Tuesday, 17 Jun 2025

General Practitioner Services

Questions (784, 786, 787, 788, 789, 791, 792, 793, 794)

Marie Sherlock

Question:

784. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs operating in each of the community area networks of north Kerry, south Kerry and west Kerry. [32009/25]

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Marie Sherlock

Question:

786. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs operating in each of the community area networks of Ballincollig, Bishopstown, Macroom, Bandon, Kinsale, Carrigaline and Blarney. [32011/25]

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Marie Sherlock

Question:

787. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs operating in each of the community area networks of Mallow, Charleville, Newmarket, Kanturk and Millstreet. [32012/25]

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Marie Sherlock

Question:

788. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs operating in each of the community area networks of east Clare and west Clare. [32014/25]

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Marie Sherlock

Question:

789. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs operating in each of the community area networks of east Limerick, Ballina, north Limerick city, south Limerick, south Limerick city and west Limerick. [32015/25]

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Marie Sherlock

Question:

791. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs operating in each of the community area networks of central Galway, east Galway city, east Galway, west Galway, northeast Galway, west Galway city, Tuam, Athenry and Loughrea. [32018/25]

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Marie Sherlock

Question:

792. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs operating in each of the community area networks of Donegal east, Donegal north, Donegal south and west, Inishowen and south Donegal. [32019/25]

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Marie Sherlock

Question:

793. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs operating in each of the community area networks of south Roscommon, east Mayo, north Mayo, north Roscommon and west Mayo. [32020/25]

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Marie Sherlock

Question:

794. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs operating in each of the community area networks of Sligo, west Cavan and Leitrim. [32021/25]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 784, 786, 787, 788, 789, 791, 792, 793 and 794 together.

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

Please note that GPs 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. Accordingly, it may only be possible for the HSE to respond in relation to the number of HSE contracted GPs per Community Healthcare Network.

General Practitioner Services

Questions (785)

Marie Sherlock

Question:

785. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs operating in each of the community area networks of northeast Cork, south Cork city, west Cork, north Cork city, central Cork, east central Cork, Douglas Blackrock, Mahon and east Cork city. [32010/25]

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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.

Question No. 786 answered with Question No. 784.

Question No. 787 answered with Question No. 784.

Question No. 788 answered with Question No. 784.

Question No. 789 answered with Question No. 784.

General Practitioner Services

Questions (790)

Marie Sherlock

Question:

790. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs operating in each the community area networks of north Tipperary. [32016/25]

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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.

Question No. 791 answered with Question No. 784.

Question No. 792 answered with Question No. 784.

Question No. 793 answered with Question No. 784.

Question No. 794 answered with Question No. 784.

Nursing Homes

Questions (795)

Pádraig Rice

Question:

795. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the status of plans for a 60-bed community nursing unit in Cashel, County Tipperary; if the commitment to build this new unit will still be upheld; the timeline she is working towards in delivering this new development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32025/25]

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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.

Ambulance Service

Questions (796)

Malcolm Byrne

Question:

796. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Health for an update on the planned new ambulance base for Gorey, County Wexford. [32026/25]

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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 (797)

Barry Heneghan

Question:

797. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will review the national guidance that prohibits home care workers from assisting vulnerable patients with the administration of blister-packed oral medication, including in low risk cases where patients are unable to self-administer due to severe physical conditions; if she will consider allowing greater flexibility in such cases under clinical oversight; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32058/25]

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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 directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Departmental Data

Questions (798)

David Cullinane

Question:

798. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if all public information notices are published and based on open competition to give all eligible competent suppliers, public and commercial, a transparent and fair opportunity to compete, in line with the standards set out in the National Public Procurement Framework, and the HSE’s own procurement commitments, including the principles of openness, transparency, value for money, and equal access for all competent suppliers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32065/25]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

My Department's procurement is carried out in accordance with public procurement policy and national and European Union law. The aim of these rules is to promote an open, competitive, and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which ultimately delivers the best value for money.

My officials are responsible for ensuring that the Department's public procurement function is discharged in line with the procurement rules and procedures, using OGP's centralised procurement arrangements where possible.In respect of Health Service Executive procurement commitments, I have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Departmental Data

Questions (799)

David Cullinane

Question:

799. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to outline all public laboratory capacity available in the State, broken down by location, laboratory type; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32066/25]

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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.

Departmental Data

Questions (800)

David Cullinane

Question:

800. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to outline all private laboratory capacity utilised by the HSE from 2010 to date broken down by year, by laboratory type, and by location; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32067/25]

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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.

Departmental Data

Questions (801)

David Cullinane

Question:

801. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to outline all laboratory work carried out or utilised outside the state since 2010 broken down by year, by laboratory type, by cost and, by location; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32068/25]

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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.

Health Services

Questions (802)

David Cullinane

Question:

802. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total cost of diagnostic scan activity, public and private, since 2010, broken down by year, by public or private and, by location; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32069/25]

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Reply not received from Department.

Departmental Data

Questions (803)

David Cullinane

Question:

803. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of PET scans in public hospitals broken down by location; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32070/25]

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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.

Departmental Data

Questions (804)

David Cullinane

Question:

804. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to outline all scopes carried out in public hospitals from 2010 to date, broken down by year, scope type, location and whether they were carried out on a weekday that is, Monday to Friday or weekend; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32071/25]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

The data requested by the Deputy is contained in the attached Excel file.

In relation to the data provided, please note:

• Data is sourced from the Hospital Inpatient Enquiry (HIPE) dataset, managed by the HSE’s Healthcare Pricing Office, which records all inpatient and daycase discharges from public hospitals.

• The data has been extracted by the Department of Health from the final closed annual HIPE data extract received by the Department. Data may differ from similar data published elsewhere based on differing exclusions, inclusions etc.

• Data covers the years 2010 to 2024 and relates to discharges in each year.

• Data covers all acute public hospitals which report data to HIPE, a small number of non-acute hospitals report to HIPE for historic reasons, these have been excluded.

• Data includes both inpatient and daycase discharges.

• To maintain confidentiality, statistical disclosure control has been applied. Any cells with values of 1-4 have been suppressed. Where required, secondary suppression has also been applied to avoid indirect disclosure.

• Identification of discharges with a scope is based on the Australian Refined - Diagnosis Related Groups (AR-DRGs). The DRG scheme enables the disaggregation of patients into homogeneous groups, which are expected to undergo similar treatment processes and incur similar levels of resource use. For the years 2010-2015 data is based on AR-DRG Grouper version 6.0, for the years 2016-2024 it is based on AR-DRG Grouper version 8.0.

• The data includes all inpatient and daycase discharges assigned to AR-DRG G46 (Complex Endoscopy), G47 (Gastroscopy) or G48 (Colonoscopy). This is in line with KPI A132 (Level of GI Scope Activity) included in the HSE’s National Service Plan. However, it should be noted that KPI A132 only includes daycase discharges, while both daycase and inpatient discharges are included in the data provided here.

• The vast majority of these discharges are daycases. In 2024, 92.3% of all discharges in AR-DRGs G46, G47 or G48 were daycase discharges. When same day inpatient discharges are also included, they account for 92.7% of all discharges. The share of daycase / same day inpatient discharges has increased from 86.6% of all scope discharges in 2010.

• The day of the week refers to the day of discharge. For daycase discharges and same day inpatients (93% of the total in 2024), the assumption is that the scope took place on the same day as the day of discharge. For overnight inpatients (7% of total in 2024) the day refers to the day of discharge which may or may not be the day the scope was carried out.

• The percentage of all daycase and same day inpatient discharges only (excluding overnight inpatients) within AR-DRGs G46, G47 or G48 which occurred during a weekend (Saturday or Sunday) in each year is as follows:

• 2010: 0.5%.

• 2011: 1.3%.

• 2012: 0.9%.

• 2013: 0.8%.

• 2014: 0.6%.

• 2015: 0.8%.

• 2016: 0.8%.

• 2017: 0.8%.

• 2018: 1.1%.

• 2019: 1.8%.

• 2020: 1.5%.

• 2021: 3.1%.

• 2022: 6.6%.

• 2023: 8.4%.

• 2024: 11.5%.

Inpatient and Daycase Discharges 2010-2024