Results 7,521-7,540 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: A core policy objective of the Government's health reform programme is to ensure equal access to health care based on need, not income, through a single-tier health service supported by universal health insurance. Ensuring compliance with the contractual limits on private practice will increase the availability of consultants to treat public patients and help ensure that access to services...

Written Answers — Health Service Plan: Health Service Plan (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: The most recent information available to me indicates that about 4,200 individuals will have left the health service between September 2011 and the end of this month. The corresponding wholetime equivalent figure is about 3,700. These figures are subject to change because, for example, of the time lags involved in collating data at national level. However, management at local and regional...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: The Business Intelligence Unit (BIU) of the HSE produces a weekly report on bed closures. I am circulating the most recent bed closure report published on 5 February 2012. I believe we must concentrate on getting the best possible services for patients from the budgets available to us. This means we need to focus on how beds are used, on the throughput of patients, on reducing length of stay...

Written Answers — Ministerial Responsibilities: Ministerial Responsibilities (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 281 together. I secured Government approval last December for the preparation of legislation which would abolish the Board of the HSE and replace it with a new governance structure. The proposed legislation will strengthen the accountability of the HSE to me as Minister. It will also ensure that the governance structure has a clear service focus, with...

Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: In July of last year I announced the establishment of the Special Delivery Unit. The development of the Unit is a key part of my plans to radically reform the health system in Ireland. Last year I identified two key priorities for the SDU, namely addressing trolley waiting times and reducing the maximum waiting time for elective surgery. I am happy to say that the SDU has delivered notable...

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: The shortage of Registrars in Emergency Medicine is an issue not just in Ireland, but internationally. Approximately 36 Registrar posts in Emergency Medicine are currently filled by locum/agency staff. This means that a doctor is in post to provide the service. However, the HSE is pursuing a number of measures to address the dependence on agency staff and ensure appropriate availability...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: The HSE National Service Plan 2012 sets out the health and personal social services that will be delivered by the HSE within its current budget of €13.317bn and identifies a cost reduction target in 2012 of €750m. The Service Plan reflects the Programme for Government commitments for health and the savings targets set out in the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2012-2014. The scale of...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Acute hospital services in the Dublin South-Wicklow Area, are provided through a collaborative arrangement across three sites, St. Vincent's University Hospital, St. Michael's Hospital and St. Columcille's Hospital. The configuration of services in the area has been under continued review and reorganisation for some time in the interest of improving access and quality of service to the local...

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 24, 33, 59 and 62 together. I am aware of the impact the early retirement package will have on the provision of maternity services and indeed all services nationally and together with the HSE, we are committed to minimizing the impact through a range of strategies to be achieved through fast tracking new innovative and more efficient ways of using a reducing...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: St Vincent's University Hospital is the designated National Adult Referral Centre for patients with Cystic Fibrosis. Phase 2 of the development at St Vincent's Hospital is designed to provide a state of the art clinical building which will include up to date isolation facilities with accommodation for people with cystic fibrosis and others requiring such facilities. The new unit is due to...

Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Building on the achievements of 2011 the SDU will work with the NTPF, the HSE Clinical Programmes and hospitals to minimise patient waiting times in emergency departments and reduce waiting periods for in patient and day case elective surgical care. The improvements already won have to be secured and continually improved upon. There is a specific SDU liaison process in place for all of...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I have been advised by the Health Service Executive that the information is not readily available as the January Performance Reports are at present being submitted and consolidated. I have requested the HSE to collect this information and I will forward it to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — National Substance Misuse Strategy: National Substance Misuse Strategy (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: As the report concerned was only recently launched on 7 February last, I intend to allow a period of public debate on the issues raised by and recommendations made by the National Substance Misuse Strategy Steering Group; and I then envisage that an Action Plan will be developed in advance of proposals being drafted for the Government.

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I established a Special Action Group on Obesity comprising representatives from the Department of Health, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Health Service Executive, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and Safefood to identify a number of specific issues which could be progressed to help make an impact on our obesity levels. While it was acknowledged that alone no single...

Written Answers — Health Insurance: Health Insurance (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 61 together. I am concerned that private health insurance is becoming harder to afford, especially for older people, as insurers increasingly tailor their insurance plans towards younger, healthier customers. I am strongly committed to protecting community rating, whereby older and less healthy customers should pay the same amount for the same cover as...

Written Answers — Health Service Plan: Health Service Plan (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: The Government intends to publish a framework for the development of smaller hospitals, which will set out the way these hospitals provide services to patients and how they work within their regional hospital networks. The framework and its implementation is a priority of the Government. In developing the framework, the Government is clear that: there is an important future role for smaller...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Yesterday I explained to the House in a previous question that reducing public service numbers is an integral part of the Government's drive to reduce public expenditure. Health service employment numbers must be reduced to approximately 102,000 by the end of this year. Further reductions will be required over the coming years. The Regional Service Plans are currently being finalised and the...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: My Department does not collate information in relation to the numbers employed in the private health sector. The following table sets out (i) the numbers employed in the public health service at December 2007 and December 2011 (latest data) by grade category; and (ii) the changes in the numbers employed during that period: Numbers (WTE excld. career break) employed in the public health...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has been engaged for some time in discussions with the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) regarding the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services In-patient Unit in Merlin Park. The parties have participated in a conciliation process under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission, without resolution. Subsequent to this there has been further...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: The cumulative impact of staff reductions, and particularly those occurring before the end of the present "Grace Period", together with reduced financial resources, represents a significant challenge for the health system in delivering services in 2012. The HSE's National Service Plan, which I approved on 16 January, sets out the actions to be taken to address these challenges. The priority...