Written Answers Nos. 352-369
352. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the roll-out of CAMHS-ID teams nationwide, including a breakdown of CHOs that these teams will be based in; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30576/24]
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.
353. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health the CAMHS staffing levels as set out in the Vision For Change in each of the teams in CHO6 and CHO7; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30577/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra354. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE filled and vacant in each CAMHS team in CHO6 and CHO7, broken down by discipline in 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30578/24]
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.
355. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on a waiting list for CAMHS, by CHO, age category and time waiting, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30579/24]
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.
356. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health the number of referrals received by each CAMHS team in CHO6 and CHO7 in 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024; the number of those referrals that were accepted, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30580/24]
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.
357. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health for detailed waiting times for a child or adolescent to see a CAMHS professional in each county in the years 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024; and the number of children on waiting lists for CAMHS, by county in 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30581/24]
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.
358. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the progress to date in the determination of an application for a person (details supplied); if every effort can be made to have this application rectified as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30582/24]
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.
359. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the cost and development timeframes of each acute bed block development identified as ‘delivered 2021-March 2024’ in appendix 1 of the acute hospital inpatient bed capacity expansion plan 2024-2031, across each location, in tabular form; the number and type of beds in each development; the all-in average unit cost by bed type; and the average timeframe for delivery. [30592/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs 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.
360. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the number of public nursing home beds projected for north Tipperary, Clare, Limerick and the midwest by the end of 2025, in tabular form. [30594/24]
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.
361. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the number of private nursing home beds projected for north Tipperary, Clare, Limerick and the midwest by the end of 2025, in tabular form. [30595/24]
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.
362. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health how many sets of negotiations are undergoing to purchase private nursing homes at present. [30596/24]
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.
363. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the protocols and criteria now in pace to purchase private nursing homes across the State. [30597/24]
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.
364. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the HSE’s annual spend on digital assistive technology per CHO for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively, in tabular form. [30620/24]
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.
365. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the HSE’s annual spend on augmentative and alternative communication devices per CHO for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively, in tabular form. [30621/24]
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.
366. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the €50,000 that was allocated specifically to support the recruitment of a DRIVE lead to coordinate the work in Drogheda and surrounding area, in response to the Geiran report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30627/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this refers to a service matter, I have sent this PQ to the HSE for direct response. As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday 6th October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
367. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the expected timelines on the establishment of a new statutory home support scheme; how he plans to scope and plan for such a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30628/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government commitment to “introduce a statutory scheme to support people to live in their own homes, which will provide equitable access to high quality, regulated home care” requires focused effort across several different workstreams that are all contributing towards strengthening the statutory framework and improving the experiences of those receiving home support.
The first element that is being legislated for relates to the licensing and registration of home support providers. The General Scheme to establish a licensing framework for professional home support services delivered in the State - the Health (Amendment) (Licensing of Professional Home Support Providers) Bill 2024 General Scheme - was approved by Government on 14 May 2024 and is published on the Department of Health’s website. It was referred to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health for pre-legislative scrutiny and Department officials met with the Committee on 19 June 2024.
This Bill will provide for the regulation of the sector by HIQA. Final amendments have been made to draft regulations for home support providers following a public consultation and engagement with stakeholder groups. The Department has been working closely with HIQA, which has prepared draft quality standards that are expected to go out for public consultation Q3 2024.
As well as delivering on the legislative elements of this commitment, the Department is working to address the future financing of homecare, the reform of the model of service delivery and the breadth of issues relating to recruitment and retention in this sector; all in the context of unprecedented expansion of the State-funded home support service, nationally.
Over the last two years, extensive work has taken place within the Department of Health to progress the Programme of Government commitment, including but not limited to:
• Development of draft regulations, which were informed by a 6-week public consultation completed in August 2022. The consultation results were analysed and published, and have been incorporated in revisions to the draft regulations.
• Oversight of the pilot for testing of a reformed model of service for the delivery for homecare, which became fully operational in 4 Community Healthcare Organisations in this period. Evaluation of the pilot has been completed and reviewed.
• Ongoing engagement with the HSE on the continuing reform of the model of service delivery for home support. Funding has been provided for establishment of a National Home Support Office and the Head of Service, and a number of other posts have been recruited. The national roll-out of interRAI as the new standard assessment tool for care-needs in the community is underway.
• Addressing the shortage of care workers in Ireland through establishing, in March 2022, a cross departmental Strategic Workforce Advisory Group. After extensive engagement and consultation, in September 2022, the group published a report containing 16 recommendations to address workforce challenges. Implementation is being overseen by a cross-departmental Implementation Group, chaired by the Department of Health.
• Extensive engagement with the HSE and DPENDR on the establishment of the HSE home support tender in 2023, ensuring that it delivers on commitments for sectoral reform such as payment for travel time for home support providers, paying carers the National Living Wage at a minimum, and bringing legacy rates in line with the new revised rates of funding.
• Liaising with the DETE on bringing forward a statutory instrument authorising the issuance of 1,000 employment permits for home support workers.
• Commissioning multiple reports on potential demand, costs and charging models for home support, from the ESRI and the European Observatory on Health Systems. This research is being examined, as it forms an important part of the evidence base for the development of a sustainable funding model for home support services in the context of our ageing population.
• Expanding access to home support services through securing significant increases in funding through annual Estimates processes.
368. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the total number of vacant posts, by grade, for Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30630/24]
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.
369. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on proposals to introduce a free shingles vaccination scheme for older adults; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30631/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The committee's recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation.
NIAC continues to revise recommendations to allow for the introduction of new vaccines in Ireland and to keep abreast of changes in the patterns of disease. Therefore, the immunisation schedule will continue to be amended over time.
Shingles vaccination is not currently provided as part of the national immunisation programme. Further information is available here: www2.hse.ie/conditions/shingles/
It is open to any individual who is aged 50 years and older and who wishes to receive the vaccine to consult with their GP or pharmacist.
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) are carrying out a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) on the herpes zoster vaccine which protects against shingles. A HTA is a multidisciplinary research process that collects and summarises information about a health technology. The information can cover a range of fields, including clinical effectiveness and safety, cost-effectiveness and budget impact, organisational and social aspects, and ethical and legal issues. The information is collected and presented in a systematic, unbiased and transparent manner.
The outcome of the HTA, once it is complete, will inform future decision making on this matter in relation to whether or not any amendments are required to the National Immunisation Programme.
