Written Answers Nos. 676-689
676. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health to examine the fact there will no longer be a doctor available in Prosperous, County Kildare, following the retirement of the previous doctor; whether there are plans in place to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42408/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
677. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the estimated annual cost to the Exchequer of implementing a cap on all remaining hospital car parking charges that exceed €10 per day. [42413/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
678. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health for details on the pay and numbers strategy, which Connolly Hospital healthcare workers say will add an additional six months to recruitment processes and undermines patient safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42421/24]
View answerThere has been an unprecedented level of investment by this Government in the health service workforce in recent years, with the growth in the number of staff recruited in 2023 being the highest since the foundation of the HSE
As of August 2024, there were 27,901 more staff working in our health service than there were at the beginning of 2020. That’s a 23% increase which includes 9,325 nurses and midwives; 4,092 health and social care professionals; and 3,330 doctors and dentists.
The HSE was funded to recruit 6,000 staff in 2023, but hired 8,239, meaning it exceeded its funded workforce targets by more than 2,200 staff.
While the increase in our workforce has been incredibly positive and has enabled significant improvements in service delivery and reductions in waiting times for patients, it is important that the HSE operate within budgeted levels and that prudent controls are in place to ensure the workforce growth is managed in an affordable and sustainable manner
In July of this year Government approved a two-year agreement on Health Expenditure for 2024 and 2025, which provided an additional €1.5 billion in funding for the health service in 2024, and a further €1.2 billion for Existing Level of Service (ELS) in 2025.
This agreement allowed for the regularisation of 2,000 posts that the HSE had recruited which, up to now, were not funded, and a further 2,000 posts recruited temporarily to support services during the COVID-19 pandemic, and which are still in place and now permanent.
This agreement has also facilitated finalisation of the HSE’s Pay and Numbers Strategy for 2024, in which there is now a new approved maximum employment ceiling for all Hospitals and CHOs within the HSE of 129,753 (excludes Disability) in 2024.
These newly agreed limits and the regularization of previously unfunded posts has removed the obstacle to normal recruitment and replacement in the remainder of the workforce, resulting in the immediate lifting of the recruitment pause.
Each Health Regions/National Services have each been provided with their own limits in which to operate and each Regional Executive Officer/National Director will have the ability to prioritise recruitment and replacement within their approved number as appropriate
In addition, provision has been made for the HSE to recruit an additional 4,210 WTE in 2024 (3,310 funded by Dept. of Health and 900WTE funded by DCEDIY).
679. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health if a neurology appointment for a person (details supplied) will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42451/24]
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.
680. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the status of an application for a medical card in the name of a person (details supplied); and if approval will be expedited. [42470/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
681. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if a wheelchair replacement can be urgently provided in the case of the mother of a person (details supplied); if they can be assisted urgently in this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42471/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
682. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health to provide an update in the case of a person (details supplied) who has applied for assistance via the fair deal scheme; whether any information is outstanding; if this matter can be brought to a favourable conclusion swiftly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42472/24]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
683. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health in relation to new children’s hospital, when the national oversight group has met; at which meetings was the matter of the naming of the hospital on the agenda; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42479/24]
View answer684. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health is he aware that Children’s Health Ireland engaged the services of a specialist marketing agency to undertake a branding exercise for the new children’s hospital; what the cost for their services was; what those services entailed; the length of the contract; when they will submit their final report to the national oversight group in relation to the naming of the hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42480/24]
View answer685. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health when he expects to announce the name of the new children’s hospital. [42481/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 683 to 685, inclusive, together.
The New Children’s Hospital project remains the most significant capital investment programme undertaken in the healthcare system in Ireland. It will provide world-class, state of the art facilities where our healthcare professionals will deliver optimal care, leading to better health outcomes for all. This is a much-needed and much-deserved investment in our children and young people.
I acknowledge the importance of the naming of the New Children’s Hospital, which is a key enabler in the strategic reform of healthcare services for children and young people for generations to come.
Children’s Health Ireland engaged the services of a specialist marketing agency to undertake a branding exercise. The exercise methodology included engagement with patient families and youth groups.
The National Oversight Group, oversees and monitors the progress of the Children’s Hospital Programme. This includes the naming of the new children's hospital. The National Oversight Group has met four times this year and the process underway regarding the naming of the hospital has been noted at several of these meetings.
The Government will be making a decision on the naming of the New Children’s Hospital in due course.
686. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will report on a request for an update on a CAMHS review (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42483/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
687. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will reply to the attached correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42493/24]
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.
688. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if respite and physiotherapy will be provided for a person (details supplied) as a matter of urgency. [42502/24]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
689. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health for an update on a claim made by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42539/24]
View answerAs this is an administrative matter for the HSE, the HSE has been asked to respond directly to the Deputy.
