Tuesday, 8 Oct 2024

Hospital Appointments Status

Questions (522)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

522. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health when an urgent appointment will be offered to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39752/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

“As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.”

Primary Medical Certificates

Questions (523)

Michael Ring

Question:

523. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health the number of people that have approved a primary medical certificate, in each of the past five years, per county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39755/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Ambulance Service

Questions (524)

Carol Nolan

Question:

524. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if he will respond to concerns in relation to delays to the medicinal products seventh schedule in the context of the National Ambulance Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39763/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health (Deputy Stephen Donnelly)

The Department of Health has received an extensive policy proposal from The Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) to make additions to:

• Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, also known as the medicinal products Seventh Schedule

• Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2015, containing the Tenth Schedule

This proposal is to add thirty-three medications to the Seventh Schedule and two medications to the Tenth Schedule.

The Department is currently considering the policy proposals in the PHECC application, as well as related health service policy considerations.

It is vital that any amendments to national legislation are undertaken on the basis that the Department and the Minister for Health are clear about the impact of the changes being requested by The Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, including what the consequences those practice changes may have on service delivery. On conclusion of the assessment and on Ministerial sign off, any legislative amendments that may be required to the seventh and tenth schedules can be undertaken.

Hospital Appointments Status

Questions (525)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

525. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health to expedite a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39766/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Pharmacy Services

Questions (526, 571, 586, 614)

Paul Murphy

Question:

526. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if, given that under the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 he is obliged to review the nature of community pharmacies services, he will engage meaningfully with an organisation (details supplied) to discuss fees before the 30 June deadline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39777/24]

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Michael Ring

Question:

571. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health when the restoration of pharmacy fees will occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39927/24]

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Marc Ó Cathasaigh

Question:

586. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Health his views on the setting of a flat rate fee for dispensing medicines and an administration fee per prescription to cover labour costs for community pharmacists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39971/24]

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Róisín Shortall

Question:

614. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 170 of 28 February 2024, the status of his Department’s review of the pharmacy fee structure; the engagements he has had with an organisation (details supplied) in respect of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40206/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health (Deputy Stephen Donnelly)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 526, 571, 586 and 614 together.

I recognise the significant role community pharmacists play in the delivery of patient care and acknowledge the potential for this role to be developed further in the context of healthcare service reform.

There has been ongoing engagement between Department officials and the Irish Pharmacy Union regarding the potential to extend the scope of practice of community pharmacists and the enablers needed to implement that. My Department has been carrying out a comprehensive review of the pharmacy fee structure in the context of this engagement and the intended expansion of the scope of pharmacy practice, following the recommendations of the Expert Taskforce to Support the Expansion of the Role of Pharmacy.

I believe that there is a real opportunity to work collaboratively with community pharmacists to make a significant difference to patient outcomes. Of course, any publicly funded pharmacy service expansion should address unmet public healthcare needs, improve access to existing public health services, and provide better value for money.

Primary Care Services

Questions (527)

Darren O'Rourke

Question:

527. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the person who made the decision to cut the psychology posts within primary care services in County Meath; the total number of posts that are being cut within the primary care services; in the event that previous vacant posts are made redundant as expected in December 2024, if services will be reported to be working to full capacity without the acknowledgement of these cuts; the reason funding is currently being provided to outsource private assessments rather than being used to fill posts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39786/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Hospital Appointments Status

Questions (528)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

528. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39821/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

“As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.”

Dental Services

Questions (529)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

529. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Health if there is a process through which pensioners in possession of a GP-only card can apply for funding to assist with costs for dental treatment; and if so, if the process will be outlined. [39822/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.

Hospital Waiting Lists

Questions (530)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

530. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if there are plans to reduce the waiting list for cataract operations (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39823/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health (Deputy Stephen Donnelly)

It is acknowledged that many patients are still waiting too long for hospital appointments and treatments. I am conscious of the burden this places on patients and their families. To address the issue, I adopted a multi-annual approach through a series of Waiting List Action Plans. Commencing in late 2021, these plans encompass short-term actions to increase capacity and activity in the short and immediate term, and longer-term reform measures to sustainably reduce both hospital waiting lists and waiting times. The 2024 Plan with a budget of €360 million, builds on the work of previous plans which have achieved significant progress in overall waiting list reduction and in addressing long waiting times, against a backdrop of significantly increased demand for scheduled care services. Funding of €420m is being allocated to the Waiting List Action Plan for 2025. This represents an almost 17% increase (€60m) above the significant funding allocated for the Action Plan this year. The investment clearly demonstrates the Government’s ongoing commitment to sustainably reducing and reforming hospital waiting lists and waiting times. With this significant funding for 2025, we will continue to progress towards a having a public healthcare service in which everyone has timely and transparent access to high-quality scheduled care, where and when they need it.

For Cataracts in 2024, the NTPF has approved 6 insourcing initiatives which will facilitate treatment for 3,315 patients on cataracts waiting lists. The NTPF has also approved 5 Insourcing Ophthalmology Outpatient initiatives so far in 2024 which will provide 6,295 additional appointments for patients on Ophthalmology waiting lists.

There were 6,141 patients on the public waiting list for cataract surgery as at the end of August 2024. While the number of patients on the waiting list for cataract procedures nationally has increased since the end of 2023, the number of patients waiting over 12 months has reduced in the same period.

Healthcare Policy

Questions (531)

Willie O'Dea

Question:

531. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health the reason the HSE has referred all children requiring orthotics who were attending St. Gabriel's, Limerick to the mid-west foot clinic, when the mid-west foot clinic has a waiting list of up to a year and they currently have no podiatrist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39825/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Healthcare Policy

Questions (532)

Cathal Crowe

Question:

532. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost to the Exchequer of fully staffing one under-18 dual diagnosis service. [39826/24]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)

Sharing the Vision - A Mental Health Policy for Everyone, Ireland’s national mental health policy, was published in June 2020. Sharing the Vision aims to enhance the provision of mental health services and supports across a broad continuum, from mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention to acute and specialist mental health service delivery, during the period 2020-2030.

Sharing the Vision Implementation Plan 2022 – 2024 was collaboratively developed by the HSE and the Department of Health, overseen by the National Implementation and Monitoring Committee (NIMC). The NIMC is tasked with the implementation monitoring of the policy. The Plan sets out individual programme pathways of implementation for each of the 100 policy recommendations for the next three years.

Sharing the Vision, has a ten-year implementation roadmap, overseen by the National Implementation and Monitoring Committee (NIMC). There is no single set implementation budget for the work required to implement the full programme of recommendations or workstreams as responsibility for implementation is spread across different care areas, including primary care, mental health planning, mental health services, HSE social inclusion, among others. There is a core operational budget in HSE Mental Health Operations of €646,000 for Sharing the Vision programme implementation which covers service improvement lead salary costs and other expenses that arise.

Any additional funding required for developments under this strategy will be based on the NIMC’s work plan, which will identify priority developments relevant to each care area for each year. This funding will then be sought as part of the estimates process and in close conjunction with the development of the HSE National Service Plan each year.

Mental Health Services

Questions (541)

Cathal Crowe

Question:

541. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost to the Exchequer of increasing acute psychiatric beds to the recommended 25 per 100,000 population. [39837/24]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.

Mental Health Services

Questions (542)

Cathal Crowe

Question:

542. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost to the Exchequer of establishing the first ever in-patient mother and baby mental health unit. [39838/24]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)

The Model of Care for Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services (SPMHS) was launched in 2017 adopting hub and spoke model, and services are now available on all 19 maternity hospitals nationwide. There are 6 consultant-led multidisciplinary hub sites and 13 spoke sites, staffed by Perinatal Mental Health Midwives, and overall funding for this programme to date is €3.5m.

A key element of the Model of Care is the Mother and Baby Unit, and progressing the Unit is a priority for myself, my Department and the HSE. The HSE is currently preparing a feasibility study on the building of the Unit at the Elm Park site at St. Vincent's University Hospital, and I expect this to be finalised in the near future. This would include all relevant estimated costs and timescales for the unit.

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.