Results 31,001-31,020 of 46,456 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Hospital Consultant Recruitment (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for the question he asked on behalf of Deputy Jonathan O'Brien. As the Deputies will be aware, Cork University Hospital is the centre for the treatment of paediatric diabetes for the south-west region. It treats approximately 400 children with diabetes, with an average of between 45 and 52 new children being diagnosed each year. I assure the Deputy that the Government is...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Hospital Consultant Recruitment (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for his detailed questions in this regard. I do not disagree with him that there is a further body of work we need to do to make sure we increase capacity in all of these teams. I very much welcome the fact that when the Deputy spoke about this issue, he referred to a range of healthcare professionals. Sometimes, in the media and political commentary, people tend to talk...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Health Services Provision (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 11 and 72 together. Deputy Barry was up early this morning as well. I thank him for his timely question regarding contraception. I reiterate on the record of this House my view that we need to make contraception free for all women in our country. We have made very significant progress regarding male contraception in terms of condoms. We have very...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Health Services Provision (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: I agree with the Deputy that it would have been useful to have the report published in advance of the budget. However, I remind the House that we are framing a budget in the context of a no-deal Brexit where there is a range of priority issues we needed to address, including making sure we address home care services, mental health services and a number of other issues that have been raised...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Health Services Provision (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: My position on this is not in any way ambiguous. I signed up fully to all the recommendations of the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution and applied rigour to trying to progress a number of them working across this House and I will continue to do so. I believe contraception should be free for men and women. We should talk about men as well. It is not just a woman's...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Hospital Services (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Kenny and, in fairness, I acknowledge and understand his frustration in this regard because it is an issue he has pursued on multiple occasions in this House. I accept his sincerity and bona fides in this regard. The diabetes service at Sligo University Hospital, as the Deputy knows better than I, is a well-established integrated service, operating on a multidisciplinary...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Hospital Services (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Every time a Deputy raises the issue of the national children's hospital and suggests in some way, shape or form that it is a hospital for Dublin-----

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Hospital Services (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: -----I am going to make the point, and it is not particular to Deputy Kenny, that children from Sligo will benefit from this massive investment we are making in children's healthcare, which was promised years ago and debated but about which nothing was done. We are now getting on with delivering it. In regard to the adult insulin pump services, in fairness to Deputy Kenny, he and Grainne...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Hospitals Building Programme (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: In line with best international practice, it is Government policy, as set out in the National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026, that stand-alone maternity hospitals should be co-located with acute adult hospitals. The national maternity strategy, the first ever national maternity strategy in Ireland - it baffles me that we never had one before - reaffirms the commitment to tri-location of...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed): Hospitals Building Programme (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Just minutes ago, I was talking about the works on the new diabetes facility for Sligo which is starting next week, and I know that is news the Deputy will welcome. The HSE recently published its capital plan for the next three years, outlining projects to be progressed over the three-year period. The capital plan includes a new ward block development and additional bed capacity at Sligo...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware, in May 2017, I gave approval to the HSE to conduct an options appraisal for future acute hospital needs in Galway. Following the appropriate procurement process, external consultants were appointed to the project in July 2018. As part of this project, Saolta University Healthcare Group undertook a planning project to assess the population health...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Reducing waiting times for hospital appointments and procedures is a key commitment of government. While the last 18 months have seen considerable progress in the reduction of waiting times for Inpatient and Daycase treatments, I am conscious that the Outpatient Waiting List remains a significant challenge as demand for acute hospital services continues to grow. Waiting list figures for...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Overcrowding (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: According to provisional HSE TrolleyGAR data, there was a 2.1% increase in patients counted waiting on trolleys at 8am in Sligo University Hospital ED for the year to date as of the end of September 2019 compared to the same period last year. In the month of September 2019, there were 305 patients counted on trolleys in Sligo, which was a 1% increase compared to the previous month. I...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Infrastructure Provision (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: The Health Service Executive recently published its Capital Plan for 2019-2021. The plan includes capital funding for the Community Nursing Unit programme and also sets out the current status of all projects within the programme, including the refurbishment and extension of Kanturk Community Hospital, County Cork. The Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Children's Hospital Expenditure (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: I advised Government in December 2018 that the final cost of the design, build and equipment programme for which the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board is responsible was estimated to be €1,433 million. There has been no change to this figure advised to Government.   The PwC report makes clear that the Guaranteed Maximum Price established through the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cancer Screening Programmes (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Since 2010, as part of quality assurance measures, CervicalCheck reviewed the screening history of every woman notified to it as having a diagnosis of cervical cancer, who had previously been screened by the programme. The objective of audit and quality review at CervicalCheck was to facilitate continued improvement and ongoing learning within the programme. Following the issues which arose...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Emergency Departments Waiting Times (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: The HSE TrolleyGAR count shows a 17% increase in patients waiting on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick ED for this year up to the end of September compared to the same period last year. In the month of September 2019, there were 897 patients counted on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick, which was a 28% increase compared to the previous month. It is acknowledged that this is...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Consultant Data (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: The following table incorporating Eurostat data shows that the number of Specialist Medical Practitioners (consultant doctors) per 100,000 inhabitants In Ireland was 142.7 in 2017 compared with an EU average of 251.8. While it is acknowledged that the per capita position in Ireland is low compared with other EU Member States, Eurostat data covering other health professionals...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Action Plan (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: The joint Department of Health/HSE/National Treatment Purchase Fund Scheduled Care Access Plan, published in March of this year, set out ambitious targets to improve waiting times for patients to access hospital procedures and appointments. Waiting list figures for the end of September 2019, due to be published by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) this week, show that...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospitals Funding (10 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: The Health Service Executive recently published its Capital Plan for 2019-2021. The plan includes capital funding for the Community Nursing Unit programme and also sets out the current status of all projects within the programme, including the refurbishment and extension of Macroom Community Hospital. The Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare...