Cathal Crowe
Ceist:585. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the status of the recruitment and appointment of a spinal surgery for Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin. [57371/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraHealth Services Staff
Ceisteanna (585)
Freagraí scríofa
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Mental Health Services
Ceisteanna (586)
Marian Harkin
Ceist:586. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health the number on the waiting lists to access CAMHS by CHO area in each of the years 2015 to 2021; and the waiting times involved to access these appointments. [57377/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Mental Health Services
Ceisteanna (587)
Marian Harkin
Ceist:587. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health the number on the waiting lists to access CAMHS in counties Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal and Roscommon in each of the years 2015 to 2021, in tabular form; and the waiting times involved to access these appointments. [57378/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Health Services Staff
Ceisteanna (588)
Marian Harkin
Ceist:588. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health the speech and language therapy, social work, physiotherapy and occupational therapy positions allocated and filled in counties Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal and Roscommon in each of the years 2015 to 2021, in tabular form. [57379/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly.
Health Services Staff
Ceisteanna (589)
Marian Harkin
Ceist:589. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health the speech and language therapy, social work, physiotherapy and occupational therapy positions allocated and filled on a national basis by hospital group and CHO area, in each of the years 2015 to 2021, in tabular form. [57380/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly.
Home Help Service
Ceisteanna (590)
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Ceist:590. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if a child (details supplied) will receive home support hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57382/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services Staff
Ceisteanna (591)
Darren O'Rourke
Ceist:591. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the number and grade of staff hired to work in the 91 CDNTs since the beginning of 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57385/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services Staff
Ceisteanna (592)
Darren O'Rourke
Ceist:592. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the current staff vacancies by discipline in child and adult disability services in CHO8; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57386/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services Staff
Ceisteanna (593)
Darren O'Rourke
Ceist:593. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the current staff vacancies in child and adult disability services in County Meath; the staff vacancies in each of the four CDNTs in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57387/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Home Care Packages
Ceisteanna (594)
Darren O'Rourke
Ceist:594. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the rationale for the 'in loco parentis' rule in place for families availing of home nursing care; if he intends to abolish this rule; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57388/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I have been advised by the HSE that they are not currently implementing the ‘in loco parentis’ rule for families availing of Paediatric Homecare Packages.
Following a National Quality Assurance Initiative (NQAI) to review current service delivery models for Children with Complex Healthcare Needs, a Planned Parental Absence Guideline was developed. This included a review of the evidence available relating to this issue in Ireland and the UK, along with feedback from both parents and HSE Directors of Public Health Nursing on the restrictive nature of the ‘in loco parentis’ rule and the difficulties enforcing that rule.
The Planned Parental Absence Guideline was implemented across all Community Healthcare Organisations (CHOs) when the NQAI report was published in December 2021. It is now the national standard of care across all Paediatric Homecare Packages.
Planned parental absences are to facilitate parents to carry out regular daily tasks, for example, collection of other children from school or grocery shopping hospital appointments. This Guideline provides a framework for the occasions where a parent is availing of a planned absence.
The parent continues as the principal care givers for these children at home with the support of nursing care, however planned absence can be agreed at the initiation or review of a Paediatric Homecare Package.
All families in receipt of care provided through Paediatric Homecare Packages can avail of the Planned Parental Absence process, and the Guideline is relevant for families parenting alone, or as a couple. However, it is important to note that the HSE advise that consideration and application of same will be led by the clinical needs of the child, individual family dynamics and be subject to controls in place to minimise and manage risk as set out in the Guideline.
Disability Services
Ceisteanna (595)
Jackie Cahill
Ceist:595. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health the reason for the lack of consistency in psychology, occupational therapy, speech and language and physiotherapy appointments for children with physical and or intellectual disabilities in north Tipperary, either in the Belmont centre in Nenagh, County Tipperary or through school visits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57402/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Disability Services
Ceisteanna (596)
Jackie Cahill
Ceist:596. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health the number of clients that each psychologist has on their list in relation to the two new psychologist positions recently filled in north Tipperary for disability services; his views on whether further psychologists are required in the area to provide the necessary services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57403/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services
Ceisteanna (597)
Thomas Gould
Ceist:597. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the restoration of funding to the North Inner City Taskforce. [57411/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As previously advised to the Deputy, the Department of Health continues to provide €2.249m per annum to community-based drug and alcohol services under the remit of the North Inner City Drug and Alcohol Task Force (NICDAFT). No funding has been withheld.
The City of Dublin Youth Services Board (CDYSB), and the HSE (CHO Dublin North City and County) act as channels of funding for the administration of this funding to front line drug and alcohol projects. CDYSB administer in the region of €394,856 to four front line drug and alcohol projects in NIC on behalf of the Department of Health. The HSE acts as a channel of funding for the distribution and oversight of €2.025m in funding to services in the NIC.The Department asked the HSE and the CDYSB to provide reassurance to the frontline services that funding continues to be provided in 2022. In this regard, the Department understands that HSE has met with each of the funded organisations as part of the annual Service Level/Grant Aid Agreement process.In 2021, the HSE allocated €244,473 for office programmes and resources associated with the NICDATF task force. As the task force is currently not functioning, there are no activities that require funding.
The HSE holds a Service Level Arrangement (SLA) with the company for the delivery of these activities. The Department understands that the HSE met with the directors of the limited company that previously managed this funding on behalf of the task force, on 13th January and again on 10th March. It was mutually agreed that a work plan could not be developed while the task forces is not functioning. The HSE is now engaged with local services with a view to re-allocating the funding in 2022.
I am committed to addressing the drug and alcohol issues affecting the north inner city in conjunction with the HSE, community-based service providers, the NEIC Initiative, and other stakeholders. I have provided significant additional resources in Budget 2022 and again in Budget 2023 to expand services in the north inner city.
Health Services
Ceisteanna (598)
Thomas Gould
Ceist:598. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update to the restoration of an umbrella national family support network. [57412/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The National Drug Strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, commits to strengthening services to support families affected by substance misuse.
It is a priority for the remaining period of the strategy to strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use and the associated harms among children, young people and families.
The HSE funds a number of organisations that provide family support services at both local and regional levels.
The Department is aware of the closure of the National Family Support Network (NFSN). This was a voluntary organisation, made up of local and regional family support networks. The Department has engaged with local and regional family support networks following the closure of the NFSN I believe that family support services have an important role to play in the implementation the national drugs strategy and I am supportive of their efforts to work together both regionally and nationally.
Health Services
Ceisteanna (599)
Thomas Gould
Ceist:599. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the number of meetings that he has held with the Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health in 2022 regarding addiction or in which addiction was a topic of discussion by month in tabular form. [57413/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Minister Donnelly and I engage in an ongoing basis on the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy, and the 6 Strategic Priorities for the remaining period of the Strategy. These new priorities will strengthen the health-led approach to drug use, as agreed in the Programme for Government, and align with the EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan.
The six strategic priorities for the national drugs strategy for 2021-2025 are:
- strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use among children and young people;
- enhance access and delivery of drug and alcohol services in the community,
- develop harm reduction responses and integrated care pathways for high-risk drug users,
- address the social determinants and consequences of drugs use in disadvantaged communities:
- promote alternatives to coercive sanctions for drug-related offences: and
- strengthen evidence-informed and outcomes-focused practice, services, policies and strategy implementation.
In Budget 2023, Minister Donnelly and I agreed an allocation of €4million for the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy and an additional €3.5million for community and voluntary providers to maintain existing levels of services. More details can be found in the following factsheet. assets.gov.ie/236015/722496be-5cbe-4951-ba98-d27833a813af.pdf
Minister Donnelly and I continue to work closely together to progress the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Ceisteanna (600)
Joe Flaherty
Ceist:600. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Health the number and percentage of staff in CHO8 who are still awaiting their bonus pandemic payment of €1,000. [57425/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Ceisteanna (601)
Joe Flaherty
Ceist:601. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Health the reason that staff in the registry office in Longford are still awaiting their bonus pandemic payment of €1,000 given that their peers in other offices have received the payment. [57426/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Ceisteanna (602)
Joe Flaherty
Ceist:602. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown of the departments and services within the CHO8 that are still awaiting their bonus pandemic payment of €1,000. [57427/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Ceisteanna (603)
Joe Flaherty
Ceist:603. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Health if the section 39 staff at St Christopher’s, Longford, will receive their bonus pandemic payment of €1,000 prior to Christmas (details supplied). [57428/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Ceisteanna (604)
Joe Flaherty
Ceist:604. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Health the reason that staff employed in the vaccination centre at Newtownforbes, County Longford, are still awaiting their bonus pandemic payment of €1,000. [57429/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.