Results 5,621-5,640 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: I welcome the Minister. I want to discuss the recruitment and retention crisis and his views on what is happening. Let me start with consultants. We know one in five consultant posts is currently vacant and that a very small number of consultants are applying for vacant posts relative to ten years ago. We know that in many hospitals it is becoming impossible to hire-in consultants...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: We have covered much ground but I would like to return to the specific questions. Does the Minister accept there is a crisis in recruitment and retention, either for nurses and midwives or consultants? He accepted that new entrant pay is a driver of challenges, whether he accepts it is a crisis or not. On the IHCA, I accept that the Minister intended to speak at its conference although...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: I have a quick follow-up question for Mr. Connaghan as acting director general of the HSE. I cited the example of a third of GUH's operating theatres being shut because it cannot hire a handful of theatre nurses. I have other examples across the system of hospitals incurring massive fixed costs, including staffing, with detrimental effects on patients and on doctors, who are getting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank Dr. Henry. Perhaps Mr. Connaghan could address my question to him if time allows.

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Staff Recruitment (15 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: 136. To ask the Minister for Health the obstacles that have been encountered in appointing a new chief executive for the HSE; the number of applications received to date for the position; his plans to revise the terms and conditions of the appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47562/18]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Services for People with Disabilities (20 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: 266. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if €100,000 of funding will be included in his final budget preparations from an equality perspective for the roll-out of the just a minute card which helps persons with disabilities to navigate public transport and shops by signalling that the holder needs to be afforded some patience; and if he will make a statement...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Beds Data (20 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: 381. To ask the Minister for Health the average number of acute hospital beds available in public hospitals in each of the years 2015 to 2017 and to date in 2018, by inpatient and day case, in tabular form. [47828/18]

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE National Service Plan (20 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: 392. To ask the Minister for Health when the 2019 HSE service plan will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47872/18]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Patient Data (20 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: 434. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated scale of disease-related malnutrition here; the clinical setting in which disease-related malnutrition predominantly exists; the estimated cost impact of disease-related malnutrition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48040/18]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Patient Data (20 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: 435. To ask the Minister for Health the measures being undertaken to accurately measure the scale of malnutrition in the community setting here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48041/18]

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Cancer Screening Programmes (21 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: The Minister of State will be aware of a case that has come into the public domain in recent days, namely, the tragic case of a woman who developed cancer after she was incorrectly given the all clear by a genetic test at Crumlin hospital. She is calling for a full review of diagnostics at the hospital. She has also asked that a panel of experts in genetic medicine from outside the State be...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Cancer Screening Programmes (21 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: Am I going to get an answer to the specific questions I asked?

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Cancer Screening Programmes (21 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: I have great respect for the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, and my comments are not a personal criticism of him. In deputising for the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, the Minister of State has been consigned to reading out what is written on a piece of paper. This is topical issues and is meant to be a Dáil debate. The Minister for Health could have emailed me this response....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the witnesses for their time today and, more broadly, for all the work they do. The advocacy work and the pressure and technical expertise they bring to the table are incredibly valuable. I realise they can feel they are ploughing a lonely furrow for much of the time so I wish to acknowledge all the work they do on behalf of many men, women and children throughout the country. They...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: I have a question on that. I was going through the process on this last week and the view I got was that the clinical evaluation is quite open and moves at a decent clip. The National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, whether one agrees or disagrees with what it decides, arrives at a recommendation quite quickly. It has its €45,000 per year measure, with which we can agree or disagree,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: Specifically on evaluation, one of the issues in passing these rare drugs is that they do not meet this magic number of €45,000 per quality-adjusted life year, QALY, or a disability adjusted life year, that rare drugs are not meeting. This is for several reasons, including the lack of comparator therapies to use, because they are very expensive due to the small numbers of people to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank everybody for coming before the committee this morning. It is very much appreciated. I thank them for all the work they do and this is clearly a very sensitive and important area. I have various process questions as to how things are being improved. I will first ask about both Spinraza and Translarna. With Translarna, an application was received in September and yesterday we got...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank Mr. Hennessy. On the affordability side, the question for the parents and children is when they can expect to get a "Yes" or "No" or a half-yes or any answer on this in order that they might be able to access the drug.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: That is by the end of this year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)

Stephen Donnelly: It will be in the next six weeks.