bands of 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months and 18+months.
The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) collates and publishes Inpatient/Daycase waiting list data monthly on the NTPF website - www.ntpf.ie/home/inpatient.htm.
The NTPF provides a breakdown of the Inpatient/Daycase waiting list figures by adult and child, nationally, by hospital, and by specialty, in standardised time bands of 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months and 18+months. Current and past waiting list data from 2014 is available on the NTPF website, with open data source information also available for public analysis.
872. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the breakdown of the number of vacancies at each of the Cork hospitals the grade of each vacancy; the length of time of the vacancy; in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39561/22]
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.
873. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting a needs assessment in CHO4; the number who have been waiting less than 3 months; the number that have been waiting 3- to 6, 6to 12 and more than 12 months; broken down in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39562/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra875. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for a speech and language appointment in each of the children's disability network teams in Cork; the number who have been waiting less than 3, 3- to 6, 6 to12 and more than 12 months broken down in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39564/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 873 and 875 together.
As the Deputy's questions relate to service issues, they have been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
