Results 21,941-21,960 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Proposed Legislation (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: It will be real and will recognise the financial resources under which we must all operate and which some of the Deputy's policies do not appear to recognise.

Proposed Legislation (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: The Deputy speaks as if we have an unlimited budget for an unlimited number of consultations, procedures and diagnostics. On the Deputy's specific question, the legislation is long overdue. It is, however, a major piece of work on which considerable work has been done in my Department. The proposals will be brought to Government shortly for decision.

Proposed Legislation (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: I totally refute the Deputy assertion. Everything we have done, including the new consultant contract, medical card arrangements, screening programmes and the establishment of the fair deal, was precisely to deal with people who did not have appropriate access to public facilities. It remains my determination to continue to improve access to our public health services on the basis of...

Health Service Appointments (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: The board of the Health Service Executive is continuing the recruitment process for the next chief executive officer of the HSE as the contract of the current CEO, Professor Brendan Drumm, expires in August this year. In accordance with section 17 of the Health Act 2004, the HSE board is responsible for making the appointment. The Act stipulates that the recruitment process must be in...

Health Service Appointments (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: As I stated, under the Health Act 2004, I do not have any role in recruitment. The search company engaged interviewed or met more than 25 persons from around the world and more than 100 people expressed an interest of some form in the position. A cap of €37,000 was imposed on the costs of the recruitment process for the company in question and I understand the final figure will be lower...

Health Service Appointments (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: I hold Professor Tom Keane in high regard. He impressed me so much when I met him in Canada that I asked him would he consider coming to Ireland. I did not expect to receive a positive response and I was delighted when he decided to come here. He was appointed to a specific position of overseeing the implementation of the cancer control programme on a contract we agreed with his then...

Health Service Appointments (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: I do not know of any health provider which can operate without a CEO. To refer to the words cited by Deputy Reilly, every organisation needs leadership. The HSE requires, in particular, a chief executive officer given that it is responsible for a budget of almost €15 billion provided by taxpayers. I would not consider asking anyone to suspend the recruitment process. It is important...

Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: Last year, the HSE dealt with nearly 1.2 million Emergency Department presentations and it expects to do the same again this year. About 70% of people who attended Emergency Departments last year were not admitted to hospital: they were treated and discharged. This year, the HSE is planning to increase the number who can be safely discharged home without admission to about 72%. This can be...

Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: The improvement of access to outpatient services, which are a key access point to the acute hospital system and involve over three million attendances annually, is a priority for the health service. It is essential that people are afforded timely access to outpatient services when they require them and that these services function effectively as part of an integrated acute hospital and...

Written Answers — Health Care Professionals: Health Care Professionals (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: This year, the HSE is required to achieve a net reduction of 1,520 (or 1.4%) in its employment levels. Corresponding reductions will be required in 2011 and 2012 to achieve an overall reduction of 6,000 between March 2009 and December 2012. These reductions are an essential and unavoidable part of the measures being taken by the Government to address the gap between revenue and expenditure....

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: The annual HSE National Service Plan is the primary vehicle through which my Department monitors and evaluates the performance of the Executive to ensure that health services are delivered in accordance with Government policy. My Department is working collaboratively with the HSE to develop and refine performance measures across all service areas matched with timescales to ensure that they...

Written Answers — Health Service Systems: Health Service Systems (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: The Health Service Executive's Integrated Patient Management System (IPMS) is currently in live operation in 26 hospitals and other community centres. The system successfully supports day-to-day patient administrative functions across all these locations as well as a range of clinical functions, which have yet to be more widely deployed. The HSE has confirmed that the system has proven to be...

Written Answers — Health Service Reviews: Health Service Reviews (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 57 and 122 together. I welcome the completion of the process of reading and reporting on x-rays that were previously not read by consultant radiologists at Tallaght Hospital and also the management of GP referral letters at the hospital. No further delayed diagnoses were found other than the two initially identified. I am satisfied that the hospital is...

Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: I am pleased to confirm that the national colorectal cancer screening programme will commence in early 2012. A two-year preparatory period started in January 2010. The National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS) has responsibility for the implementation of the screening programme and it is working closely with colleagues across the Health Service Executive on preparations for this. Colorectal...

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 and 119 together. The HSE plans to recruit a General Manager with responsibility for Galway University Hospital, Portiuncula Hospital and Roscommon County Hospital. The recruitment of a General Manager with responsibility for the three hospitals this is designed to improve good co-ordination between the hospitals and to improve clinical services for...

Written Answers — Hospitals Building Programme: Hospitals Building Programme (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 295 together. The Renewed Programme for Government re-affirms the Government's commitment to the current co-location programme. Preferred bidders have been selected for six co-located projects at Beaumont, Cork University, Limerick Regional, St James's, Sligo and Waterford Regional Hospitals. Project agreements have been signed for the Beaumont, Cork,...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 95 together. The HSE has made significant progress on reconfiguring acute hospital and related services in the Mid West region informed by the Teamwork/Horwath Report and the Health Information and Quality Authority Report on Ennis, which was published in April 2009. These Reports highlighted the need for changes to be made in the organisation and...

Written Answers — Parliamentary Questions: Parliamentary Questions (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 66, 94 and 237 together. A total of 1083 Parliamentary Questions were taken by my Department during the period from 3rd March 2010 to 13th May 2010. Of these, 767 (71%) have not been answered due to industrial action by certain staff both within my Department and in the Health Service Executive. Responding to the information needs of the Oireachtas is a...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 67 and 279 together. Responsibility for the Treatment Benefit Scheme, which provides dental, optical and aural services to insured people, rests with my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection. I have no plans to commission a report as suggested.

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (18 May 2010)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68, 77, 79, 88 and 278 together. The Health Service Executive (HSE), which has responsibility for determining the composition of its staffing complement, is anticipating that there may be some difficulties in the filling of Non-Consultant Hospital Doctor (NCHD) posts in July when doctors begin their new training rotation. Initial reports from the HSE indicate...