Results 10,821-10,840 of 15,268 for speaker:Kathleen Lynch

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centre Provision (24 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: Crumlin-Drimnagh was one of 16 locations to be delivered through the PPP project. Unfortunately it was one of two locations which did not complete the planning process within the timeframe for inclusion in the PPP project; the other was Knocklyon/Rathfarnham. There is limited funding available for new construction projects over the next multiannual period 2015-2019 given the level of...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Water Fluoridation (24 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I thank the Senator. The response I have is virtually the same I had the last time we debated this. The Senator is very passionate about it. As I said the last time I was here, I have no difficulty coming here to answer and be held to account by people who are passionate on particular issues, whether I agree with them or not. It is important. During our last debate, I told the Seanad I...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Water Fluoridation (24 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: That is why I believe not only our opinions but also science changes. Scientific reviews and peer reviews change over time. I agree with the Senator that we should examine the evidence and the policies in place elsewhere in the world.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Orthodontic Service Provision (24 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I will read my script, but I can also discuss a different type of service that we hope to introduce and that has significant possibilities. As we all know, the HSE provides orthodontic treatment to those who have been referred for treatment before their 16th birthdays. Patients are assessed by the HSE orthodontic service under the modified index of treatment need. The index has two...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Orthodontic Service Provision (24 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I do not wish to dismiss what orthodontists and their assistants do in their clinics every day of the week, they do great work and are always juggling to get children in on time under the particular age set out and those with greatest severity as well. We all know that from our own personal if not constituency experience. The review tells us what we need to do and we have now established an...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: General Practitioner Services (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The Government is committed to introducing a universal GP service without fees on a phased basis. The first phase will be for all children under six years of age and all persons aged 70 and over to have access to GP care without fees. These arrangements will come into operation in quarter 2 of 2015, subject to the conclusion of contractual discussions. I expect the Bill to extend GP...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: General Practitioner Services (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: Inequality in general has an impact on health, and this is an issue for the entire Government, not just the Department of Health. I think the Deputy would agree with me on that. The system that is in place and which we hope to expand has ensured that the number of discretionary medical cards has increased enormously. There is a more compassionate way of looking at it. It is about the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: General Practitioner Services (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The argument that we should not provide free GP care to healthy children when there are others in need is sometimes a false one. As SUN, or Scaling Up Nutrition, tell us - one sees it in all the advertisements now, but we have been looking at it for years - proper nutrition and proper care are essential in the first thousand days of a child's life. If a child does not get the essential...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Review (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The nursing homes support scheme is a key component of our health service and a recurring theme of our discussion this morning. While older people prefer to remain at home if possible, there will always be a need for long-term nursing home care. The scheme's introduction in 2009 relieved families of potentially very onerous expense and ensured equity of treatment based upon means,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Review (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: Everyone agrees that the current scheme is unsustainable. We do not have enough money. Delayed discharges are a major difficulty for the entire health service. However, this is not just a question of the fair deal scheme. As I have been saying for a considerable time, it is also a question of the community-based services that each and every one of us would prefer were we to need them. We...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Review (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I am sorry.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Review (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I apologise for not answering the question on the review. As we speak, the review is on the desk of the Secretary General of the Department of Health. I have not seen it. I have heard snippets of what is in it, but that is about it, and it would be unfair to comment further at this stage.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Review (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I will not. I have not seen them, so I am not certain that they are correct. I will get the review shortly and it will go to the Cabinet. I am not certain that it will give us or recommend what is necessary. Rather, I believe it is an examination of how the scheme has operated and whether we need to change it. I do not believe that it will recommend, for instance, that the way of...

Other Questions: Autism Support Services (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I thank the Deputy. Health-related supports and interventions for children with disabilities, including those with autism, are generally accessed, depending on the level of need, through primary care and specialist disability services. Information on waiting times for primary care and specialist disability services is not generally collected in terms of specific disabilities, such as...

Other Questions: Autism Support Services (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The north Dublin area 9, Health Service Executive social care operational plan, which I think the Deputy is referring to, indicates that the local implementation plan is due to be completed by the end of 2015 with full reconfiguration into 12 teams in quarter one of 2016. In respect of diagnosis, those representing the people aged from birth to 18 and those with progressing disabilities...

Other Questions: Autism Support Services (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: Only at the point of diagnosis can we get the absolute data the Deputy is looking for. If we make the interventions before we make the diagnosis, the data will take a bit longer to collect. That is not to say we should not have it. I believe if we do not know where and what the need is and if we cannot absolutely put our hands on that type of data, we cannot plan properly. If we do it...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services Provision (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The HSE National Service Plan 2015 aims to improve placement of children in age appropriate mental health settings. The 95% target indicated in the Plan allows for some flexibility surrounding emergency placements in Adult Units. The corresponding target set in the 2014 Service Plan was 75% or above. It is generally accepted that it will be most challenging for the HSE to meet the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The Government is committed to introducing a universal GP service for the whole population. This is being introduced on a phased basis. The objective is to have universal GP care without fees for children under 6 years in place in Quarter 2 of 2015, subject to the conclusion of discussions with the Irish Medical Organisation and the completion of a fee-setting process. The Government is...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Eligibility (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The establishment of the Clinical Advisory Group for Medical Card Eligibility was announced by the HSE on 28 January. Its membership includes clinical experts from specialist services and professions, as well as patient representatives so that the views of patients are central to the process. As recommended by the Report of the Expert Panel on Medical Need for Medical Card Eligibility,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centre Data (25 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The development of Primary Care Centres, through a combination of public and private investment, is supporting the delivery of an enhanced range of multidisciplinary, locally accessible primary health care services. To date, there are 86 Primary Care Centres in operation throughout the country, 43 of which have opened since 2011. The HSE uses three mechanisms to deliver primary care...