Written Answers Nos. 724-738
724. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the maximum patient experience time to admission registered at each emergency department for the period of January to June for each year 2018 to date in 2023, inclusive, in tabular form. [35066/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
725. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of patients who left an emergency department without being seen in the month for the period of January to May, by month, for each year 2018 to date in 2023, inclusive, by hospital, in tabular form. [35067/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
726. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of patients who left an emergency department without being seen in the month for the period of January to June, by month, for each year 2018-2023 to date, inclusive, by hospital in tabular form. [35068/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
727. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of hospital-initiated scheduled care cancellations, by appointment type, for each month for each year 2022-2023 to date, inclusive by hospital group and hospital, in tabular form. [35069/23]
View answerI fully acknowledge the distress and inconvenience for patients and their families when elective procedures are cancelled, particularly for clinically urgent procedures. While every effort is made to avoid cancellation or postponement of planned procedures, the HSE has advised that planned procedures and operations can be postponed or cancelled for a variety of reasons including capacity issues due to increased scheduled and unscheduled care demand.
Patient safety remains at the centre of all hospital activity and elective care scheduling. To ensure services are provided in a safe, clinically-aligned and prioritised way, hospitals are following HSE clinical guidelines and protocols.
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.
728. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of cancer-related appointments and procedures which were cancelled for each month for each year 2022-2023 to date, inclusive, by hospital, for adults and for children, in tabular form. [35070/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
729. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of delayed transfers of care for each month for each year 2018-2023 to date, inclusive, at each location, in tabular form; the number of delayed discharges and the number as a percentage of all discharges; the number of bed days lost; and the number as a percentage of all bed days available for the period. [35071/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
730. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the bed occupancy rates of each public and public voluntary hospital, by hospital group, for each month for each year 2018-2023 to date, inclusive, in tabular form; the national average; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35072/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
731. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of assaults recorded against patients at HSE facilities for the period January to June or May, whichever is the latest available, each year 2018-2023 to date, inclusive, in tabular form. [35073/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
732. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of assaults recorded against staff at HSE facilities for the period January to June or May, whichever is the latest available, each year 2018-2023 to date, inclusive, in tabular form. [35074/23]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
733. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health whether the risk assessment of the principal health and social care professionals seeking regulation, including athletic therapists, by the Health Research Board ever took place; if it did not take place, the reason it did not take place; if ongoing, when it will be brought to a conclusion; if completed, if its findings were published; what the intended actions to take as a consequence are; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35075/23]
View answerA number of representative bodies for unregulated professions have approached the Department seeking to be regulated. The issues to be considered regarding the proportionate degree of regulatory force required to protect the public are complex. In light of the various issues to be considered, and in line with ongoing work in the Department of Health, the Health Research Board (HRB) was requested to carry out research on behalf of the Department to assist in policy development in this area. The report, “National Approaches to Regulating Health and Social Care Professions”, examines the approaches to the regulation of health and social care professionals internationally and is publicly available on the Department’s website (www.gov.ie/en/publication/ea62b-national-approaches-to-regulating-health-and-social-care-professions/).
Officials in the Department of Health are in the process of drawing from this report and other relevant sources to develop a framework to guide policy on the regulation of health and social care professionals into the future. This framework will also be informed by an evidence and risk-based approach to regulation in line with requirements set out in the EU Proportionality Test Directive, which was transposed into Irish law on 19 August 2022 (S.I. No. 413/2022). Further information on the Proportionality Test Directive can be found here: single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/news/services-directive-handbookproportionality-test-directive-guidance-2022-12-22_en
There are no plans in place to progress regulation of individual professions until appropriate risk-assessment and evaluation tools are in place in compliance with best practice, international evidence, and the Proportionality Test Directive.
My officials will be preparing a report on progress made in developing a framework to guide future decision-making on the regulation of health and social care professions, which will be laid before each House of the Oireachtas within six months of commencement of the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) Act 2023.
I hope this information is of assistance.
734. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the percentage of clinical status 1 ECHO and clinical status 1 DELTA incidents responded to by a patient-carrying vehicle in 18 minutes and 59 seconds or less for each month for each year 2018-2023 to date, inclusive, nationally and by ambulance region, in tabular form; the average length of such response times nationally and by region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35076/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
735. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number and percentage of incidents responded to by the ambulance service by clinical status and substatus for each month for each year 2018-2023 to date, inclusive. [35077/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
736. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the average ambulance turnaround time at each emergency department for each month in 2023 to date, inclusive, in tabular form. [35078/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
737. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of patients on primary care and community healthcare waiting lists, for each care service, at the end of May and June 2018-2023, inclusive, in tabular form; and the breakdown by length of wait and by age. [35079/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
738. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of people aged over 65 and over 75 years on NTPF-reported waiting lists by specialty by location for each month for each year 2019-2023 to date, inclusive, in tabular form. [35080/23]
View answerIt is recognised that waiting times for many scheduled appointments and procedures were too long before and have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Department of Health continues to work with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to identify ways to improve access to care. On the 7th March, I published the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, which is the next stage of a new multi-annual approach to sustainably reduce and reform hospital waiting lists, and builds on the foundational work done through the short-term Waiting List Action Plan between September and December 2021, which was followed by the first full year Waiting List Action Plan for 2022, both having reversed the annual trend of rising waiting lists.
The 2023 Plan sets out the priorities to continue to address waiting lists this year. The 30 actions in the Plan, which are governed by the Waiting List Task Force, focus on delivering capacity, reforming scheduled care and enabling scheduled care reform.
For 2023, funding totalling €443 million is being allocated to tackle Waiting Lists with €363 million of this being allocated to the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, to implement longer term reforms and provide additional public and private activity to clear backlogs exacerbated during the pandemic. This will reduce hospital waiting lists by 10% in 2023 as well as continuing to significantly reduce waiting times in line with Sláintecare recommendations. The remaining €80 million of the €443 million is being targeted at various measures to alleviate community/primary care waiting lists.
With this ambitious 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, my Department, the HSE and the NTPF are taking the next steps in the multi-annual approach towards achieving our vision of a world-class public healthcare system in which everyone has timely and transparent access to high-quality scheduled care, where and when they need it, in line with Sláintecare reforms.
In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, the attached information, provided to my Department by the NTPF sets out the number of people aged over 65 and over 75 on acute hospital waiting lists by hospital and by specialty for the dates requested.
