Results 13,281-13,300 of 45,789 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: I thank the Chairman and the members and I am very happy to have this opportunity to appear before this committee once again. As the Chairman has outlined, I am joined today by my ministerial colleagues, Deputies Finian McGrath, Catherine Byrne and Jim Daly. I congratulate Deputies McGrath and Byrne on their re-appointment and I welcome Deputy Daly to his new role as part of the Department...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: Touché. We all agree on many important elements and, in any event, I attach great value to the views of the committee. I look forward to working closely with its members on our shared goal to better meet the health and social care needs of our citizens.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: Yes. I will try to be as concise as the Chairman requested. Deputy Kelleher asked about the situation regarding scoliosis. I acknowledge the huge work of the advocacy groups not only in advocating but also in trying to engage with the HSE to come up with solutions. One such example is the paediatric scoliosis services co-design group in which parents and advocates are involved with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: Yes, I have but I need to nuance it for one intended reason, namely, the last thing we need is another static document. The last thing doctors want is for a contract to be agreed and for that to be the end of it the discussion for another four decades, which is what happened the last time with a few bits added on as we go along. That will not serve the modern needs of the health service or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: The Deputy is right. As she is aware, we have put chairs in place on an administrative basis and we have tried to fill boards but I accept that we want to get them set up on a statutory basis. I am not sure that we should engage significant legislative and Dáil time if we can move ahead with the alternative structure. I just need a few weeks on that and I will report to Government and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: From the Department's perspective, I will just give a few statistics. There are currently 23 GMS vacancies in the country as of 1 June. As there are 2,493 GPs contracted to provide services under the GMS scheme, that is a relatively low percentage of vacancy. Less than 1% of the total number of GPs contracted to the GMS are vacant. The number of GMS patients associated with these...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: That is correct

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: The Chairman makes an entirely valid point, which returns us to our starting point on the need for a new contract to make general practice a more attractive profession.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: It was in the report rather than what I actually said. We will come back to that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: I propose to take them in the sequence in which they were asked. I believe Senator Dolan's questions are for the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: In response to Deputy O'Connell's question about the increase in the number of consultants and non-consultant hospital doctors, NCHDs, doctors getting more regular work hours and sleep leads to an improvement in service, but the increase in NCHDs was largely to deal with the European Working Time Directive. The increase in the number of consultants is a separate and distinct issue that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: There was a commitment-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: I was about to say in the next sentence that I want to acknowledge the work of Deputy Howlin who brought forward a Bill in an effort to progress this. He worked with the Department on it and this committee scrutinised the Bill on 30 March which recommended that it should not proceed to Committee Stage because we were going about the regulation of professions. I assure everybody that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: Okay. I will liaise-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: We will. The statutory scheme, the consultation process to which we are hoping to launch in the coming days, will begin to address that question. If working in a sector that is defined under law and structured, many questions will arise such as who regulates it, who can provide home help, and the qualifications and background needed. On the model 1, 2 and 3 hospital relationship, we are due...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: My apologies. I will undertake to examine to see if it is possible to analyse the public-private mix. That makes sense. The Chairman is entirely correct that the first tranche of National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, funding was for largely low-complexity, high-volume day case procedures. That is not the full extent of the fund's work this year and it is looking at including complex...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: We have to take every single opportunity to call out the people who consistently tell mistruths about this because it will cost people their lives. Every year approximately 300 women get cervical cancer and 100 will die. The HPV vaccination has been tested to within an inch of its life and is internationally recognised as saving lives. Due to misinformation and scaremongering being put out...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: There was cross-party consensus.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: Most of the points made are for the HSE. I acknowledge that Deputy Durkan has consistently raised correctly the issue of the drug costs and that we should utilise our membership of the European Union in this regard. I could not agree more with him. I have attached a significant degree of importance to this since coming to office. In fact at the last meeting of European health Ministers in...