Results 22,521-22,540 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (21 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Increasing access to GP care without charges for children is an important healthcare measure that will remove a potentially prohibitive cost barrier to accessing GP care and will help to improve children’s health as they develop. The expansion of GP care without fees to all children aged 12 years and under is planned on a phased basis to limit the impact the expansion might have on...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (21 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: In 2016, the Herity Report concluded that the needs of the effective catchment population of University Hospital Waterford (UHW) could be accommodated from a single Cath lab and recommended that the operating hours of the existing Cath lab should be extended. Discussions are still on-going to commence extended working days in the Cath Lab in University Hospital Waterford. The...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Strategies (21 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The implementation of the National Cancer Strategy is a Programme for Government commitment and is part of the implementation of Sláintecare. We have seen significant progress on the implementation of the Strategy over the past four years, with clear evidence-based policy direction from my Department and strong implementation by the HSE's National Cancer Control Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (21 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (21 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Throughout the pandemic, NPHET has consistently advised on the importance of the continued application of a range of non-pharmaceutical interventions in addition to the vaccination programme as part of our national strategy for the management of COVID-19. These include the importance of self-isolating when symptomatic and diagnosed with COVID-19, wearing of masks in a range of settings, the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (21 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Building ventilation has remained one element of the broader infection prevention and control (IPC) response over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The appreciation of the role of ventilation has evolved in the context of developing experience and evidence. Guidance, training, and measures implemented reflect this learning. The NPHET for COVID-19 regards ventilation as an important IPC...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Procedures (21 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I sincerely regret that children can experience a long waiting time for hospital appointments and treatment, and I remain conscious of the burden that this places on them and their families. My priority as Minister for Health, and that of this Government, is to improve waiting times for all patients accessing hospital treatment, and reducing the paediatric waiting list for orthopaedic...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (21 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Guardian Status (21 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As the Deputy will be aware, drafting of a bill on assisted human reproduction (AHR) and associated areas of research is ongoing by Department of Health officials, in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General. This legislation encompasses the regulation for the first time of a wide range of practices undertaken in this jurisdiction, including domestic altruistic surrogacy.  ...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (19 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Lung cancer screening is receiving increasing attention and the international evidence in this area continues to build. However, there are currently no nationally organised lung cancer screening programmes worldwide.  Our policy priority continues to be a focus on primary prevention. Because we know that 9 out of 10 lung cancers are caused by tobacco consumption, we...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (19 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Government has provided an additional allocation of €250 million in budget 2022, comprised of €200 million to the HSE and €50 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund, to reduce hospital and community waiting lists. The additional funding provided to the NTPF brings its total allocation for 2022 to €150 million, and as a consequence there will be a...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Overcrowding (19 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I am aware that high numbers of ED patients were reported waiting on trolleys for admission in Galway University Hospital in September, with significant congestion in the ED due to high attendances, low patient discharges in the hospital, and a significant number of beds blocked for infection prevention and control measures. I acknowledge the distress that overcrowded Emergency...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Staff (19 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: There are only a small number of healthcare courses where the students receive allowances to support clinical placements during training. These allowances have been in place for a number of years and based on specific requirements of the individual training program. Radiography students similar to many other healthcare students do not receive an allowance to support time spent on clinical...

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (19 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The HSE takes several factors into consideration when making its annual assessment of the number and type of specialist training places required within each specialty including but not limited to, future medical workforce planning projections, the number currently in training and the training capacity within the health system. Targeted increases across a number of specialist training...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (19 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Both Letterkenny and Sligo University Hospitals provide diabetes services for both adult and paediatric patients. Letterkenny University Hospital has one full time Consultant Endocrinologist and one Consultant Physician with a special interest in Diabetes, supported by Clinical Nurse Specialists for adults and paediatrics.  There is one Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner in the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (19 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Sláintecare Implementation Strategy & Action Plan 2021-2023 committed to developing a Multi-Annual Waiting Lists Reduction Plan. My Department, the HSE and the NTPF is working on that Plan to address waiting lists and bring them in line with Sláintecare targets over the coming years. This process will be overseen by a Ministerial Taskforce chaired by the Secretary...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (19 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The expansion of the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme is a priority for me. In 2020, I approved the addition of a condition known as ADA-SCID to this programme. The HSE are currently progressing implementation of this expansion, which will bring the total number of conditions screened to nine. Decisions on changes to population-based screening programmes are made on the advice...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (19 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Improving women’s health outcomes is a key priority for me and this Government. As such, I am gratified to see the €31 million euro allocated to women’s health in Budget 2022. This additional funding supplements both the ongoing work of my Department in key areas for women and a specific dedicated allocation for innovative approaches to women’s health services...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (19 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Sláintecare Implementation Strategy & Action Plan 2021-2023 was approved by the Government in May 2021. The six-month progress report, published last month, indicated that of the 112 deliverables, 109 were on track or progressing with minor challenges. I would expect that progress would continue at pace in 2022, supported by the allocation in Budget 2022 of €21...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (19 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Department of Health is working with the HSE to increase acute capacity in hospitals throughout the country. The Government allocated €236 million revenue and €40 million capital expenditure as part of Budget 2021 to fund 1,146 additional acute beds over and above the number of beds available on 1 January 2020 on a permanent basis by the end of 2021. The number of beds...