Results 13,401-13,420 of 15,268 for speaker:Kathleen Lynch

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Data (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I propose to take Questions Nos. 604 and 605 together. As these are service matters, they have been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Data (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Long-Term Illness Scheme Eligibility (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act, 1970 (as amended). Regulations were made in 1971, 1973, and 1975 specifying the conditions covered by the LTI Scheme, which are as follows: Acute Leukaemia; Intellectual Disability; Cerebral Palsy; Mental Illness (in a person under 16); Cystic Fibrosis; Multiple Sclerosis; Diabetes Insipidus; Muscular...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Home Help Service (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I thank Senator O'Brien for raising this issue which I went through with his colleague, Deputy Billy Kelleher, recently. The Senator's question on home helps is specific and he has clearly stuck to his question but the issue has a wider context. I thank him for raising the issue in the House. He will of course be aware that the issue of paying gratuities to a particular group of home help...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Home Help Service (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The significant part of the answer refers to the conclusion of the Lansdowne Road agreement. This issue needs to be discussed to reach agreement on it in terms of the section 39s. While they are funded in the main by the HSE, it is not the direct employer. I take on board what the Senator is saying. Depending on the circumstances and the urgency of any issue, and depending on who is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I wish to speak about two areas, one of which is the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS. At the start of this year I sat around the table with the directorate with responsibility for mental health - of both adults and children - to examine the waiting list, which was substantial and stood at 3,206. The group did an incredible job of analysing the waiting list to identify the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I will reply to some of the outstanding questions asked by Deputy Ó Caoláin on the CAMHS service. I am not certain we will ever reach the point where a service of this nature, that deals with very vulnerable children and their families, is perfect but we are doing a variety of things. Targeted interventions will happen and we are going to build up services in primary care,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I understood that. Deputy Mitchell O'Connor asked about the registration of nurses, which was a huge difficulty. Some 1,133 nurses were registered between January and September this year and a further 51 individuals, not all from within the EU or who have been previously registered in this country, have entered the mix. The Department has sanctioned an additional 16 posts to the nursing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: All I can say is that the letter to which the Chairman refers may be a little bit previous. At a recent meeting we tried to address the issue of the call centre and the additional staff on the nursing registration board and that will have an impact. Our chief nursing officer is very much on top of this because it is what she does best. We might get a further, more up-to-date briefing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: Even where there are vacancies for GPs, and there are more difficulties in some areas than in others, those areas are still covered by a locum service. There is no area that does not have coverage because of a vacancy, though we would much rather have a permanent person in post.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I have previously stated - I am sure people in the deaf community are aware of this - that I believe deaf-blind is different. It can be very isolating. Communication in this area is a huge problem but we are working on it. Work is also being done on definitions. I am told that in the context of the database on disabilities, we need to focus our attention on gathering information on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: On Deputy's Neville question regarding recruitment, of the 1,144 development posts approved for mental health from 2012 to 2014, 405, or 96%, of the 416 development posts for 2012 have started. Some 427, or 88%, of the 477.5 development posts for 2013 have started and of the 215 development posts for 2014, 81 have been recruited, of which 77 have started. As of 31 July 2015, a further 88.5...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: We have been working on this for almost nine months now. We hope that Sea Change's budget will be dealt with in a more constructive fashion and in a manner such that it will not have to be applied for every year. I agree with Deputy Neville that we need to do that because Sea Change is a huge asset. Deputy Byrne raised the issue of personal assistant hours. It may appear as if they are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: Sorry, Senator. I am a bit previous.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: To a greater extent, it very much depends on economic circumstances and also on the applications and the needs involved.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: Absolutely. Some people could not function without that 24-7 care. That is important to note. Other people will simply need help getting dressed and getting out in the morning to go to work, in some cases, and will need help on returning home in the evening. It is very much individualised. It is a bespoke service. We should be very conscious that it makes the difference between people...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: To reply to Deputy Dan Neville's question about selling the old psychiatric hospitals, as he will know, they were always situated in the most magnificent grounds. When in opposition, the Deputy and I always made the point that basing the funding for mental health services on the vagaries of the property market was never a good idea, as we saw when the market crashed. Thankfully, it is now...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: Capital funding is different. It is very difficult to ring-fence the money. However, I agree with the point made. Many of the facilities are now being used for other HSE services.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: Capital projects of this size have to be future proofed. The good thing about the proposal is that a group of people came together and with no gain to themselves. It is about how the services for Cork city and surrounding areas develop in the future. A project of this size takes a great deal of time. I think there are about three preferred sites but that is an issue for the Cork...