Tuesday, 22 Oct 2024

Hospital Waiting Lists

Questions (766)

Paul Donnelly

Question:

766. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of adults currently on the waiting list for spinal surgery at the Mater hospital. [42904/24]

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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.

Care Services

Questions (767)

Paul Donnelly

Question:

767. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the plans to have a dedicated Alzheimer's disease day care centre within CHO 9 for people with Alzheimer’s disease. [42905/24]

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Written answers

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.

Nursing Homes

Questions (768)

Paul Donnelly

Question:

768. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of nursing homes that had unannounced HIQA inspections after hours or on weekends in 2023 and to date in 2024. [42906/24]

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Written answers

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

I would like to thank the Deputy for his question.

The Chief Inspector of Social Care and the Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA) is the national independent regulator of designed centres for older people including public community nursing units and private nursing homes.

All these homes are subject to registration and inspection by HIQA, which is underpinned by a comprehensive quality framework comprising Registration Regulations, Care and Welfare Regulations and National Quality Standards.

HIQA continuously monitors centres through on-site inspections and reviews of information held.

Officials in my department contacted HIQA for this information and the following is their response:

"Announced and unannounced inspections

Inspections of nursing homes may be announced or unannounced.

Announced inspections are carried out to enable greater participation of residents and relatives in the inspection process by giving them four weeks’ notice of when inspectors would be present in the centre.

Inspectors may also carry out a short-term announced inspection if they require a particular person to be available during the inspection, such as a senior manager or someone representing the registered provider. In such situations, the announcement period may be reduced to 72 hours.

Unannounced inspections can happen at any time of the day or night, on any day of the week, without any advance notice to the registered provider.

The number of announced and unannounced inspections per year for 2023 and to date in 2024

-	Unannounced	Short-notice announced	Announced	Total
2023	708	18	59	785
2024*	592	7	114	713

*2024 - fieldwork activity up to 18 October 2024

Out-of-hours inspections.

Inspections normally occur between 8am and 4pm, or 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, reflecting the contractual working hours of inspectors of social services.

If warranted, an inspection may commence earlier in the morning if there are concerns in relation to night-time staffing, or other issues impacting residents’ quality of life. Similarly, an inspection may commence in the evening if there are specific concerns, for example information that residents are required to go to bed too early, or residents are bored with insufficient activities of interest to them.

Please note: Start and finish times of inspections are included in all inspection reports, but are not routinely tracked. We have reviewed the recorded start and finish times of inspections, and the day of inspection, and compiled the information in the table below. Inspections that commenced before 8am are included, as are any inspections which occurred earlier than would have been expected. Likewise, inspections that started after 1pm are included along with any inspections which commenced later than when inspectors would normally have been expected to arrive in a nursing home.

This information should be read with caution as it was not gathered for the purpose of tracking out-of-hours inspections, but it is the nearest proxy that we have for such information.

-	-	Unannounced inspections - out of hours
-	Weekend	Weekday
2023	4	68
2024	2	50

*2024 - fieldwork activity up to 18 October 2024."

Healthcare Infrastructure Provision

Questions (769)

Richard Bruton

Question:

769. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if he can provide for several areas (details supplied) a list of all the individual projects to which his Department has provided funding since 2020, under the capital investment programme, according to the following categories: primary care centres, refurbishments and works, acute projects, new beds, beds replaced, nursing homes, community care centres (disability), community care (capacity and other), community care (older persons), GP clinics, and mental health facilities. [42924/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As 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.

Departmental Funding

Questions (770)

Richard Bruton

Question:

770. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if he can provide in respect of several areas (details supplied), the overall level of health investment, by year, since 2020, in tabular form. [42926/24]

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Awaiting reply from Department.

Medicinal Products

Questions (771)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

771. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the reason a prescription is required for melatonin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42944/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

Melatonin (active substance) is currently listed in Column A of the first schedule to the Prescription and Control of Supply Regulations (S.I. No. 540/2003), i.e. prescription only that cannot be renewed. In Ireland, all authorised melatonin-containing medicinal products currently authorised are subject to prescription control.

However, it should be noted that the Health Products Regulatory Agency (HPRA) is open to review any application from a Marketing Authorisation Holder to change the prescription status of melatonin to non-prescription status. This is in line with the HPRA's policy to make medicines and health products available at the most convenient point of access for people, where it is safe and appropriate to do so following evaluation of all relevant data.

Individuals or companies requiring further information on the procedures for licensing human medicines in Ireland should review the relevant documents, including guides and forms, and explanatory information provided and can also contact the HPRA for further information and guidance at info@hpra.ie.

Primary Care Services

Questions (772)

Alan Farrell

Question:

772. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Health the number of children waiting for primary care speech and language therapy in CHO 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42947/24]

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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 Care Services

Questions (773)

Alan Farrell

Question:

773. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Health the number of children waiting for primary care occupational therapy in CHO 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42948/24]

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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 Care Services

Questions (774)

Alan Farrell

Question:

774. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Health the number of children waiting for a primary care psychology appointment in CHO 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42949/24]

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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.

Mental Health Services

Questions (775)

Alan Farrell

Question:

775. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Health the number of children waiting for an appointment with CAMHS in CHO 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42950/24]

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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.

Medical Aids and Appliances

Questions (776)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

776. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 782 of 18 September 2024, if the case of a person (details supplied) will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42966/24]

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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.

Tobacco Control Measures

Questions (777, 778)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

777. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the rationale for ignoring the public opinion expressed in the public consultation, conducted by his Department, on increasing the minimum legal purchase age for tobacco to 21; to share any regulatory impact assessment carried out on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42967/24]

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Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

778. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he has accepted the findings from his Department's own consultation report that 65.3% of the public do not want to increase the legal age for tobacco sales; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42968/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 777 and 778 together.

All responses received by participants who took part in the Public Consultation on the Further Regulation of Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products were taken into consideration. Responses on raising the age of sale for tobacco may have been influenced by proposals in other jurisdictions for lifetime bans and by views on the regulation of nicotine inhaling products. I am also aware that there was some evidence of coordinated campaigns around my consultation.

Consultation processes do not provide representative samples of public opinion; instead, they seek information, comments and views on the consultation questions from interested stakeholders. The nature of consultation exercises means that respondents are self-selecting and cannot therefore be considered to be a representative sample of public opinion.

In contrast, the Irish Heart Foundation’s November 2021 poll found that 73% of all adults and 71% of those aged 18-24 supported raising the legal age to purchase tobacco in Ireland to 21. Similarly, a 2022 IPSOS MRBI poll carried out on behalf of the HSE found that 71% agreed that the Government should raise the legal age of purchasing tobacco products to 21 years and older.

Aside from strong support from the general public, the primary rationale for this legislation is that each year tobacco products kill 4,500 people here and cause an enormous range of illnesses including, but not limited to; at least 16 types of cancer; multiple respiratory diseases including COPD which leads to airflow obstruction that is irreversible; cardiovascular diseases including aneurysms, peripheral arterial disease which can lead to gangrene and stroke; diabetes; rheumatoid arthritis and dementia.

The regulatory impact assessment for the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill 2024 can be found here: www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/5df1e7-tobacco-free-ireland/

Question No. 778 answered with Question No. 777.