Written Answers Nos. 31-39
31. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the severe shortage of medical scientists working in hospitals; if he is aware of the impact this is having on patients nationwide; if he will consider an amendment to legislation that would allow CORU to accredit scientists in a single discipline to provide an instant boost in numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25061/24]
View answerAs the Deputy will already be aware, the Health and Social Care Professionals Council and Registration Boards, collectively known as CORU, are responsible for protecting the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct, education, training, and competence amongst the professions designated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act (2005).
The Medical Scientists Registration Board is an independent board with statutory powers to implement regulation for the profession. The board is responsible for establishing the register of medical scientists, approving and monitoring education and training programmes, and setting standards.
The Medical Scientists Registration Board has set its Standards of Proficiency – which articulate the threshold knowledge, skills, competence, and professional attributes that are required for public protection on entry to its register. On entry to the register, medical scientists are competent to practice in all major specialities, as part of multi-disciplinary teams and provide routine or ‘out of hours’ services in either a single speciality or multi-disciplinary settings as required.
My officials consulted with CORU who have clarified that proposals to establish divisions of the register for medical scientists would require distinct and separate standards of proficiency for entry to each division of a register. If the Medical Scientists Registration Board were to adopt divisions of its register, it would fundamentally change the current structures and provision of education and training of Irish graduates. If divisions were specific to specialisms, with distinct education standards for entry, and education and training programmes aligned to these, graduates would not be competent to practice across all major specialisms nor perform routine or ‘out of hours’ services in multi-disciplinary settings as required.
Divisions of a register are linked to distinct professional titles which provides assurance as to the threshold standard for entry to each division and which is clearly communicated to the public through the use of the protected title (for example, division of dispensing optician). In circumstances where a registration board has established divisions, such as for radiographers and radiation therapists, there are defined titles and standards for entry to practice in each division of the register. This would not be the case for medical scientists. It would create confusion as to what can be expected of a professional holding a given title, which creates risk for public protection, where registrants in different divisions all use the same protected title ‘medical scientist’ with no differentiation by title as to which specialism they are equipped to practice safely.
It should be noted that any proposed change to the regulatory model for medical scientists, even if deemed appropriate by the Medical Scientists Registration Board, would not be achievable in the short term to address immediate recruitment challenges, given the likely impact on current education and training structures, service delivery, and protection of the public.
Work is ongoing with the HSE and other stakeholders to consider solutions to address recruitment, career progression, and retention issues, for example through increasing the number of undergraduate programme places and establishing graduate entry programmes for medical science.
32. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the up-to-date position of a review and updating of the national carers' strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25386/24]
View answerGovernment policy on family carers is set out in the 2012 National Carers' Strategy which provides the strategic direction for future policies, services and supports provided by Government departments and agencies for carers. The Strategy is designed around a core vision which recognises and respects carers as key care partners who are supported to maintain their own health and well-being, care with confidence and participate as fully as possible in economic and social life. Oversight of the Strategy is led by my department, with individual Government Departments leading on action areas under their remit.
Before commencing work on updating the National Carers Strategy, consideration is being given regarding the approach and the breadth of stakeholder consultation. A review of the Strategy, carried out by Care Alliance Ireland and University College Cork in 2021, found that over 90% of carers felt the actions in the Strategy were still relevant and wanted them retained.
In March, I established with Minister Humphrey’s an inter-departmental group examining supports for family carers. Membership of the group includes my department, the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
The inter-departmental group will report its findings to me and the Ministers for Social Protection and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth by Q3 2024.
33. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which his Department and the HSE continue to engage with the various hospitals throughout the country, with a view to improving the throughput at accident and emergency services in order to ensure early diagnosis/full triage in the quickest possible time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25745/24]
View answerThe Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) Operational Plan 2023 supports the delivery and management of UEC by establishing clear integrated operational actions and targets alongside approved surge measures to mitigate the risks associated with high UEC demand pressures.
An integrated system of governance and accountability supports the delivery of this plan by providing ongoing monitoring and oversight of UEC activities and performance.
The oversight and implementation of the UEC Plan is facilitated by a monthly cycle of Taskforce meetings and associated Ministerial meetings. These groups are comprised of senior representatives of the Department of Health and HSE. The Taskforce drives and oversees the implementation of the UEC Plan each year and ensures effective communication and information sharing across all aspects of the UEC plan implementation, throughout the Department of Health and HSE with all key stakeholders. The Taskforce reports directly to the Minister for Health on UEC performance and the status of UEC Operational Plan activities. These meetings are supported by weekly DoH and HSE PMIU governance meetings. This system of governance compliments service delivery within the HSE.
The 2023 UEC Operational Plan is the foundation for the 2024 UEC Operational plan, providing continuation and sustainability to the improvements achieved thus far.
34. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which he and his Department continue to monitor, assess and remedy any shortcomings in the delivery of health services, whether in regard to access to homecare, general medical services and capacity requirements in whatever area, with a view to resolution in the short term in order to make the health services in this country a more attractive place to work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25746/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
35. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Health to outline the current situation with regard to the recruitment embargo on the health service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25743/24]
View answerFunding has been made available for an additional 2,969 staff for 2024 (2,268 via DoH and 701 via DCEDIY).
I have approved the allocation of the 2024 New Development posts relevant to the health budget and plans to recruit these 2,268 additional staff are in motion. This will enable the HSE to set out its recruitment targets in each area for 2024 and inform decisions at local level on the filling of available posts, including recruitment of new staff, relocation of staff within the health service and appointments of those returning to work following career breaks. I have also approved the roll out of safe staffing through the conversion of 418 agency staff.
While discussions are ongoing I am, in the main, in agreement with the HSE Pay and Numbers Strategy (PNS). The outstanding issue relates to how the unfunded posts created through over recruitment are to be managed. I put options to Government at the end of March 2024 on how to resolve this and my Department, along with the HSE, will be in a position to finalise the PNS once a final decision is reached.
36. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if his Department has commenced work on the carer's guarantee which was an element of the Programme for Government; what range of services (fuel, emergency assistance, recuperation supports, and so on) are envisaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25412/24]
View answerAnnually recurring funding of €2 million has been provided since Budget 2021 under the National Carers’ Strategy to improve equity of access to supports for carers across the country. This funding is an important step towards delivering on the Programme for Government commitment to develop a Carers’ Guarantee, providing a more standard package of supports to family carers in every region, in tandem with the community and voluntary sector. €1.9 million of this funding is being provided to Family Carers Ireland to deliver a mix of community and individual supports across five areas of activity:
• community carer supports;
• intensive and emergency supports;
• education and training;
• family Carer Ireland’s freephone careline; and
• psychosocial support.
• The remaining €100,000 funds Care Alliance Ireland to deliver a professionally moderated online support group for Family Carers. The service promotes supports to assist family carers in carrying out their caring roles, thus allowing care recipients to be maintained in their own homes and communities.
• To complete the Carers’ Guarantee and fully deliver on the Programme for Government commitment, an additional €3.1m in annual funding is being sought as part of the Estimates process to ensure an equitable provision of services to support family carers.
37. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that an organisation (details supplied) recently stated that it has yet to see any of 1,500 additional public hospital beds across 15 acute public hospital sites he announced in April 2023 and that it sought clarification as to how the 1,541 beds due by the end of 2028 and the 2,997 beds due by 2031 announced recently by himself differ from those already promised in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25785/24]
View answerI recently published the Acute Hospital Inpatient Bed Capacity Expansion Plan 2024-2031. This recognised capacity already delivered to and committed by Government while also addressing medium to longer terms capacity needs.
This plan was informed by HSE modelling and a site by site assessment as well as ongoing work by the ESRI.
I initiated and developed the Plan as I recognise that we need to increase our bed capacity to meet the healthcare needs of our growing and ageing population.
Since 2020 an additional 1,218 additional new acute inpatient beds have been opened to date, representing the largest expansion of public acute hospital capacity in the history of the health service.
The Plan aim is to deliver 3,352 new beds (2,997 net new hospital beds and 355 replacement beds), with the location of these new beds across the six regional health areas. These beds are in addition to the 1,015 hospital beds under construction and/or committed to, bringing the total number of new beds to be delivered by 2031 to 4,367.
The Plan has been developed with the following principles and criteria, in line with the Department of Health’s Strategic Health Investment Framework (SHIF):
• Expanding capacity to meet current and future need and aligned with clinical strategies/plans;
• Balanced regional health capacity;
• Value for money, a focus on delivery timeframes and climate impact through use of both traditional and modern methods of construction; and
• investment per hospital that is contingent on each hospital being able to demonstrate productivity with existing allocation of capacity and resources.
• The health service has delivered significant improvements to people’s health outcomes in recent years and must continue to deliver improved outcomes while also managing an increasing and ageing population, as well as growing demand for healthcare and new treatments.
• Implementation of this Acute Inpatient Bed Capacity Expansion Plan will contribute significantly towards this.
