Written Answers Nos. 1596-1610
1596. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the reason for the removal of PCR testing centres, given the seven-day positivity rate almost doubled from 7.4 % to 13.9% recently and the rise in infections and hospital admissions (details supplied). [17411/23]
View answerThe public health advice is that testing for COVID-19 is no longer recommended for most of the population. We have now moved from extensive testing and tracing of infection to reduce transmission, towards a focus on mitigation of the severe impacts of COVID-19 in those people most vulnerable to its effects.
The current approach to COVID-19 testing is facilitated by the high level of vaccine-induced and naturally acquired population immunity in Ireland. This is mitigating against the worst impacts of infection.
Based on the public health advice, community swabbing and supply of antigen tests are no longer a feature of our COVID-19 response. As and from 30 March 2023, self-referral for PCR testing and ordering of antigen tests by members of the public is now closed. Routine serial testing in long-term residential care facilities is also discontinued.
Testing remains available in long-term residential care facilities in the event of an identified public health need, such as for example, where deemed necessary in relation to the management of an outbreak or specific public health risk based on Public Health advice. Testing also continues to be provided in acute settings according to prevailing public health advice in those settings. Since 9 December 2022, GPs are providing swabbing for COVID-19 where the result is required to contribute to the diagnosis and management of an individual patient, such as for patients for whom treatment with Paxlovid is currently recommended.
Should the need arise, the HSE has developed testing and tracing surge and emergency response plans which provide for a roll-out of temporary testing centres across the country and establishment of an appropriately targeted contact tracing model.
Additional resources have been provided to the HSE to ensure enhancements are put in place to existing infectious disease surveillance systems. This will ensure effective monitoring and signalling of virus activity, transmission, and severity at population level.
Anybody who has symptoms of a respiratory infection such as COVID-19 should stay at home until 48 hours after the symptoms are mostly or fully gone. Anybody who has concerns about an underlying condition or their level of risk in relation to COVID-19 is advised to seek advice from their GP or treating clinician. Public health advice continues to be made available on www.hse.ie.
The Department of Health, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) and the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL), overseen by the Chief Medical Officer, continue to review the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in Ireland and internationally. This includes the on-going close monitoring of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and assessment of any potential threat to population health.
1597. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will be back-paid for paying for private home care support as agreed with the HSE last October; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17417/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
1598. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health what regulations govern psychotherapists; what plans he has to regulate the profession; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17418/23]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the Health and Social Care Professionals Council and Registration Boards, collectively known as CORU, are responsible for protecting the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct, education, training, and competence amongst the professions designated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act (2005). The Act is being implemented on a phased basis as registration boards and their registers are being established.
Regulations under SI No. 170 of 2018 were made by my predecessor in 2018 to designate the professions of counsellor and psychotherapist under the 2005 Act and to establish one registration board for both professions. Members were appointed to the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board in February 2019 and they held their inaugural meeting in May 2019. The details of the Board membership are available on the CORU website at coru.ie/about-us/registration-boards/counsellors-and-psychotherapists-registration-board/.
The work of the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board includes consideration of the titles to be protected and the minimum qualifications to be required of existing practitioners and the qualifications that will be required for future graduates. The work of the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board is significantly more challenging than it is for registration boards for some of the more established professions owing to the different and complex pathways into these professions, the variety of titles used, and the variety and number of courses and course providers.
To date, the following progress has been made by the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board:
Identification, verification and comprehensive assessment of legacy/historical qualifications to determine if they are appropriate for transitioning existing practitioners onto the respective registers (when open);
Scoping and research on the regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists internationally has been conducted;
The drafting of separate and distinct standards of proficiency for counsellors and psychotherapists has commenced.
The work of the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board is ongoing.
I hope that this information is of assistance to you.
1599. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) will be considered for an operation under the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17423/23]
View answerThe National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) works with public hospitals, as opposed to with patients directly, to offer and provide the funding for treatment to clinically suitable long waiting patients who are on an inpatient/day case waiting list for surgery, having been referred on to such a list following clinical assessment by a consultant/specialist at an outpatient clinic.
The key criteria of the NTPF is the prioritisation of the longest waiting patients first. While the NTPF identifies patients eligible for NTPF treatment, it is solely on the basis of their time spent on the Inpatient/Daycase Waiting List. The clinical suitability of the patient to avail of NTPF funded treatment is determined by the public hospital.
Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1600. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if dental and nursing qualifications issued by Northern Irish institutions are still recognised as equal to qualifications issued by Irish institutions. [17435/23]
View answerAlong with the professions of midwife, doctor, pharmacist and dentist, Registered General Nurse (RGN) is one of the five health professions falling within the scope of the European Union’s automatic recognition system for professional qualifications as per the Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC.
Applications for registration with any EU member state are assessed based on citizenship in the first instance, to determine if the EU Directive is applicable or not. The national regulators within the EU Member States are obliged to cooperate and act promptly so that confirmation of automatic recognition of qualifications can be issued to applicants within the prescribed timeline, which in the case of General Nurses is 3 months.
Applications received from outside the EU are processed based on assessment of qualifications, education and training, which is compared to the national regulator’s standards and requirements for recognition of qualifications. The Directive also obliges member states to comply with specified minimum training standards.
Irish education institutions offer courses for nursing and midwifery which are pre-approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) to lead to direct registration. Applicants from all other jurisdictions must have their qualifications assessed to ensure appropriate alignment with the NMBI standards and requirements. This recognition process is the key first step to be completed before proceeding further through to the remaining stages of the registration process.
Since the UK has left the EU, the regulator, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (UK) is no longer obliged to comply with the Directive, including no longer being obliged to provide verification that an applicant’s undergraduate programme had met the EU Directive requirements at the time of completion. This has resulted in the NMBI requiring applicants to supply documentary evidence (usually including transcripts of their education qualification(s)) and sometimes seeking direct evidence from the applicant’s education provider confirming that course(s) had aligned with the standards required by the EU Directive.
Recently, the NMBI has secured an agreement with the NMC which provides that the latter can now issue an adapted verification of alignment certificate regarding UK obtained qualifications achieved while the UK was a member of the EU. This has significantly reduced the processing time for applicants with qualifications obtained in the UK. Work is ongoing to improve this process further. The NMBI is also engaging with Queen’s University and the University of Ulster to minimise disruption to the qualification recognition process.
The Dental Council is the regulatory body for dental professionals in Ireland. Its general concern is to promote high standards of professional education and professional conduct among dentists.
The Dental Council have advised that the dental qualification from Queen’s University Belfast (the only undergraduate dental programme in Northern Ireland) is recognised as being equivalent to, rather than equal to, the two Irish dental programmes at the moment. It is recognised in the same way as all other UK qualifications are recognised.
The council has completed an exercise with the General Dental Council to ensure that the UK qualifications have not deviated from the requirements for dental education under the European Union's Professional Qualifications Directive.
1602. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 174 of 22 June 2022, if the further steps (details supplied) have been implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17444/23]
View answerI note the Deputy is asking for an update on the suite of innovations outlined in a Parliamentary Question of 22 June 2022 and which had been initiated by CORU to improve recognition and registration times. Please see below the current status of these initiatives:
Full transfer to an online application system (for recognition applications) - an online applications system and new database resource has been fully rolled out.
Increased frequency of regulatory decision-making (Registration Board meetings) - the Registration Board meetings have increased from six per year to nine per year. All recognition decisions on overseas qualifications need to be approved by the relevant registration board and the increased frequency of meetings has helped to speed up this process.
Assignment of additional temporary staff resources - increased staffing at executive and clerical officer level has occurred.
Recruitment of additional expert assessors in ‘under pressure’ professions - an update from CORU has been sought in relation to this initiative and is awaited.
Development of a Voice over IP (VoIP) solution to improve communications with applicants - a new VOIP phone system to support applicants by phone and reduce email volume (speeding communications up) has been introduced.
1603. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1275 of 21 March 2023, if he will address a number of issued raised (details supplied). [17451/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1604. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of a long standing commitment to the refurbishment of a building in the old St. Otterans site in Waterford so that community services presently located on the acute hospital campus at University Hospital Waterford, UHW, could move to this new location thereby freeing up space within the main campus which is badly needed to provide new medical bed space (details supplied); if he will provide an update on when this building will be refurbished and in a position to receive community services out of the acute hospital campus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17452/23]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly in relation to this matter.
1605. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the pressing need to provide a dedicated cardiac day ward at University Hospital Waterford, UHW, to facilitate elective activity of the second cardiac catheterisation lab at UHW due to begin activity in quarter 2 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17453/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1606. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the number of vacant occupational therapy roles in children's primary care services by Community Healthcare Organisation, CHO, area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17459/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1607. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Health if there is a board of trustees of the Royal City of Dublin Hospital, Baggot Street, Dublin 4; if so, the names of the board members; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17469/23]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the management of the public healthcare property estate, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to this matter.
1608. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health if there are plans to approve Skyclarys (omaveloxolone) for Friedreich's Ataxia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17470/23]
View answerOmaveloxolone is not currently an authorised medicine in Ireland or the EU.
In 2018, omaveloxolone was granted ‘orphan designation’ in the EU for the treatment of Friedrich’s ataxia. To qualify for orphan designation, a medicine must meet a number of criteria. It must be intended for the treatment, prevention or diagnosis of a disease that is life-threatening or chronically debilitating; the prevalence of the condition in the EU must not be more than 5 in 10,000 or it must be unlikely that marketing of the medicine would generate sufficient returns to justify the investment needed for its development; no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of the condition concerned can be authorised, or, if such a method exists, the medicine must be of significant benefit to those affected by the condition.
Through EU orphan designation a company developing a medicine for a rare disease is given incentives to develop the medicine including clinical trial protocol assistance, and market exclusivity once the medicine is on the market. Fee reductions are also available.
At the time of granting of orphan designation for omaveloxolone, clinical trials in patients with Friedrich’s ataxia were ongoing.
As per the European Medicines Agency, EMA, list of applications for human medicines under evaluation, which is available on the EMA website, on 28 December 2022 the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) commenced an evaluation of an application for omaveloxolone. The start of this procedure was noted in the agenda of the January 2023 CHMP meeting, which is also published on the EMA website. Following scientific evaluation of an application, the CHMP issues an opinion on whether a medicine may be authorised or not. The EMA sends this opinion to the European Commission, which issues a marketing authorisation if the CHMP opinion is positive. Once granted by the Commission, a centralised marketing authorisation is valid in all EU member states.
Based on a start of assessment date of 28/12/2022, it is anticipated that the Day 120 list of questions arising from the initial assessment will be sent to the applicant on 26/04/2023, as indicated in the assessment timetables in the below link. A clock-stop will then follow to allow the applicant to respond. There may be subsequent list of questions and an oral explanation. The total time for the assessment process is 210 days but this does not include clock-stops during which the applicant prepares and submits additional information for review. A marketing authorisation will only be issued in the event of a positive outcome to the assessment.
Additional information on the application process including initial (full) marketing authorisation applicant assessment timetables is available here:
www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/other/timetable-initial-full-marketing-authorisation-application-assessment_en.pdf.
www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory/marketing-authorisation/evaluation-medicines-step-step.
1609. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the number of children currently awaiting a dental appointment in primary care, by Community Healthcare Organisation, CHO, area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17471/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1610. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm that there is a shortage of the diabetes drug, ozempic; what is being done to increase stocks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17474/23]
View answerShortages of the diabetes medicine Ozempic are linked to the increased demand which has been attributed to the off-label use of the product to treat obesity.
Novo Nordisk, the marketing authorisation holder for Ozempic, has notified the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) of intermittent supply issues with Ozempic products due to increased global demand. The company anticipates that intermittent supply will continue throughout 2023. Similar supply constraints are being experienced in other EU countries.
Novo Nordisk has implemented monthly allocations to help ensure continuity of supply and equitable distribution of Ozempic stock to Irish patients. The company has issued letters to relevant stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, to ensure they are aware of this supply issue and its management.
Information relating to medicines shortages, including particular information relating to Ozempic, can be found on the HPRA's website (Medicines Shortages (hpra.ie). Information on shortages is dynamic and changes depending on the current information the HPRA has to hand, including removal from the list when a shortage has been resolved.
