Written Answers Nos. 322-341
322. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the proportion of frontline HSE staff who have completed training on supporting patients with visual impairments in the last-24 months; to provide this data broken down by acute and community services; and to state what additional training will be provided following the guidelines review. [17756/26]
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.
323. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health what minimum training content and learning outcomes the HSE requires for staff who communicate with visually impaired patients; whether completion of this training is mandatory; and how compliance is monitored. [17757/26]
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.
324. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has a central record of staff training on disability awareness and accessible communication; if not, whether the Minister will direct the HSE to establish one and provide a timeline. [17758/26]
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.
325. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the current number and geographic distribution of HSE access officers across acute and community services; the criteria used to determine their placement; and to indicate whether a review of locations and staffing levels is complete or planned. [17759/26]
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.
326. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health what the standard operating procedure is for frontline staff to escalate complex accessibility queries to an access officer; the expected response times; and to provide data on average response times in the last 12-months. [17760/26]
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.
327. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health whether access officers have a defined set of competencies and continuing professional development requirements specific to visual impairment; if so, to provide details; if not, whether the Minister will require these to be established. [17761/26]
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.
328. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health what formats of patient information (for example large print, audio, braille, electronic text) are routinely available across HSE services; the percentage of services able to supply each format on request; and how patient format preferences are recorded and shared across services. [17762/26]
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.
329. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE requires a standardised process for recording and communicating reasonable adjustments and accessibility preferences in patient records; if so, to provide details and the implementation timetable; and if not, whether she will introduce such a requirement. [17763/26]
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.
330. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the length of time it typically takes for a patient to receive information in an accessible format after requesting it; to provide average and maximum response times recorded in the past 12 months; and the targets which will be set following the guidelines review. [17764/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
331. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the way in which the HSE verifies compliance with universal design principles and building regulations for new builds and major refurbishments; to provide the audit process and frequency; and whether post occupancy accessibility testing involving people with visual impairments is mandatory. [17765/26]
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 Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the specific tactile, lighting, signage and wayfinding standards the HSE requires in patient facing areas to assist people with visual impairments; to provide examples of mandatory features; and the way in which compliance is monitored. [17766/26]
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.
333. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the HSE’s current programme and prioritisation criteria for retrofitting accessibility features in older buildings; the number of sites scheduled for retrofit in the next three years; and the estimated budget allocation. [17767/26]
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.
334. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the national guidance the HSE issues to local hospitals regarding awareness events (for example International Day for Persons with Disabilities); whether attendance by disability organisations is encouraged or funded; and the way in which the impact of such events is evaluated. [17768/26]
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.
335. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the national and local organisations with which the HSE has formal partnership agreements to support people with visual impairments; to provide the nature of those agreements; and to state whether the HSE has service level agreements for information and training support. [17769/26]
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 Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the formal mechanisms which exist for people with visual impairments to provide feedback on HSE services; the way that feedback is recorded and acted upon; and to provide data on the number and types of accessibility complaints received in the past 24-months and the outcomes. [17770/26]
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.
337. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the key performance indicators the HSE uses to measure accessibility for people with disabilities, including visual impairments; to provide the most recent performance data against those indicators; and to state how often the indicators are reviewed. [17771/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis is a matter for Department of Children Disability and Equality and should be redirected to that Department.
338. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE will publish an annual accessibility report setting out progress against the national guidelines, training completion rates, access officer activity, retrofit progress and patient feedback; if not, the reason; and if so, the timetable for the first report. [17772/26]
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.
339. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health to provide a list of all hospitals and counties where Specialist Crisis Assessment Nurse (SCAN) services are currently in place; and to identify any hospitals, including Model 4 hospitals, where SCAN services are not yet available. [17780/26]
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.
340. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the number of the 33 funded Specialist Crisis Assessment Nurse Clinical Nurse Specialist posts are currently filled and operational; the number which remain vacant; and when all currently approved posts are expected to be filled. [17781/26]
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.
341. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the recruitment timeline and deployment plan for the additional 12 Specialist Crisis Assessment Nurse posts funded under Budget 2026; and to specify the hospitals and regions where these additional posts will be located. [17782/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
