Written Answers Nos. 332-347
332. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of people on CAMHS waiting lists by CHO and length of wait at the end of each quarter of 2023, and to date in 2024, in tabular form. [30334/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
333. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on diagnostic waiting lists at the end of each quarter of 2022 to 2024, for each location, in tabular form. [30335/24]
View answerThe HSE advises that a pilot project commenced in 2016 by the HSE Acute Hospitals Division to progress the collection of national radiology waiting list data. The project has been supported by the Radiology Clinical Care Programme and has involved key stakeholders across the system including the National Integrated Medical Imaging System (NIMIS) Team, Hospital Groups, and the support of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) for data collection and data management expertise.
The information that is currently being collected is presently being tested and validated at hospital, hospital group and national level and as such should not be used/reported without the context of the caveats set out below:
• Data is subject to inclusions and exclusions which are documented in the Data Profile Document. This document is available from Acute Operations and has been circulated to all Hospital Groups.
• Data contains urgent, routine and surveillance/planned activity which is currently not broken down in detail, as such this includes surveillance/planned activity which may not be exceeding planned date.
• Data is still undergoing validation at Hospital and Hospital Group level. Data does not take into account local nuances at site level (Site profile developed to support understanding of same).
• The purpose of this aggregate data is to provide a National Level overview of the number of patients waiting for modalities of CT, MRI and Ultrasound.
• This report is not intended to be used for the active management of hospital diagnostics waiting list, local reports and mechanisms should continue to be used for the management of diagnostics waiting lists at hospital level.
The NTPF provides my Department with Quarterly reports which set out waiting list data for CT, MRI and Ultrasound. The HSE advises that, at present, further diagnostic scans (including cholangiopancreatography, electroencephalogram, angiogram, electrocardiogram and bone scan), are not yet captured as part of this project.
I have provided the Deputy with reports for each quarter in 2022 and 2023 in response to previous Parliamentary Questions. The most recent report available for Quarter 1 2024 is attached.
At the end of Quarter 1 2024, there was a total of 276,004 patients reported on the waiting list from all sites, this represents all outpatients waiting, urgent, semi urgent, routine and planned/surveillance (where diagnostic access is planned at particular time intervals).
334. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of dentists on the dental treatment services scheme at the end of each quarter of 2022 to 2024 by LHO, in tabular form. [30336/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
335. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of dentists who submitted DTSS claims and the total number of claims in each quarter of 2022 to 2024, in tabular form. [30337/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
336. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of adults and children on HSE dental and orthodontic waiting lists at the end of each quarter for each year 2022 to 2024, broken down by standard waiting times and by area, in tabular form. [30338/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
337. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of HSE employees whose total employee benefits (details supplied) are at €50,001 or above; the number at €50,000 and below, in tabular form. [30341/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
338. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost, capital and current, of implementing the acute bed capacity plan; the amount by year; the number of beds currently funded in existing NDP ceilings; the number of beds which will require new funding and the amount, in tabular form. [30342/24]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
339. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost, capital and current, of implementing the digital health framework; the amount by year; the amount currently funded in existing NDP ceilings; the amount of new funding required, in tabular form. [30343/24]
View answerThe recently published digital health strategy, 'Digital for Care: A Digital Health Framework for Ireland 2024-2030' describes a clear roadmap on how best to leverage digital to improve the way in which we deliver healthcare services for patients in Ireland.
The framework defines a Vision and Mission for Digital Health in Ireland. These are supported by six principles that describe how we will deliver on this vision, to guide investment and provide clear direction in building up strong digital health infrastructure and capabilities.
The framework is based on extensive stakeholder engagement and considerable engagement with other countries to understand what they have done and how they have used digital to modernise, reform and improve their health service. This includes lessons learned on what worked well as well as what did not.
The purpose of the framework is to provide direction. It does not describe the annual cost, what allocation would be required on an annual basis through NDP capital or revenue funding. However, it does make the point that 'the rate at which we choose to invest in this area will be a key determinant in the pace of roll-out of digital health capabilities and the delivery of the ambition as expressed through this framework'.
The framework also states that ' Through successive national service plans, capital and revenue funding has increased year on year. Delivery of this framework will require this incremental approach to continue through 2030 for the majority of projects, plus additional funding (capital and revenue) and staffing, specifically for the following key areas of investment: National EHRs deployed regionally, Cyber Resilience, National shared care record, Patient Engagement & Patient App, Electronic Prescribing, Telehealth and Virtual Wards, Digital Identities, and Standards & Interoperability.'
For reference, the budget for 2024 allocated €155m for ICT capital and €270m in revenue funding. This represents a significant and steady increase since 2018 when ICT capital funding was €60m.
The eHealth strategy in 2013 identified that the annual ICT budget for healthcare in Ireland was approximately 0.85% of total healthcare expenditure compared to an EU average of between 2% and 3%. Whilst considerable progress has been made since then, current insights from Gartner suggest that digitally mature healthcare systems now spend between 4% and 6% of their overall budget on digital health.
Furthermore, since 2021, allocations for ICT now include specific funding that is ringfenced every year to address the recommendations of the independent report commissioned by the board of the HSE in the wake of the cyberattack on the health service in May 2021, to build cyber resilience and maintain defences. There are also ongoing obligations to comply with EU-wide legislation on cyber security for operators of essential services, such as the EU Network and Information Systems Directive 2016/1148 and 2022/2555 (NIS1 and NIS2).
The department of health will work closely with the HSE in developing costings for the major programmes of work required to deliver on the ambition of the digital health strategic framework. The pace of delivery will ultimately be determined by the extent to which the Government choose to invest in digital, conscious of the other competing priorities for funding in health, as well as having the skills, resources and capacity for change and reform within the health service.
We would be happy to continue engagement with the Deputy as further details are developed.
340. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the report of the National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services; if he has received it, when it was received; when he intends to publish it; if he has not received it, when has he sought to receive it. [30344/24]
View answerThe National Review of Cardiac Services was established to recommend the best service configuration, clinical governance and performance requirements for national cardiac services for the next 10-15 years. The NRCS represents a significant and comprehensive piece of evidence-based work, supported by a steering group formed from nominations of interested stakeholders representing medical, professional/technical staff, nursing and patient representatives.
The aim of the Cardiac Services Review is to recommend a configuration for a national adult cardiac service to achieve optimal patient outcomes at the population level with particular emphasis on the safety, quality and sustainability of the services that patients receive. This aligns with the Sláintecare reform programme. In terms of scope, the National Review covers scheduled and unscheduled hospital-based services for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease in adults.
The Review is finalised and has been presented to Minister Donnelly's office. An interim plan is being developed to ensure continued progress and address immediate needs while the full report is being progressed to Government, allowing for preliminary actions and adjustments based on early findings and priorities.
341. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the current number of studies, reviews and research commissioned, undertaken, or received by him since he took office in tabular form; the status of each item; when each item is scheduled to be completed; the date of publication, if any. [30345/24]
View answer342. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the all-in revenue cost of one WTE family support worker. [30351/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
343. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the all-in revenue cost of one WTE community development worker. [30352/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
344. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the all-in cost of an additional one WTE senior staff nurse per local and regional DATF. [30353/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
345. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the level of HSE expenditure ahead of profile at the end of quarter 1 and quarter 2 2024. [30354/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
346. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the cost of expanding the contraception scheme to be universal in coverage. [30355/24]
View answerThe free contraception scheme was launched in September 2022, for women and girls ordinarily resident in Ireland, aged 17-25. The scheme was gradually extended to women aged 17-31 inclusive and was further expanded on July 1st, 2024 to include women aged 32-35. Almost 2,400 GPs and 2,050 pharmacies in all regions of the country have signed up to provide services and products under the scheme to date; it can be accessed across the country. Following the most recent expansion, the budget for the scheme in 2024 is approximately €48m.
The scheme covers the cost of consultations, and, where appropriate, fittings, checks and removals of contraceptive devices, with GPs, family planning, student health and primary care centres. It also covers the cost of prescriptions for the wide range of contraceptive options available through the Health Service Executive (HSE) Reimbursement List. These options include long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs); injections, implants and hormonal and copper coils. It also includes emergency contraception in addition to the oral contraceptive Pill, patch and ring.
The Report of the Working Group on Access to Contraception, published in 2019, and still available on my Department's website, estimated the likely costs of a universal, fully funded State scheme for contraception. Based on uptake rates of 50% - 100%, the report estimated total costs as between €83.15 million to €156.64 million to extend the scheme to 16-44 year-olds. Adjusting these estimates to 17-55 year-olds, the costs would range from €108m to €203m.
However, real world information drawn from the "real world" operation of the scheme to date shows that original cost estimates were overestimated; typical access rates are currently slightly less than 50% for eligible age cohorts, reducing with age. Peak per capita access to the scheme seems, from data available so far, to be from ages 19-24. As women reach their late 20s and early 30s and a larger proportion take breaks from contraception to plan families, costs per additional age-cohort are reducing. Moreover, the clinical guidance on some of the long-acting reversible contraception has changed; for example, some of the hormonal coils can be left in for longer, while still retaining effectiveness. On balance, based on the current data available to us from the first 18 months of scheme operation, the most likely cost range for full extension of the FCS to 17-55 year-olds will be between €85m and €105m.
The above estimate is based on the mix of contraceptive methods currently available on the HSE Reimbursement List and is therefore subject to change. For example, any increase in LARC uptake will be associated with an increase in costs in the short-term, given relatively high up-front costs for inserting devices. This is likely to be marginal and should be offset in the longer term, given the greater cost-effectiveness of such products over their lifespans.
The costs of including women over 40 are likely to vary from younger cohorts - LARC uptake in this cohort may be higher as hormonal coils and implants are effective in treating peri-menopausal symptoms such as heavy menstrual bleeding, and may be preferred by women who have completed their families. Moreover, some forms of the contraceptive Pill are not recommended above the age of 50. Finally, it should be noted that the introduction of new products to the Reimbursement List, ongoing incremental changes in contraceptive preferences and changing clinical guidance over time can all have different impacts on the costs of a demand-led service such as the free contraception scheme.
347. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the cost of increasing funding for HSE safeguarding teams by 10%. [30356/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
