Written Answers Nos. 430-450
430. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health the number of persons to contact the HSE's drug and alcohol helplines in each of the past ten years, by county, in tabular form; the numbers who have sought help for problem gambling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26926/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
431. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the pilot treatment programme for gambling addiction in the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26927/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
432. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health the number of psychologists employed in psychology in primary care (counselling/educational/clinical) for those under 18 years of age, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26928/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
433. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health the number of people seen by the psychology in primary care children's service in 2021, 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024, respectively, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26929/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
434. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health the number of referrals received by the psychology in primary care children's service in 2021, 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024, respectively, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26930/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
435. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health to report on the status of the waiting list action plan for psychology services for children and young people that has been funded through the HSE's National Service Plan 2024; the actions being taken under the plan; the impact of the action plan to date in 2024; the targeted outcome of the plan by the end of 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26931/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
436. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health for an update on the development of the model of care for ADHD in children and young people by the HSE; the timeline for completion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26932/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Question No. 437 answered with Question No. 410.
438. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the status of a primary care centre in Tullow; if the HSE intends to incorporate existing provision of therapists into a new centre or create a recruitment drive; if the HSE has met with local practitioners regarding a new primary care centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26934/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
439. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health the number of drug liaison officers in Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26935/24]
View answerAs this refers to a service matter, I have sent this PQ to the HSE for direct response. As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday 6th October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
440. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health for an update on mental health supports for those experiencing homelessness, given a report (details supplied) which found a rise in the numbers of those seeking supports. [26937/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond Directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
441. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health when a clinical assessment of a person (details supplied) will be carried out at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26940/24]
View answerUnder 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.
442. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health when physiotherapy will be made available for a person (details supplied), who was referred from the orthopaedic department in University Hospital Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26941/24]
View answerUnder 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.
444. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the status of the licensing and reimbursement of jorveza; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26957/24]
View answerUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
445. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health whether there are plans to increase funding and capacity for public PrEP services such as those provided at a clinic in St. James’s Hospital (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26960/24]
View answer446. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health whether there are plans to allow GPs to provide PrEP to their existing patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26961/24]
View answer447. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health whether there are plans to utilise the existing network of sexual health clinics and HIV-AIDS volunteer groups such as (details supplied) to increase availability of PrEP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26962/24]
View answer448. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health whether there are plans to allow online pharmacies to prescribe and deliver PrEP to customers in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26963/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 445 to 448, inclusive, together.
Sexual health is a priority for this Government. The National Sexual Health Strategy, 2015-2020, (NSHS), was launched in October 2015 and is implemented by the HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme (SHCPP). The NSHS aims to support sexual health and wellbeing across the lifecourse. Following stakeholder consultation and an independent review, the Strategy is currently being re-drafted by an expert Group; a refreshed version is scheduled to be published in Q3-4, 2024. An independent Review by Crowe Ireland, published in 2023 on the Healthy Ireland website, identified 56 Priority Actions, of which 49 were assessed as having been successfully progressed. The Review also provides recommendations with regard to the future direction of the next NSHS.
Current priority sexual health deliverables include:
• Providing sexually transmitted infection (STI) and HIV prevention, diagnosis and treatment services, through the national network of 23 STI clinics and expansion of the nationwide home HIV and STI testing scheme
• HIV prevention, including HIV Fast-Track Cities, the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) programmes, research, campaigns and supports to counter stigma for people living with HIV.
• Expanding access to free contraception, through the free contraception scheme for women and National Condom Distribution Service (NCDS).
• Prioritising monitoring, evaluation and research regarding sexual health, including progressing a comprehensive population survey on sexual health.
• Monitoring emerging STIs and changes in pathogenicity and/or transmissibility of existing pathogens (close links maintained with the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) that collates STI incidence and trends, and the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA)).
• Improving sexual health education, training and resources, including schools, higher and further education, through www.sexualwellbeing.ie, in partnership with relevant NGOs.
A national HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programme commenced in November 2019, following a HIQA HTA, which concluded that its introduction would be safe, effective, and cost saving. Free PrEP medication is available to individuals who meet clinical eligibility criteria, attending HSE approved PrEP services. These include public PrEP services, delivered through the public network of STI clinics, and some general practice (GP) services and private providers. There are currently 13 approved public PrEP services, located in public STI clinics, and 17 private or general practitioner (GP) PrEP providers. Appointments at the 13 public PrEP services are free of charge, however, the private providers charge for consultations.The number of people eligible to access PrEP has been expanding since inception, with the number of individuals re-imbursed for PrEP at least once expanding from 1763 in 2020 (the first full year of service delivery), to 3388 in 2022 and 3802 by the end of Q4, 2023. Clinical criteria for PrEP eligibility have been widened in recent years, increasing the number of people eligible for the programme. While the PrEP service continued to grow in 2023, many PrEP services are reaching (or have reached) capacity and service users are reporting challenges accessing appointments. By Q4, 2024, 6,070 individuals were approved for free PrEP medication. Additional work is required to understand the extent of the unmet need/demand for PrEP, which has been estimated as circa 30%. Additional funding of €600,000 has been allocated in 2024 to further support delivery of the PrEP scheme, bringing the total allocation to €5.9m. In order to increase capacity, a number of additional measures have been deployed and are being developed, including administrative efficiencies, the use of telephone consultations and use of the free home STI testing scheme for routine tests. In order to increase the number of providers, a PrEP competency framework and eLearning platform has been developed; these can be accessed by GPs with an interest in providing PrEP. The home STI testing scheme has received additional funding of €720,000 in 2024, bringing total funding for this to €4.22m It is of vital importance that people at risk of HIV and living with HIV (PLHIV) are promptly linked to care, for prevention of onward transmission and for clinical benefit. It is also vital that those at risk are encouraged to access regular testing and preventive programmes such as PrEP. These measures are key elements towards achieving UN and WHO aims of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe by 2030 and supporting wider national and international commitments. In addition to further funding for both PrEP and for home STI testing in 2024, we are progressing further development of HIV Fast-Track Cities in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. We are also supporting people living with HIV and countering the stigma they may experience. To mark Pride Week, I will be launching a Community Garden, supported by the Department, at HIV Ireland’s HQ in Dublin, as part of Pride Week.Additional capacity for PrEP delivery, through the public system, its partnerships and through primary care, are being considered as part of the wider ongoing work to redraft the National Sexual Health Strategy; it is envisaged that the new Strategy will be published in late Q3, 2024. Measures included for consideration will include a Model of Care for sexual health, to examine capacity and delivery, nationwide, in the context of HIV and STI rates that are rising both nationally and internationally. Additional capacity planned for 2025 will be considered as part of the Estimates process leading to Budget 2025. Expanding the role of pharmacists is being actively progressed by the Minister for Health; primary legislation to support this is passing through the Houses of Oireachtas currently. The Expert Taskforce on Pharmacy are finalising their recommendations to the Minister, which further will inform development of both primary and secondary legislative frameworks and regulation to support the expansion of pharmacy. The capacity for community sexual health partners to support PrEP delivery in line with clinical governance and frameworks for delivery; the feasibility of expanding the proportion of public STI clinics delivering PrEP and the clinical advisability (or otherwise) of allowing online pharmacies to prescribe and/or deliver PrEP are matters requiring significant expert clinical consideration and are therefore service matters for which the input of our HSE colleagues is essential. As these are service matters, I have also asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
449. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the total spending by the HSE on independent and privately run mental health centres, in each of the years 2021 to 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form. [26974/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
450. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the total spend by the HSE on independent and privately run mental health services outside the Irish State, in each of the years 2021 to 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form. [26975/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
