Results 221-240 of 8,239 for speaker:Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disease Management (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: The GP chronic disease management programme commenced in 2020 and has been rolled out on a phased basis over four years to adults with either a medical card or, for GMS patients, a GP visit card. The aim of the programme is to prevent and manage chronic diseases. Since 2020, over 680,000 patients have been registered on the programme, including those who have exited the programme. Some 91%...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disease Management (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: That is right. It impacts early detection as well. As populations age - which ours is doing - the prevalence of chronic conditions, including multimorbidity, rises. Early protection through the chronic disease management programme prevents the need for more intensive hospital-based treatments. Since 2020, 51% of the new chronic disease diagnoses have been made through elements of this...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regulatory Bodies (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: It is exceptionally important to acknowledge that our focus here is on HIQA, but HIQA did not do and did not enable what happened in the nursing homes. I want to take a moment to reflect on the fact that the provider and the individuals involved are ultimately responsible. We will also work with HIQA but let us first and foremost direct our ire at the providers of the nursing homes.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Medicinal Products (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I recognise the importance of timely access for patients to medicines, including new medicines. Supported by €128 million of funding, in the past four years the State has delivered access to 194 new medicines. Of these, 74 were for cancer and 49 were for rare diseases. Budget 2025 allocated €30 million for new medicines, to come from efficiencies to be identified by the HSE....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Medicinal Products (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I want to put a little bit of context on this. The State spent more than €3 billion in 2023 providing medicines to patients. We sometimes forget that €3 billion of the health spend goes to providing medicines. That is appropriate but it is a major budgetary consideration as well. With the early access programmes, we have to get the balance right between being able to get...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Medicinal Products (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I will do so, Deputy.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hospital Procedures (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I agree completely with the Deputy. However, my immediate priority is to ensure that there is clinical follow-up and care for patients who have undergone pelvic osteotomy surgery in accordance with the recommendations of the Thomas audit report. I am very aware that there are families around Ireland who are receiving letters and follow-up to say that surgery was not necessary on their...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I thank Deputy Ward and I assure him, representatives from Donegal, the consultants and doctors in Letterkenny and the people of Donegal more broadly that I will do precisely that. I am committed to that region. That is why I visited it a number of weeks into becoming Minister for Health in order to understand for myself. I cannot look at it on a map or look at drawings. I have to be...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I thank Deputy Ward and I hear what he is saying about his experience of the HSE. That is important. It is also important to reflect on local hospital management and their responsibility to advance cases on behalf of the hospital. When I met Deputies from Donegal, I went through the projects that had been advanced and supported. I recognised there was, in my view, insufficient surgical...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regulatory Bodies (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I will answer on HIQA specifically and ask the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, for his perspective as well. HIQA plays a crucial role in ensuring high-quality and safe care for patients using our health and social care services. The Government strongly supports HIQA in maintaining and strengthening its critical regulatory role. While it provides an important role, it also needs...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I thank the Deputy. The role our healthcare workers played during the pandemic cannot be overstated, particular at the very early stage of it. They went beyond the call of duty, working in front-line environments, treating Covid-19 positive patients, particularly in the early days when the control mechanisms were what they ultimately became and while the risk was extraordinarily great....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: There is no intention not to recognise that or to not be empathetic, which is why the scheme for full pay was there for five years. I am aware that the Minister for Social Protection has reviewed the EU recommendation in respect of the recognition of Covid-19, not long Covid, for an occupational illness. Following that review, it was determined that Covid-19 did not meet the requirements to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: Again, I recognise that the findings of the Labour Court are still awaited and I respect that. I will also reiterate the terms of the sick leave scheme. Having been on full pay for five years, the healthcare workers may receive further full pay for three months, half pay for three months, temporary rehabilitative remuneration for 547 days of paid leave and the critical illness protocol that...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I thank the Deputy. As part of the Government’s ambulatory care policy and in advance of the new elective hospitals, the HSE is developing surgical hubs across the regions. They will play an important role in separating scheduled and unscheduled care, reducing waiting times, thereby improving access and care for patients. The programme for Government committed to delivering six...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cancer Services (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: The Deputy is right. Yesterday I was at St. James's Hospital and it and Trinity College have become one of the accredited cancer centres of the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes. There are many accredited centres but this is at a different level. It is the most prestigious award for cancer control. The Deputy is correct that we have very good services. He asked in what world is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cancer Services (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I thank the Deputy and I agree with him on all of these points. Yesterday at the health committee we covered some of the workforce planning issues and the expansion of training places. It is also a workforce management issue and the variation between hospitals is well noted. I am told that in the Mater there have been long-standing recruitment challenges but they have been stabilised....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: In response to a series of reviews which raised corporate and clinical governance concerns at CHI, I have moved to strengthen governance and oversight structures at CHI in a range of different way. This was done via the appointment of two members of the HSE board to the board of CHI on 28 May. There are more board appointments to be made. This means that all but one members of the board...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: The Deputy will note the number of resignations from the board. She has identified a series of important and serious issues, most of which we knew would be coming because of the concerns raised by whistleblowers and others. Reports were correctly commissioned with HIQA by the HSE and CHI. We knew they would come but, as she pointed out, the report that was not shared with either the HSE or...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I want to be very careful of the privacy of Mikey and his family but I have met him and I have met his family. I am aware of the various issues. On foot of meeting them, I put in train a process and perhaps I might speak to the Deputy about it privately rather than on the floor of the Dáil, recognising his privacy. With regard to scoliosis and the issue of waiting times, it is a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Treatment Purchase Fund (26 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: The Government remains committed to increasing capacity in the public system. The commitment is underpinned by unparalleled levels of investment as we move to universal access to health care. However, until the capacity is in place to meet the increased levels of demand, it is necessary in the interim to make use of all available capacity in the public and private systems to ensure that...