Written Answers Nos. 600-620
600. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health if his Department is aware of a new shift work teams project in the Cork and Kerry home support services which is to begin in June this year and that this new initiative involves rotating five people within the teams over a four-week period (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21540/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
601. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the overarching strategy of the national OPAT programme; if it will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21545/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
602. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health how many bed days have been saved in the past three years, as a result of the national OPAT programme. [21546/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
603. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health how many patients have been treated over the past three years by the national OPAT programme; the breakdown of those figures in terms of home OPAT, community OPAT and self OPAT; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21547/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
604. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if he will provide information on the future investment planned for the national OPAT programme; if there are plans within the special delivery unit of the HSE to expand the national OPAT and CIT service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21548/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
605. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the reason the CHI neonatal intensive care unit for the most vulnerable newborns is not being prioritised and progressed. [21553/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
606. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health his views on whether Dail Éireann was misled in the decision to proceed with locating the children's hospital on the constrained site at St. James’s, given that many of the major concerns raised in opposition to the project have already come to pass and the advocates for an alternative site have already been vindicated; and if he will hold an Inquiry into the original flawed decision-making process. [21554/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe decision to site the main children’s hospital was made by Government in 2012. The decision to locate the hospital on St James’s Hospital campus was clinically-led and made in the best interests of children. Dáil Éireann endorsed this decision in November 2012 on foot of a Government motion.
Practising clinicians had expressed their full support for the St James’s site, recognising the clinical benefits of co-location. By bringing together the full spectrum of sub-specialties in paediatrics and neonatology on a single campus, supported by adult services sub-specialities, a degree of scale and critical mass can be attained that will support better outcomes from the most complex treatment and care for the sickest children and young people of Ireland.
St James’s Hospital is Ireland’s largest and leading adult teaching and research-intensive hospital. It has the greatest number of clinical specialties and national services in the acute adult hospital system. It also has the widest range of adult sub-specialties that can support paediatric services, ensuring patients with conditions whose prevalence does not warrant paediatric-only consultants, get the best support. There are many specialists that work between both adult and children's hospitals already and this is likely to increase once the new children’s hospital opens. The tri location of the new children’s hospital (NCH), and the future relocation of the Coombe maternity hospital, on a shared campus with St. James’s Hospital will create a centre of medical expertise to support research, innovation and education.
In April 2019, the PwC conducted a report titled “New Children's Hospital, Independent review of escalation in costs”. This report did not examine an alternative to the St James’s site as the report concludes that at that time, taking any alternative course of action, other than continuing with the build, would have in all likelihood resulted in significant delay, increased cost and the possibility that the hospital would not be finished.
The NCH project has had significant challenges but infrastructure projects like this are complex and difficult and we see these same challenges in projects internationally. This is not unique to the health sector, to the public sector, or to Ireland. Importantly, however, with challenges come learnings. It is important to ensure that lessons learned from previous projects, including the NCH, inform all future investment decisions
For example, as we move forward through the tender stages of the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) project, mechanisms and processes have been put in place to navigate and avoid, as much as we can, many of the challenges faced on the NCH project. The NMH project team have had ongoing engagement with the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board to inform the development of the NMH project. Lessons learned from the NCH have been, and will continue to be, incorporated into the plans for the NMH.
The new Infrastructure Guidelines also require these learnings to be applied to all future capital investment projects. The Department of Health is continuing to work to ensure proposals and projects for capital investment are in compliance with the Infrastructure Guidelines requirements, including the application of learnings from other projects such as the NCH.
607. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health how many patients are on the podiatry waiting list in Galway; how long the current waiting time is; if the interval between appointments has changed in the past year; if there are currently any unfilled clinical positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21624/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
608. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if the HSE has any plans for reducing bureaucracy and paperwork in the oxygen provision reimbursement system (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21635/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
609. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1356 of 9 April 2024, for a breakdown, in tabular form, of the exact wait times of children and adolescents identified in the previous response as waiting in excess of 12 months for the north Lee, south Lee, north Cork, west Cork and Kerry primary care psychology services, that is, the number of clients waiting two years, three years, four years and so on. [21636/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
610. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the total number of children and adolescents waiting for an appointment with the CHO 4 primary care psychology service for the years ending 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. [21637/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
611. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1356 of 9 April 2024, if the 4,785 children and adolescents on the waiting list for the Cork-Kerry primary care psychology services is a typical statistic of primary care services nationally; and if he can provide comparative data with two other CHOs. [21638/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
612. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the total number of HIQA inspectors; the area to which they are assigned; the number of facilities they are overseeing, from 2021 to date, in tabular form. [21639/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI thank the Deputy for her question.
The Heath Information and Quality Authority (HIQA was established under the Health Act 2007, as amended, to promote safety and quality in the provision of health and personal social services for the benefit of the health and welfare of the public. HIQA’s regulatory role is to regulate designated centres for older people, people with a disability and special care units. HIQA also regulates medical ionising radiation exposure and monitors standards in acute and community hospitals and some children’s social care services.
HIQA have advised me that the following response is in relation to inspectors of Designated Centres for Older People (DCOP):
The DCOP team is comprised of the following sanctioned posts:
|
Team Member |
Sanctioned posts |
|
Deputy Chief Inspector |
1 |
|
Regional Managers |
8 |
|
Inspectors |
35* |
|
Regulatory Support Officers |
5 |
*Includes the national team with 3 inspectors with expertise in fire safety and 3 inspectors (6 in total) with expertise in infection prevention and control (these 6 posts also support the regulation of designated centres for adults and children with a disability, and registered children’s services.
All of the above are authorised inspectors of social services who operate within a scheme of determination. For the purpose of answering the questions on the number of inspectors, the areas they are assigned to, and the number of facilities that they are overseeing, we have focused on the 29 inspector roles who have a caseholding remit.
When all posts are filled, the 29 inspectors on the DCOP team are allocated on a regional basis as follows:
DCOP North (Donegal, Leitrim, Roscommon, Sligo, Mayo, Longford, Westmeath, Cavan and Monaghan)
DCOP East (Meath, Louth, Kildare, Wicklow, Laois, Meath and Offaly)
DCOP Greater Dublin
DCOP South East (Waterford, Tipperary, Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow)
DCOP South (Cork and Kerry)
DCOP West (Limerick, Clare and Galway)
|
Currently allocated posts |
Inspectorscurrently in post |
Vacancies |
|
|
DCOP North |
5 |
5 |
0 |
|
DCOP East |
5 |
5 |
0 |
|
DCOP Greater Dublin |
4 |
2 |
1 + 1 on induction |
|
DCOP South East |
5 |
4.8 |
0.2 |
|
DCOP South |
5 |
4.6 |
0.4 |
|
DCOP West |
5 |
4.8 |
0.2 |
Excluding the national team of inspectors who do not have a case holding remit, there are currently 26.2 DCOP inspectors who oversee the 553 nursing homes with 32331 beds as of the end of Q1 2024. A new inspector has just commenced, but does not currently have a caseload, and is not included in the numbers above as being in post. When the team is fully staffed, each inspector is allocated approximately 21 nursing homes adjusted for reduced working hours and covering statutory leave.
It is not possible to provide information specific to the area to which they are assigned, the number of facilities they are overseeing from 2021 to date, in tabular form. HIQA does not compile this information. Since 2021, following the publication of the expert panel review, the DCOP team has increased from 5 to 6 regions and the numbers of inspectors also progressively increased to 29 with caseloads, reducing as new inspectors were on boarded. Since then, the numbers of inspectors have been broadly in line with current numbers, except for where caseloads are reallocated to accommodate vacancies created by resignations, statutory leaves and internal transfers and promotions.
613. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health what services are available for adults with ADHD seeking treatment in CHO 5; if a person (details supplied) can receive such service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21641/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
614. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health what assistance is available to a child with molar incisor hypo mineralisation which requires root canal treatment, extraction, braces and aligners (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21646/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
615. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health to outline the impact of the recruitment embargo on nurses in relation to the ability of hospitals to provide services, and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21657/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
616. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health the number of new positions to be filled as part of a new seven-day service delivery at University Hospital Waterford (details supplied); the stage recruitment is at; the final deadline proposed to achieve the full recruitment number; the target date to begin the seven-day service; if he will confirm that funding has been authorised and released to University Hospital Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21660/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
617. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health how a new cardiac day ward at University Hospital Waterford is proposed to be delivered (details supplied); where it will be located; where the project plan exists on a capital or estates project list; the stage recruitment is at; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21661/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
618. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the loss of the suicide crisis assessment nurse within Waterford mental health services; how the HSE plans to fill this role, given the current recruitment embargo; the length of time it is expected that service users in Waterford are to be without this vital service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21663/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
619. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE consultant general adult psychiatrists with a special interest in substance misuse in the CHO 3 mental health services in the years of 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form. [21684/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
620. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if any State, semi-State or commercial semi-State agency under the aegis of their Department is aware of any cases of bogus self-employment in any bodies under their remit from 2020 to 1 May 2024; if they will outline if there are currently any cases from such agencies or bodies currently before the SCOPE section of the Department of Social Protection for investigation or determination; if there are any SCOPE findings and recommendations relating to any agencies or bodies under their remit where SCOPE has found in favour of the worker, and where they recommended the reclassification of the workers’ employment status to that of direct employee between 2020 and 1 May 2024; if they will provide information on the numbers involved and the names of the individual agencies and bodies in all cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21694/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have issued the Deputy's question to each of the Non-Commercial State Agencies, and the HSE, and on receipt, the responses will be provided to the Deputy by way of separate cover.
