Thomas Gould
Question:469. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the amount spent on external staff, agency staff in each of the Cork hospitals, to date in 2024, in tabular form. [45746/24]
View answerHospital Staff
Questions (469)
Written answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Disease Management
Questions (470)
Brendan Griffin
Question:470. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the work of National Rare Disease Steering Group; whether the new national rare disease strategy will be finalised by Q4 2024; when the national rare disease strategy will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45747/24]
View answerWritten answers
The National Rare Disease Steering Group was established in December 2023 and is chaired by Prof. Cecily Kelleher. The Steering Group have been tasked with developing a new Rare Disease Strategy for Ireland that sets out the vision for rare disease services in Ireland and the actions required to achieve this.
The Steering Group has met twelve time since its establishment and is expected to have finalised the new National Rare Disease Strategy by end-2024, with implementation commencing in early 2025.
Budget 2025
Questions (471)
Brendan Griffin
Question:471. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health to detail the exact provision of funding and resourcing to rare diseases within Budget 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45748/24]
View answerWritten answers
As the Deputy will be aware, I recently announced details of the €1.5 million allocation for the development of rare disease services as part of Budget 2025.
This funding seeks to address the immediate gaps within rare disease services in Ireland and ensure that our National Rare Disease Office and European Reference Networks are better resourced to carry out their functions and to drive the implementation of the new National Rare Disease Strategy when it is published later this year.
The specifics of the allocation of this funding are currently being worked on as part of the preparation of the HSE’s National Service Plan for 2025 (NSP 2025).
Question No. 472 answered with No. 452.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (473)
Darren O'Rourke
Question:473. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health when a person in County Meath (details supplied) will get a hospital appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45752/24]
View answerWritten answers
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 (474)
Pearse Doherty
Question:474. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of children in Donegal that have been turned down for CAMHS over the past year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45756/24]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
Health Services Staff
Questions (475)
Brendan Smith
Question:475. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health if measures will be introduced to recruit and retain more home care assistant/home support workers in the HSE in view of the unacceptable delays in areas such as Cavan and Monaghan in persons having home support put in place following approval of such hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45758/24]
View answerWritten answers
As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services
Questions (476)
Seán Crowe
Question:476. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the challenges facing those who have functional neurological disorder in accessing aftercare either as an inpatient or outpatient and the lack of rehabilitation programmes in the State which forces those in need to travel abroad; the plans in place to correct this discrepancy [45763/24]
View answerWritten answers
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 Centres
Questions (477)
Mairéad Farrell
Question:477. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on primary care centre projects in County Galway. [45766/24]
View answerWritten answers
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 Correspondence
Questions (478)
Sean Fleming
Question:478. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health to reply to correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45767/24]
View answerWritten answers
Under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines. 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 (479)
Pearse Doherty
Question:479. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of adults and children who have medical cards awaiting dental treatment in Donegal, broken down by area, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45781/24]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
Health Services Waiting Lists
Questions (480)
Sorca Clarke
Question:480. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the total number of people on the waiting list for ophthalmology in Longford and Westmeath; the average waiting time for appointment, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45789/24]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Hospital Services
Questions (481)
Sorca Clarke
Question:481. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of outpatients in Longford and Westmeath. [45800/24]
View answerWritten answers
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.
In relation to the particular query raised, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has advised my Department that at the end of September there were 5,607 patients with an area of residence in County Longford and 12,416 with an area of residence in County Westmeath.
Ambulance Service
Questions (482)
Sorca Clarke
Question:482. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health for an update on the air ambulance service moving from Athlone to Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45801/24]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Hospital Facilities
Questions (483)
Pearse Doherty
Question:483. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health for an update on the development of Lifford Community Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45803/24]
View answerWritten answers
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.
Ambulance Service
Questions (484)
Matt Carthy
Question:484. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health his response to instances in County Monaghan whereby people have been endured excessive waits while awaiting an ambulance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45812/24]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.