Written Answers Nos. 331-351
331. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of physiotherapists working in the health service in June each year from 2016 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43627/24]
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.
332. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of speech and language therapists working in the health service in June each year from 2016 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43628/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy Directly.
333. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of occupational therapists working in the health service in each year from 2016 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43629/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy Directly.
334. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of health and social care professionals working in the health service in June each year from 2016 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43630/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy Directly.
335. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the permanently funded acute hospital bed capacity in June each year from 2016 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43631/24]
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.
336. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of permanently funded community beds in the health system in each year from 2016 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43632/24]
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.
337. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of critical care beds funded in the health service in each year from 2016 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43633/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Strategic Plan for Critical Care, which I brought to Cabinet in December 2020, aims to provide for long term increases in critical care capacity to meet current and future needs. It aims to increase total critical care capacity to 458 beds. This surpasses the recommendations of the 2018 Health Service Capacity Review, which set out a requirement for 430 critical care beds by 2031.
Under Phase 1 of the Plan, very significant funding of €78.2 million has been provided by Government since 2021 to add an additional 94 beds, to bring funded capacity to 352 critical care beds.
80 of these beds have already been delivered and capacity is now at 338 (end of September 2024), a significant expansion of 31% over the 2020 baseline of 258.
Capital planning is underway for the five priority projects under Phase 2 (Beaumont Hospital, St James’s Hospital, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, St Vincent’s University Hospital and Cork University Hospital) that will deliver an additional 106 critical care beds as well as replacing and updating existing critical care accommodation.
The following data, included in the annual National Audit of Critical Care Capacity and Activity Census (2016-2021) and HSE data (2022-2024), clearly shows the impact and success of the Strategic Plan for Critical Care since its inception in 2020.
|
Year |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
|
Date |
30/9/16 |
30/9/17 |
N/a |
30/9/19 |
30/9/20 |
30/9/21 |
31/12/22 |
31/12/23 |
30/09/24 |
|
Bed Nos. |
237 |
240 |
249 |
255 |
255* |
302 |
323 |
329 |
338 |
*later adjusted to 258
338. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs working in the State in each year from 2016 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43634/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraGPs are private practitioners, most of whom hold contracts with the HSE for the provision of medical services on its behalf. As of the start of this month, 3,148 GPs hold at least one HSE contract including 2,544 GPs who hold a GMS contract. The exact number of GPs practising in the State that do not hold any HSE contract is not known, however it is understood there are approximately a further 500 GPs that work entirely privately, many of these working as locums to provide support to other GPs.
The number of HSE contracted GPs and estimated total practising GPs, i.e. 500 added to the number of HSE contracted GPs, for the previous years to 2016 as of the end of each year and the latest figures for 2024 are shown below.
|
Year |
HSE Contracted GPs |
Total Practising GPs |
|
2024 (As of October) |
3,148 |
3,648 |
|
2023 |
3,110 |
3,610 |
|
2022 |
3,097 |
3,597 |
|
2021 |
3,074 |
3,574 |
|
2020 |
3,033 |
3,533 |
|
2019 |
2,974 |
3,474 |
|
2018 |
2,921 |
3,421 |
|
2017 |
2,928 |
3,428 |
|
2016 |
2,914 |
3,414 |
339. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the cumulative spending on medicines in each year from 2016 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43635/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
340. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the cumulative new development funding for new medicines in each year from 2016 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43636/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
341. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of home help hours delivered in the following years 2016 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43637/24]
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.
342. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health to provide a list of primary care centres that opened in each year from 2014 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43639/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs 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.
343. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of doctors who began specialist GP training each year from 2012 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43640/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) is the body responsible for education and training in general practice. The GP training course provided by the ICGP is recognised by the Medical Council with successful completion allowing entry onto the General Practitioner Specialist Register.
GP training is in the main four years in duration. Applicants with appropriate qualifications prior to commencement of GP training in Medicine, Paediatrics or Emergency Medicine may apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Applicants successful in obtaining RPL have their training shortened from four years to three years.
To increase the number of GPs practising in the State and improve access to GP services, significant increases have been made in recent years to the number of new entrant GP training places. Annual intake to the GP training scheme has been increased by approximately 80% over the last 5 years alone.
The number of new trainees to the GP training programme for each year from 2012 to 2024 is set out below.
|
Year |
Intake into GP Training |
|
2012 |
156 |
|
2013 |
157 |
|
2014 |
157 |
|
2015 |
159 |
|
2016 |
172 |
|
2017 |
170 |
|
2018 |
194 |
|
2019 |
193 |
|
2020 |
208 |
|
2021 |
233 |
|
2022 |
258 |
|
2023 |
286 |
|
2024 |
347 |
344. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of advanced nurse practitioners employed each year (June) from 2016 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43641/24]
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.
345. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of women who accessed the free contraception scheme in each year since it launched, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43642/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra346. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the total number of women who have accessed the free contraception scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43643/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 345 and 346 together.
The free contraception scheme was launched in September 2022, initially for those aged 17-25. It has been gradually expanded and now includes women aged 17-35 from July 1st, 2024.
Approximately 2,400 GPs and 2,050 pharmacies have signed up to provide services and products under the scheme to date.
The scheme is open to women, girls and other people identifying as transgender or non-binary, who are ordinarily resident in Ireland and for whom prescription contraception is deemed suitable by their doctors.
The scheme covers the cost of consultations with GPs, primary care, student health and family planning centres and prescriptions for the wide range of contraceptive options available on the HSE Re-Imbursement List, including long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs: injections, intra-uterine devices and systems (coils) and implants) and emergency contraception in addition to the contraceptive Pill, patch and ring. LARC fittings, removals, injections and check-ups are also free of charge under the scheme.
Women who have had coils, IUDs, IUSs or implants inserted while eligible under the scheme remain eligible for subsequent checks and free removal of any devices inserted prior to reaching the eligibility limit (currently their 36th birthday), to ensure continuity of care.
In terms of the numbers of women accessing the scheme, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.
347. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the total number of patients who have used the fertility hubs each year since they opened, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43644/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question relates to a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
348. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the total number of patients who have used the see-and-treat gynaecology clinics each year since they opened, in tabular form. [43645/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe roll out of the Ambulatory Gynaecology Model of Care commenced in 2020. There are currently 16 ambulatory gynaecology clinics in operation nationwide, and 5 more in development.
The Health Service Executive’s National Women and Infants’ Health Programme (NWIHP) is responsible for the management, organisation and delivery of maternity, gynaecology and neonatal services. The NWIHP have provided the tabular data below that estimates the total number of new patient appointments, by year, for women in the ambulatory gynaecology clinics since the first clinics opened in 2020. It is expected that 25,000 women will access treatment through the clinics each year when the network is complete. The clinics are having a very positive impact on gynaecology waiting lists and waiting times, with the majority of women waiting less than 6 months for treatment.
|
Year |
Number of ambulatory gynaecology clinics |
Number of new patients seen |
|
2020 |
3 |
2,000 |
|
2021 |
7 |
5,000 |
|
2022 |
12 |
10,000 |
|
2023 |
16 |
16,000 |
|
2024 |
16 |
9,855 (end of Q2) |
349. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the average amount of time patients were waiting on the OPD waiting list in June and December each year between 2016 and 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43646/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt 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.
The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) have advised that the health system does not collect the data necessary to calculate average wait times. In particular, the time to treatment of patients who have already received their care is not collected. The NTPF collects data on patients currently on the waiting list and the average time that these patients have been waiting is provided here. The attached information, provided to my Department by the NTPF sets out the average amount of time patients were waiting on the OPD waiting list in June and December each year between 2016 and 2024. The NTPF have further advised that data for June 2021 is not available due to the HSE cyber attack.
350. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43648/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra“As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.”
351. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Health to provide a breakdown of all respite beds in County Wexford; the number of these beds that are currently operational and the number that are currently closed, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43656/24]
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.
