Written Answers Nos. 477-489
477. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health his plans to provide public funding for IVF in 2023 (details supplied); the amount of funding that is being provided; the persons that will be eligible to access this treatment; and if treatment will be available within the public system rather than being outsourced to private operators. [21930/22]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, a commitment to “introduce a publicly funded model of care for fertility treatment” is included in the Programme for Government. The model of care for infertility was developed by my officials in conjunction with the HSE’s National Women & Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) in order to ensure that infertility issues are addressed through the public health system at the lowest level of clinical intervention necessary.
This model of care comprises three stages, starting in primary care (i.e., GPs), extending into secondary care (i.e., Regional Fertility Hubs) and then, where necessary, tertiary care (i.e., IVF and other advanced assisted human reproduction (AHR) treatments), with patients being referred onwards through structured pathways.
Phase One of the roll-out of the model of care has involved the establishment, at secondary care level, of Regional Fertility Hubs within maternity networks, in order to facilitate the management of a significant proportion of patients presenting with infertility issues at this level of intervention. The completion of Phase One of the roll-out of the model of care, envisaged before the end of this year, will result in fully operational Regional Fertility Hubs in each of six Hospital Groups across the country.
Phase Two of the roll-out will see the introduction of tertiary infertility services, including IVF, in the public health system, but will not commence until such time as infertility services at secondary level have been developed across the country, required resources have been allocated and the AHR legislation commenced, which will allow for a robust regulatory framework to be put in place.
In respect of the last point, the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 passed Second Stage in the Dáil on March 23rd 2022 and has been referred to the Select Committee on Health for Third Stage. I am fully committed to progressing this important legislation as quickly as possible.
My officials will be continuing and intensifying engagement with NWIHP over the coming weeks in respect of the issues arising from commencing Phase Two of the roll-out of the model of care and as such, no firm decisions have been made at this juncture in relation to, for instance, the ensuing budgetary requirements, relevant access and eligibility criteria which may be applied, or how exactly advanced AHR treatments will be provided.
While advanced AHR treatment, such as IVF, is not currently funded by the Irish public health service, a defined list of fertility medicines needed for fertility treatment is covered under the High Tech Arrangements administered by the HSE. Medicines covered by the High Tech Arrangements must be prescribed by a consultant/specialist and authorised for supply to the client’s nominated community pharmacy by the High Tech Hub managed by the Primary Care Reimbursement Service. The cost of the medicines is then covered, as appropriate, under the client’s eligibility, i.e., Medical Card or Drugs Payment Scheme. Given the costs associated with certain fertility medicines, I understand that these schemes can have a material impact on the total cost of AHR treatment for individuals who avail of them.
In addition, there is other support available in that patients who access IVF, or other advanced AHR treatment, privately may claim tax relief on the costs involved under the tax relief for medical expenses scheme.
Nevertheless, my Department and the Government is fully committed, through the full implementation of the model of care for infertility, to ensuring that patients always receive care at the appropriate level of clinical intervention and then those requiring, and eligible for, advanced treatment such as IVF will be able to access same through the public health system. The underlying aim of the policy to provide a model of funding for AHR, within the broader AHR regulatory framework, is to improve accessibility to AHR treatments, while at the same time embedding safe and appropriate clinical practice and ensuring the cost-effective use of public resources.
478. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason pacemakers cannot be checked in Cavan General Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21932/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
479. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the health technology assessments received by the corporate pharmaceutical unit in each of the years 2018 to 2021 and to date in 2022; the date of the HSE drugs group decision; the date of reimbursement in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21933/22]
View answerThe HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines under the community drug schemes, in accordance with the provisions of the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
480. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if he will act to retain the speech and language therapist at a school (details supplied) being removed by the HSE in which there is an established relationship between therapist, children, parents and staff at the school instead of proposed plans to place children on a HSE waiting list with substantial waiting periods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21944/22]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to a service issue, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
481. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the number of submissions that his Department received through its three year review public consultation process of the abortion legislation; if he will provide a breakdown of the findings drawn from the public submissions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21952/22]
View answerThe Minister for Health commenced the Review of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 in line with statutory and Government commitments. The Review will examine the Act of 2018, which sets out four different types of situations in which a termination of pregnancy can lawfully occur in the State, accessing the effectiveness of the operation of the legislation.
The Review comprises of 2 main phases and is being led by an independent Chair. As part of the first phase of the review, information, and evidence on the operation of the Act is being collected from women who use the service, and from health professionals that provide the service; the views of the public were also sought via a public consultation.
The public consultation provided organisations, stakeholders, advocacy groups working in the area and all other interested parties to inform the Review of the operation of the legislation. The public consultation closed on Friday 1st April 2022 and the review of submissions received as part of this process is currently underway.
The second phase of the review will be led by an independent Chair who will assess the extent to which the objectives of the Act have been achieved, analysing in that regard the findings of the three strands of information, on the operation of the Act. The Minister for Health has appointed Ms Marie O’Shea B.L. as the independent Chair of the Review.
482. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health if he will publish the county of origin that the heart attack patient numbers derive from in the Irish heart attack audit national report 2017-2020; the total number of patients concerned; the actual transfer times for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21953/22]
View answer483. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health if he will publish the county of origin of heart attack patients highlighted in the Irish Heart Attack Audit National Report 2017-2020 (details supplied); the PCI lab that patients in the cohort were transferred to if any; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21954/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 482 and 483 together.
As PQ 21953/22 and PQ 21954/22 relate to the same subject matter, namely the Irish Heart Attack Audit (IHAA) National Report 2017-2020, I propose to take both PQs together in this response.
The Heartbeat audit of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) care was first developed in 2012 to assess the effectiveness and quality of the newly formed National Clinical Programme for Acute Coronary Syndrome (NCP-ACS) STEMI optimal reperfusion service. In 2019, that audit came under the governance of the National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA) and evolved into the IHAA. The overall aim is to conduct an audit of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) care. ACS refers to a group of diseases in which blood flow to the heart decreases, one of which is a STEMI (the medical term for a type of heart attack).
The IHAA National Report 2017-2020 builds on the two reports previously published by the National Clinical Programme. The IHAA report published in April 2022 is the first national IHAA report. It presents data on 5,629 patients who suffered a STEMI and received care in one of nine hospitals in Ireland that provide primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) therapy (insertion of a wire into the blocked artery to open it with a balloon and facilitate stenting).
The staff at NOCA work in collaboration with data users including the Hospital Groups, the HSE Office of the Chief Clinical Officer, and the HSE Business Intelligence Unit to determine relevance of the data in the report. While the report does not provide information for individual counties, the data is presented according to each participating site. In addition, each participating hospital has the functionality to access and use its own data to support quality improvement initiatives and service developments. The IHAA Report is published by NOCA for the purposes of healthcare quality improvement.
484. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health if the home help hours currently being offered to a person (details supplied) can be re-assessed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21960/22]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
485. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health the percentage of the health budget that was allocated to disability services in the budget in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21963/22]
View answerThe Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. Our determination to improve services and supports for people with disabilities and their families is clear in our Programme for Government, our objective is to put the rights of people with disabilities at the heart of Government policy.
The table below illustrates the Net Current Health budget for each of the years 2018 to 2022. This includes Current HSE, Department of Health, Covid-19 and Supplementary funding. It excludes any element of the Capital budget.
Year on year additional funding has been provided to Disability Services with €115m secured in additional funding in Budget 2022, which will significantly increase the disability services budget to €2.35 billion (€10m of which is one-off Covid funding in 2022).
|
Net Current Health Budget €m |
NSP Disability Services Budget €m |
Disability Services % |
|
|
2018 |
15,013.9 |
1,772.3 |
11.8% |
|
2019 |
16,298.3 |
1,904.4 |
11.7% |
|
2020 |
19,338.2 |
2,049.5 |
10.6% |
|
2021 |
20,652.5 |
2,217.7 |
10.7% |
|
2022 |
20,697.0 |
2,357.4 |
11.4% |
486. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 936, 937, 938, 939, 940 and 941 of 22 March 2022, if the staffing census of the children’s disability network teams has been finalised and published; if he will provide this Deputy with a copy of the census; if it has not been finalised and published, the timeframe for its publication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21964/22]
View answer487. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a comprehensive overview of all staff within each children’s disability network team indicating each post title and grade level in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21965/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 486 and 487 together.
As these are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
488. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the specific locations and addresses for HSE services in County Cavan; the services being provided in each location and address; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21966/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
489. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the status of the programme for Government commitment to explore the potential for introducing a 24-hour triage and health concerns telephone and website service which will help to direct patients into appropriate streams of care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21973/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
