Results 18,381-18,400 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hospital Facilities (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 215 together. I thank Deputies Durkan and Heydon for asking these important questions about Naas General Hospital. I was delighted to visit the hospital on a number of occasions with Deputies Durkan and Heydon. There are, as the Deputy said, two distinct capital development proposals for Naas General Hospital at present. The first development...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Paediatric Services (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for this important question. Children’s Health Ireland has advised that recruitment is well under way to secure the required staff for the opening of the outpatient urgent care centre at Connolly Hospital and that the majority of staff have been recruited, with start dates over the forthcoming weeks and, in some cases, months. A total of 13 consultant posts are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Paediatric Services (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I have no doubt this service will see additionality from July in regard to paediatric healthcare. I take the points the Deputy makes that if we are just taking a doctor from here to there, that is not additionality. I genuinely have no doubt it will bring additionality in terms of extra appointments for children. I outlined in my last answer the volume I expect as a result of this centre...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Paediatric Services (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I thought that might be the case.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Paediatric Services (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I expect we are likely to know in the month of June but I will confirm that with Children’s Health Ireland and write to the Deputy. The Deputy is entirely correct that this requires a lot of planning. I make the point that, thanks to the legislation passed in this House, which the Deputy co-operated on and supported, we now have Children's Health Ireland, which is one hospital...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I cannot give a definitive timeframe for that because these processes require two sides being willing to negotiate an outcome. When we engaged with the GPs, for example, a massive amount of intensive work was required. When we engaged with GPs and then with nurses, after they took the significant step of industrial action, which they did not take lightly, both sides had requests. It will...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff Recruitment (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for this important question. To clarify, I would not describe what is happening as a recruitment embargo in the health service, nor did the new director general of the HSE do so in his first memorandum to his HSE leadership team, which I read about this morning. The issue can be accurately described as individual hospital groups and community health organisations across...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff Recruitment (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I agree with the Deputy on the need to tackle agency staff. That is why in the new deal we have with nurses and the new nurses contract both I and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, believe that the new measures will help reduce a dependency on agency staff and help to recruit and retain more nurses in full-time, permanent posts. That is the view of the union that has just...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff Recruitment (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I was at its conference.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff Recruitment (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: One cannot describe a situation where we will hire 2,000 additional staff this year as a recruitment embargo. An embargo suggests that we are not hiring any more people. In other words, that we are stopping recruitment. We are not doing that; we are going to hire 2,000 more people. However, what we are expecting hospital groups and CHOs to do is something that every other public service...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: The number of consultants working in the public health service continues to grow year-on-year. It increased by 119 whole-time equivalents, WTEs, or 4% in the year to the end of March 2019. In the five years to the end of March 2019, the number of consultants increased by 529, more than 20%, and now stands at 3,110 WTEs. It is important in any discussion of this issue to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I outlined my position very clearly in that regard at the IMO conference in Killarney a couple of weekends ago and I am happy to outline it again here. Addressing consultants and their concerns is the next major issue we need to resolve. I say that from the position that we have just reached an agreement with general practitioners, which is still being considered by the Irish Medical...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Occupational Therapy Waiting Lists (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I acknowledge that the current time to access Occupational Therapy services can be too long in certain locations and that this may cause anxiety for parents and patients who are currently waiting to access services. That is why the HSE will be prioritising investment in Occupational Therapy in 2019 to reduce waiting times and improve access to services. Across the country, 40 additional...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Planning (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware, in May 2017, I gave approval to Saolta University Health Care Group to conduct an options appraisal for future acute hospital needs in Galway. As part of this, Saolta is undertaking a planning project to assess the population health needs for the Hospital’s catchment area in order to inform existing and future service needs. The assessment will provide an...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Overcrowding (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: The Winter Plan 2018/19, recognising the multiple factors across the health service that impact on Emergency Department performance, included a range of measures to support patients accessing services in the community and in hospitals. Planning for Winter 2019/20 has already commenced, with a review of performance over the Winter Period currently underway to ensure that the lessons learned...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Staff Provision (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: The HSE Model of Care for Neurology provides a framework for neurology services, including for Parkinson's Disease patients, using international best practice and describes care provision using an integrated service approach. The model is fully aligned with the objectives of Sláintecare and proposes a hub and spoke model, with services provided as close to home as possible but with...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Emergency Departments (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: Our Lady’s Hospital Navan is part of the Ireland East Hospital Group. In 2013 Our Lady’s Hospital Navan was included in the list of designated Model 2 Hospitals under the Smaller Hospitals Framework. Every hospital in the Group, large and small, has a vital role to play within the Group, with smaller hospitals, such as Navan Hospital, managing routine, urgent or planned care...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Overcrowding (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: The Winter Plan 2018/19, recognising the multiple factors across the health service that impact on Emergency Department performance, included a range of measures to support patients accessing services in the community and in hospitals. Planning for Winter 2019/20 has already commenced, with a review of performance over the Winter Period currently underway to ensure that the lessons learned...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Physiotherapy Provision (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I acknowledge that challenges exist in the delivery of physiotherapy services in Connemara. However, I am assured by the HSE that efforts are being undertaken to minimise the impact on patients. I understand that the physiotherapist post assigned to the South Connemara Primary Care Team has recently become vacant after being filled on a continuous but temporary basis since August 2018. The...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Children's Hospital (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: It is not my intention to publish the contract relating to the new children's hospital construction. However, I contacted the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board on the matter and have been provided with a redacted contract which I will make available to the Deputy.