Written Answers Nos. 712-728
712. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE neurology nurses in epilepsy working in Beaumont Hospital in 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and if this number will be further increased. [23091/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
713. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of incidents that the HSE pest control service within Dublin attended in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and if there is an emergency out-of-hours facility available for this service. [23092/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
714. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 785 of 13 January 2021, the status of the licensing and reimbursement of jorveza, used to treat eosinophilic oesophagitis, on the drug payment scheme. [23105/23]
View answerUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
715. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the measures being taken to increase the supply of residential care places in the Dublin, south Kildare and west Wicklow areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23109/23]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
716. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the number of new residential care places that were created in the Dublin, south Kildare and west Wicklow areas in 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23110/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
717. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the amount of funding that has been allocated to the Dublin, south Kildare and west Wicklow areas to deliver new residential care places since 2020 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23111/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
718. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a separate lower rate of qualification for single-person households applying to the drugs payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23118/23]
View answer719. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of the estimated cost of reducing the qualifying cost to €60 a month to avail of the drugs payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23119/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 718 and 719 together.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) on behalf of the State operates two schemes which assist citizens with their medication costs. These are the Drug Payment Scheme (DPS) and the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme.
The DPS provides for the refund of the amount by which expenditure on approved prescribed medicines or medical and surgical appliances exceeds a named threshold in any calendar month. The DPS is not means tested and is available to anyone ordinarily resident in Ireland.
The DPS threshold was reduced twice in 2022:
• From €114 to €100 per month on 1 January 2022.
• From €100 to €80 per month on 1 March 2022.
Therefore, currently, under the DPS, no individual pays more than €80 a month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The DPS significantly reduces the cost burden for people with ongoing expenditure on medicines.
The estimated cost of reducing the DPS threshold to €60 per month is €34.8m per annum.
Considerations of further changes to the DPS threshold will be made in the context of current healthcare priorities and the budget available.
However, people who cannot, without undue hardship, arrange for the provision of medical services may be eligible for a medical card under the GMS Scheme. In accordance with the provisions of the Health Act 1970 (as amended), eligibility for a medical card is determined by the HSE.
In certain circumstances the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, even though an applicant exceeds the income guidelines, where he or she faces difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from illness. The HSE afford applicants the opportunity to furnish supporting documentation to determine whether undue hardship exists and to fully take account of all relevant circumstances that may benefit them in assessment, including medical evidence of costs and certain expenses.
In circumstances where an applicant is still over the income limit for a medical card, they are then assessed for a GP visit card, which entitles the applicant to GP visits without charge.
Within this eligibility context, the DPS is deliberately designed as a simple universal non-means tested Scheme which is in place to protect those who do not qualify for a medical card. There is a process around means testing for medical cards which requires that the HSE consider hardship and inability to pay for required health care when making determinations around eligibility for healthcare services. The introduction of diverse DPS thresholds would introduce a level of complexity into the operation of the Scheme that is not justified when there is another Scheme in place to assist in cases of hardship.
Finally, individuals may also be entitled to claim tax relief on the cost of their medical expenses. This includes medicines prescribed by a doctor, dentist, or consultant. Relief is at the standard tax rate of 20%.
720. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health when a new scheme will be introduced to replace the motorised transport grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23120/23]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that this is a matter for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Disability matters are under the remit of that Department since the transfer of functions in March.
721. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the screening services available for children for type one diabetes in Ireland and across Europe; if screening is provided by public health systems; and if so, if there are any patient registries to help track progress of the disease. [23126/23]
View answerDiabetes is a complex condition that can have a profound impact on the quality of life of people living with the condition. If not well managed, it can lead to debilitating complications. Management of the condition is required across the entire spectrum of healthcare delivery including self-management support as well as care delivered through general practice, community specialist care and hospital inpatient specialist care.
At present, there is no pre-symptomatic Type 1 diabetes screening in Ireland. Children and Adults are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when they have symptoms.
There is active research ongoing internationally to look for markers in the blood which could identify children and adults at risk of type 1 diabetes before they develop symptoms and to look for treatment that could then prevent diabetes from developing. This work is still in the research stage and is not available in the UK or Ireland.
Budget 2023 provides funding for a number of initiatives aimed at improving diabetes care, including commencing the development of a National Diabetes Registry and the commencement of a National Paediatric Audit of Type 1 Diabetes. Data collected by audits and registers allow for better planning in the provision of diabetes health services and improved patient care.
Establishing a paediatric diabetes registry is a priority for the HSE National Clinical Programme who are working closely with the National Office for Clinical Audit (NOCA) on a plan to set up a national registry for children and young people.
722. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 484 of 16 November 2021, 1715 of 19 January 2022, 169 of 9 February 2022, 186 of 23 March 2022, 720 of 17 May 2022, 1903 of 14 June 2022, 565 of 13 December 2022, 354 of 19 January 2023, 570 of 7 March 2023 and 1454 of 18 April 2023, when the clinical directors of the North Cork, West Cork and South Lee areas agreed to accept referrals of service-users requiring residential placement from the Midleton/Youghal and Cobh/Glenville into community residences under their clinical remit; if, in particular, the clinical directors in question were made aware of the increased need for placements from outside their areas resulting from the closure of the Owenacurra Centre, Midleton, prior to that closure being announced, when the HSE's plan at that stage was to not replace any residential mental health services in East Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23128/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
723. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the allocation that has been made for the access to care fund annually from 2020 to date, inclusive; the amount spent to reduce specific community care waiting lists, specifically primary care child psychology/counselling, CAMHS and autism for the same periods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23130/23]
View answerAwaiting reply from Department.
724. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm when the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill will be read at first stage in the Houses of the Oireachtas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23132/23]
View answerDrafting of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel is ongoing and publication is expected during the Summer legislative session.
725. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 598 of 25 April 2023, the estimated costs associated with renovations of Millfield House, Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23133/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
726. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 170 of 9 February 2022 and 597 of 25 April 2023, if he can confirm that the ten-bed replacement service for the Owenacurra Centre, Midleton, will be a 'continuing care' mental health service, as suggested in the response to Parliamentary Question No. 597 of 25 April 2023, bearing in mind that continuing care mental health services have a specific staff: client ratio; how one can reconcile a contention in the same response that the service will be replaced in 2024 with recent briefings from the HSE suggesting that it does not yet have a site identified for this project, nor a 'development team' appointed, nor capital funding secured; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23135/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
727. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the progression and the timeline for the establishment of a commission on care for older people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23137/23]
View answer729. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the establishment of a commissioner for ageing and older people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23141/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 727 and 729 together.
The Government is committed to ensuring that older persons can continue to live independently in their homes and communities for as long as possible as well as to supporting healthy, active, and autonomous ageing.
Acknowledging the disproportionately negative impact of the pandemic on older persons, the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future (2020) commits to the establishment of a commission on care that will ‘assess how we care for older people and examine alternatives to meet the diverse needs of our older citizens’, learning the lessons from COVID 19.
In 2022 preliminary desk research was undertaken within the Department of Health in preparation for the establishment of the commission on care. In 2023 the scoping and planning for the commission on care (inclusive of timelines) is being further advanced as a priority.
728. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the Nursing Home Expert Panel report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23139/23]
View answerSince the start of the pandemic, the national response has continuously evolved to take account of emerging evidence and learnings both nationally and internationally. Throughout, this has included a specific focus on older people, in particular, those resident in nursing homes.
Significant supports were put in place for nursing homes, and the situation at both a local and a national level was kept under ongoing and active review. An independent Nursing Homes Expert Panel was established early in the pandemic to examine the management of COVID-19 in nursing homes and provide real-time learnings and recommendations to inform the ongoing response. The Expert Panel reported in August 2020 and made a serious of recommendations in relation to (1) the pandemic response in nursing homes and (2) a wide-ranging programme of improvement and reform for older persons’ care more broadly.
The Fourth Progress Report on the Implementation of the COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel Recommendations published in June 2022 highlighted the important progress that had already taken place across a number of areas and sets out clearly the structures and processes that have been established to ensure continued implementation. It also highlighted that the majority of short and medium term recommendations which were aimed at safeguarding people living in nursing homes against the COVID-19 virus had already been implemented and mainstreamed into normal operations.
Appendix 2 of the fourth progress report provides detailed updates, next steps and timelines for each of the recommendations as published in June 2022. The report can be viewed at the following link:
assets.gov.ie/227614/f7a9d117-b199-4a55-9bce-7750ed230e68.pdf
In total 55 of the 86 recommendations made in the Nursing Home Expert Panel Report have been completed. Key areas of progress include:
• The Patient Advocacy Services was extended to private nursing homes from 1st November 2022.
• Revised Regulations were signed in December 2022 to enhance and streamline complaints processes. These came into effect on the 1st March 2023.
• The results of the first Nursing Homes Care Experience survey were published in November 2022.
• Work is advancing on the development of a Safe Staffing & Skillmix Framework for the sector.
• New palliative and end-of-life programme for nursing homes was launched in 2022.
• General Scheme of a Bill was published in October 2022 to give the regulator (HIQA) further powers, including in relation to enforcement and data collection.
• The recently enacted Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023 includes a new provision giving the Chief Inspector of Social Services a discretionary power to carry out a review of serious patient safety incidents in nursing homes.
• New dedicated IPC and Safeguarding Specialist Capacities for nursing homes have been established across the 9 CHOs and recruitment is ongoing.
• Recruitment has also commenced for Community Support Teams.
• Over 100 places funded on postgraduate gerontological nursing training course for academic year 2022/2023.
While it is accepted that this broad programme of wide-ranging and complex reform will take time to implement, the Government is committed to the implementation of the Expert Panel recommendations. Funding has been put in place in 2023 for the continued implementation and mainstreaming of a range of Expert Panel recommendations, including the establishment of permanent Community Support Teams, piloting of Clinical Governance Oversight committees and the development of a Safe Staffing Framework for the sector.
In addition, the Programme for Government (2020) commits to the establishment of a ‘commission on care’ that will ‘assess how we care for older people and examine alternatives to meet the diverse needs of our older citizens’, learning the lessons from COVID-19. The Department of Health has responsibility for fulfilling this commitment. The scoping of, and planning for, the commission is being advanced as a priority in 2023.
