Results 10,661-10,680 of 45,789 for speaker:Simon Harris

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: The Department and I set policy, not the HSE. It is not my policy or that of the Government to diminish the role of public community hospitals or public nursing homes. However, it has been the policy of this and successive Governments to ensure these facilities will be brought up to appropriate HIQA standards. With Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony, I visited the community hospital in Bandon...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: That will not be a problem. The Deputy raised the broader issue of home help provision. She is probably aware that last year my Department commissioned the Health Research Board to carry out an evidence-based review of all the various international approaches taken to the regulation and financing of home care services. The Minister of State, Deputy Helen McEntee, will publish the outcome...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: I will get the information for the Deputy.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: That is a fair point. We can debate the pros and cons of the winter initiative. There has been significant progress on the issue of delayed discharges, the number of which has been reduced to its lowest level since they were first recorded. There is a direct correlation with the level of investment in providing additional home care packages and transitional care beds and with the...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: I had an excellent meeting with the Scottish Health Minister after the committee had met her. I know that the cross-party group on dementia which I think is meeting today and which is headed by Senator Colette Kelleher visited Scotland. There could be more learning and co-operation on a number of issues, including drug policy, about which we had a good conversation.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: The Chairman has correctly noted that we will see an increased investment in the National Ambulance Service in 2017, which is welcome. The first report I received when I became Minister for Health was produced by Lightfoot Solutions UK on the National Ambulance Service. In reading the report which was published on my Department's website I was struck by the huge need for extra ambulances...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputies. Many points were raised in their comments. I will get clarification from the National Ambulance Service on Loughglynn but my note just tells me that it is a deployment point. I take Deputy Murphy's point in respect of the importance of the ambulance service and the great work that it carries out. This is an area in which we clearly have a lot more work to do. The...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: It should make our engagements more predictable. I will have to ask the HSE to give the Deputy a note on it because these are operational matters. We have taken note of them. I urge Deputy O'Reilly to come back to me if she does not get satisfactory information in reply. That includes the question of recruitment from abroad. I realise Deputy O'Reilly knows the history of the Dublin...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: It is an important issue. I want to recognise the extraordinary contribution that DFB provides to the delivery of medical services in our capital city and county. They will understand, as will Deputy O'Reilly, that I have to take on board the HIQA report and review. However, I want people to understand that my comment on not throwing the baby out with the bathwater gives people an...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: I know the Minister of State, Deputy McGrath, is an able and passionate advocate of people with disabilities and I am delighted to work with him. He was going to come back to Senator Dolan in that regard. I am keen to reiterate the point made by the Minister of State. When we consider the provision of disability services, we must consider them in their totality. I know that Pat Healy, the...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: I assure Deputy Murphy O'Mahony I will talk to the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, about the organisation in Cork she raised. Either he or I will come back to her. On the task force, it is important that when people hear the term "task force" they do not believe it will run on forever. When will people see progress on this? The task force was established on 20 September 2016....

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: The task force is due to report in December of this year. It has a project initiation document. Its work plan has been developed and approved by the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath. He has identified seven streams of work, some of which will be progressed in parallel. They are a review of national and international evidence of best practice; eligibility and resource allocation;...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: Perfect, yes.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: The Chairman made a good attempt. The first thing we must do, and I do not mean this in terms of the Chairman, is stop the debate on mental health funding being a debate on €35 million. The mental health budget for the delivery of mental health services in 2017 is €851.3 million. We have talked about the marginal figure for a large number of years. Last year, €826.6...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: I do not want to comment on an individual case at this committee. I have the little bit of information that Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin was allowed to make public by Megan's parents to the media, but I would rather not get into the detail of that other than to say that I believe a second date has been offered for this month. I would be happy to discuss it off-----

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: No. I believe it is entirely relevant, but in this specific case I hope this girl gets her operation as quickly as possible. My priority has to be to put in place the plan from a policy perspective and from a HSE operational perspective that will bring waiting times for scoliosis in line with international norms. Four months is a huge improvement on where we were at, but it is right to try...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: According to this, the output target in 2016 was 12,415. In fairness, I do not have the outturn but that is because it is not available yet. I will get the Deputy the outturn figure as soon as it is available. The target for this year, in terms of actual persons as opposed to percentages, is 14,365. Seventy-two per cent will be seen within 12 weeks or three months of being referred for an...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: I take the point the Chairman makes in respect of suicide, the huge amount of work that we have to do and his own interest in this issue. I will continue to work with the Chairman and the committee in this regard. I am pleased that the Chairman raised the issue of the HPV vaccine, which is something that we have discussed at the committee previously. The focus for 2017 is to counter...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (2 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: It is not for discussion now but I want to briefly mention the issue of medicinal cannabis, if the Chairman would indulge me for 60 seconds. I am conscious that there is a lot of information, and, I worry, some misinformation, out there with regard to my function as Minister for Health. In recent days, I have read information and received messages from people asking that I merely sign an...