Results 22,881-22,900 of 46,197 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The National...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centres Provision (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 408 and 447 together. As the HSE has responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres and other Primary Care facilities, the Executive has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Treatment Purchase Fund Eligibility (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: Reducing waiting time for patients for hospital operations and procedures is a key priority for the Government. The Inpatient and Daycase Action Plan 2018 outlines the combined impact of Health Service Executive (HSE) and National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) activity in 2018 to reduce the number of patients waiting for treatment. The Plan has already resulted in ongoing improvements with a...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Maternity Hospital (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: Following extensive mediation discussions, agreement was reached between the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group and the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) on the relocation of the NMH to the Elm Park campus. The terms of this agreement provides for the establishment of a new company which will have clinical and operational, as well as financial and budgetary independence in the provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Consultant Remuneration (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: The Public Service Pay Commission recently concluded a review in relation to recruitment and retention in respect of key health service grades, including consultants.  In terms of pay, it identified the two-tier pay system as being one of number of factors affecting recruitment and found that the differential in pay between pre-existing and new entrant consultants is greater...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 412 and 413 together. The Public Sector Pay Commission in its Report published on 4 September 2018 addressed consultant vacancies and identified difficulties in attracting applications for many posts at present. It acknowledged that the pay rates for new entrants had been highlighted as a factor in this and recognised that the implementation of the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Accommodation Provision (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: The Health Service Capacity Review was a key commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government, and was commissioned in response to the growing demand for health services.   The Review, which reported earlier this year, examined capacity requirements in key elements of acute care, primary care and services for older people.   Increasing capacity alone will not...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Reimbursement (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: The Health Service Executive has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines under the community drug schemes, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. The 2013 Act does not give the Minister for Health any powers in this regard. The Act specifies the criteria to be applied in the making of reimbursement decisions which...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: The Public Sector Pay Commission in its Report published on 4 September identified difficulties in attracting consultant applications for many posts at present. The Commission noted that at the end of 2017 the number of serving consultants at 2,971 (whole time equivalents) was 169 below the total Establishment figure of approved consultant posts of 3,140 and that it had been advised of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: The Public Sector Pay Commission in its Report published on 4 September 2018 identified difficulties in attracting consultant applications for many posts at present and acknowledged that the pay rates for new entrants had been highlighted as a factor in this. The Commission also recognised that the implementation of the settlement of the 2008 Consultant Contract claim, while necessary...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Maternity Services (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: The National Maternity Strategy is very clear that all women must have equal access to standardised ultrasound services. The Strategy is being implemented on a phased basis and this work is being led by the National Women and Infants Health Programme. The Programme's Implementation Plan for the Strategy includes a number of actions to facilitate the provision by all maternity...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff Recruitment (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: As this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Data (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: I am aware of reports of some general practitioners no longer accepting new patients. Where a medical card or GP visit card holder experiences difficulty in finding a GP to accept him/her as a patient, the HSE has the power to assign that person to a GP's GMS patient list where the person has been removed from another GP's list or refused entry onto a GP's list, and the person has...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Treatment Purchase Fund Eligibility (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: Reducing waiting time for patients for hospital operations and procedures is a key priority for the Government. In Budget 2019 we have further increased investment in this area, with funding to the National Treatment Purchase Fund to increase from €55 million in 2018 to €75 million in 2019, an overall increase of 150% since this government came into office. In 2019, the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ministerial Meetings (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: The Government is committed to engaging with the representatives of general practitioners on the development of a package of measures and reforms to modernise the GMS Contract. The goal is to develop a contractual framework that has a population health focus, providing in particular for health promotion, disease prevention and for the structured care of chronic conditions. This will enable...

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Contracts (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: The Department and HSE recommenced engagement with the IMO in early October on a package of measures consisting of service improvements and contractual modernisation and reform. The goal is to develop a contractual framework that has a population health focus, providing in particular for health promotion, disease prevention and for the structured care of chronic conditions. This...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Beds Data (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: €10 million in funding is being made available in 2019 to enable additional acute beds to be opened for Winter 2019/2020. This is the first step in the process of implementing the Capacity Plan which identifies over 600 acute beds to be phased in by the end of 2020, including a 20-bed short stay ward in Letterkenny University Hospital. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Beds Data (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: Increasing bed capacity is a Government priority. Over the past 12 months an additional 240 beds have been opened of which: - 148 opened by end quarter 4 2017; as detailed in Table 1 - 92 opened by end quarter 3 2018, as detailed in Table 2 A further 79 additional beds are planned for quarter 4 2018 and early 2019, as detailed in Table 3. Table 3 does not take account of the impact of the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Beds Data (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: Improving access to health care services is a key priority in 2019. In the first quarter of 2019, in the region of 80 additional beds will be brought on stream, including an additional 30-bed ward in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda, a 40-bed modular ward block in South Tipperary General Hospital and 4 high dependency beds in the Mater and Cork University Hospital respectively. In...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Infrastructure Provision (23 Oct 2018)

Simon Harris: As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.