Written Answers Nos. 769-789
769. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Health the number of registered GPs working in the Lucan area, every five years from 1981 to date in 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15416/25]
View answerGPs are private practitioners, most of whom hold at least one contract with the HSE for the provision of medical services on its behalf, such as the GMS contract for the provision of GP services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders.
As the question raised is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly regarding the number of HSE contracted GPs in the Lucan area, as soon as possible.
770. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Health the number of nurse specialists employed to cover the Lucan, from 2000 to 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15417/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
771. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Health the number of publicly funded community groups servicing the needs of older people in the Lucan area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15418/25]
View answerAs this is an operational matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
772. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Health the plans for a building, and possible use of the building (details supplied) as a community-led health and wellbeing centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15424/25]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the management of the public health estate, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
773. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health the timeline for completion of the audit the clinical audit to look at a sample of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) surgeries performed between 2021-2023 in CHI Crumlin, Temple Street, and the National Orthopaedic Hospital which is underway; the information that will be provided to parents whose children had DDH surgery who have received letters informing them of the audit; when parents will be informed; if parents will be advised whether surgery on their child should have proceeded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15445/25]
View answerAs this is an operational matter for the Health Service Executive, I have asked the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy.
774. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health the reason there are local people living and paying cash rent to rent bungalows in a hospital in Athy; if the HSE were ever told about the significant risk of this; the reason it was never acted upon; and if she will intervene in this situation and pause this rent that is forced on these vulnerable older people. [15475/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy as soon possible.
775. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if she will ensure that a patient (details supplied) is urgently afforded access to an appointment with a psychiatrist. [15554/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly with the Deputy as soon as possible.
776. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health the plans in place to address the severe shortage of GPs in Donegal (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15557/25]
View answerGPs are self-employed practitioners and therefore may establish practices at a place of their own choosing. There is no prescribed ratio of GPs to patients and the State does not regulate the number of GPs that can set up in a town or community.
Under the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. As of the 1st of March, there are 2,553 GPs contracted to provide services under the GMS Scheme, and a further 621 GPs that do not hold a GMS contract but hold at least one other contract with the HSE for the provision of health services.
Where a person that holds a medical card or GP visit card, experiences difficulty in finding a GP to accept them as a patient, the person concerned having unsuccessfully applied to at least three GPs in the area (or fewer if there are fewer GPs in the area) can apply to the HSE Eligibility Unit which has the power to assign a GMS patient to a GP's GMS patient list in accordance with the GMS contract. All persons aged 70 years and older and all children under 8 years of age are eligible for a GP visit card.
Persons who do not hold a medical card or GP visit card access GP services on a private basis and can make enquiries directly to any GP practice they wish to register with. As private practitioners, it is a matter for each individual GP to decide whether to accept additional private patients. Where a GP practice has a full list of patients and cannot take on new patients, patients should contact other practices in the surrounding areas. The HSE website provides a "Find a GP" facility which can assist in finding nearby GP practices.
A number of measures have been taken in recent years to increase the number of GPs practicing in the State and thereby improve access to GP services for all patients across the country.
Significant increases in investment in general practice has been provided under the 2019 and 2023 GP Agreements. The Agreements provide for increased GPs fees, new fees for additional services, and increased practice supports. These measures make general practice in Ireland a more attractive career choice for doctors.
Annual intake to the GP training scheme has been increased by approximately 80% from 2019 to 2024, with 350 new entrant training places made available from 2024. 346 new entrants commenced training last year, a 21% increase on the previous year’s intake of 286. Furthermore, recruitment of GPs from abroad is ongoing under the International Medical Graduate (IMG) Rural GP Programme. 119 IMG GPs were in practice as of November last and funding has been provided to recruit up to 250 more GPs from outside Ireland to the country this year.
777. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the number of patients presenting at hospitals (details supplied) in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15567/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
778. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the number of patients admitted to hospitals (details supplied) in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15568/25]
View answerData on the number of hospital admissions has been sourced by the Department of Health from the HSE Healthcare Pricing Office, Hospital Inpatient Enquiry (HIPE) dataset.
HIPE is a health information system designed to collect demographic, clinical and administrative information on all inpatient and daycase discharges from acute public hospitals in Ireland. Each HIPE discharge record represents one episode of care and for a patient with multiple admissions in a year, each admission is counted separately. Data is recorded on discharge from hospital and refers to the year of discharge (which may differ from year of admission in some cases).
HIPE includes data on all admitted inpatient and daycase discharges but does not include patients who attend an Emergency Department but are not admitted to hospital. It also does not include outpatient appointments.
HIPE data for 2024 has not yet been finalised and the data provided is provisional and should be treated with caution. Data is provided for both coded and uncoded discharges and has been rounded to the nearest thousand. Provisional data on total discharges for the named hospitals is listed below and further detail is attached.
• Beaumont Hospital: 131,000 (p)
• Cork University Hospital: 134,000 (p)
• Galway University Hospital: 142,000 (p)
• St. James' Hospital: 90,000 (p)
• St. Vincent's University Hospital: 104,000 (p)
• University Hospital, Limerick*: 89,000 (p)
*Data for UHL does not include University Maternity Hospital, Limerick which is recorded separately on HIPE. For Cork University Hospital and Galway University Hospital, maternity discharges are included.
For all listed hospitals, provisional data on the total number of discharges in 2024 is higher than the number of discharges in 2023.
779. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the number of patients classed as leave before treatment completed at hospitals (details supplied) in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15569/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
780. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the number of leave before treatment completed patients who returned within 30 days of leaving hospital at hospitals (details supplied) in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15570/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
781. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health the financial supports available for a child’s eyecare costs, specifically eye tests, specialist lenses, and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15575/25]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
782. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health for an update on her discussions with an organisation (details supplied) in relation to the rollout of the free HRT scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15614/25]
View answerAs Minister for Health, I am committed to the implementation of the Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) measure announced in Budget 2025 and reaffirmed in the new Programme for Government: Securing Ireland's Future.
My Department and the Health Service Executive (HSE) has engaged extensively with the Irish Pharmacy Union in relation to the practical rollout of this measure.
When operational, this measure will cover any HRT medications and products which are reimbursable by the HSE, which have been prescribed for the purposes of alleviating the symptoms of menopause.
Reimbursement support for this new HRT measure will be available to participating pharmacies from the date the measure formally commences.
I am actively engaged on the matter with the goal to introduce this measure as soon as possible.
783. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health if, once the free HRT scheme is in operation, retrospective payments from January of this year will be made to those availing of the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15615/25]
View answerAs Minister for Health, I am committed to the implementation of the Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) measure announced in Budget 2025 and reaffirmed in the new Programme for Government: Securing Ireland's Future.
My Department and the Health Service Executive (HSE) has engaged extensively with the Irish Pharmacy Union in relation to the practical rollout of this measure.
When operational, this measure will cover any HRT medications and products which are reimbursable by the HSE, which have been prescribed for the purposes of alleviating the symptoms of menopause.
Reimbursement support for this new HRT measure will be available to participating pharmacies from the date the measure formally commences.
I am actively engaged on the matter with the goal to introduce this measure as soon as possible.
784. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health the services presently being provided at the Ennis primary healthcare centre at Station Road, Ennis, County Clare; and the additional staffing and services planned for the facility. [15616/25]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive (HSE) holds responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
785. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health the services presently being provided at the Kilrush primary healthcare centre in County Clare; and the additional staffing and services planned for the facility. [15617/25]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive (HSE) holds responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
786. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health if she will provide a breakdown of whole-time equivalent positions at University Hospital Limerick and within the UL Hospitals Group on 1 March 2024 and on 1 March 2025, by profession, in tabular form (details supplied); if he will provide the number of said personnel employed via agencies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15618/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
787. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health to outline plans to extend opening hours of the local injuries unit at Ennis Hospital; to provide details of progress being made on the expansion of the medical assessment unit at Ennis Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15619/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
788. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the proposed provision and operation of a contracted satellite haemodialysis unit at Ennis Hospital, County Clare; and the reason for the delay in progressing the proposal. [15620/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
789. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health the number of individuals reimbursed for their insulin pump training and-or its consumables through the EU Treatment Abroad or Cross Border Healthcare Scheme since 2019. [15621/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
