Results 19,361-19,380 of 46,095 for speaker:Simon Harris

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: Yes.

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: Yes.

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I absolutely agree it was unacceptable. Was that message sent today?

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: This is the information on the CervicalCheck website this evening:Q4: Can I get a repeat cervical screening, before my next test is due? The Minister for Health has announced that women can have a repeat cervical screening if they wish to do so. We will set this up shortly and will post details on cervicalcheck.ie as soon as possible. Please bear in mind that cervical screening tests cannot...

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I am fully committed to open disclosure. A patient should always have a right to be provided with honest, open and prompt communication. That is already underpinned in the medical practitioners' code of conduct which is not exactly a flimsy document but I accept it does not happen on the ground and we have seen that in recent days. The idea was that in a Civil Liability (Amendment) Act...

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I received the latest information before coming into the Chamber: 113 women had been contacted and offered appointments. I want every woman to be contacted very quickly and will provide a further update on the numbers tomorrow. I understand there may be difficulty contacting some people. I am not excusing that.

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I see validity in a HIQA inquiry. It has a track record, has built up significant expertise and has statutory underpinning. Under section 9(2) of the Health Act 2007 it has done a lot of good work, when it had those "teeth", for example, on the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise, and the death of Savita Halappanavar. In respect of Portlaoise it not only produced a report but was then...

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I am informed by the Department that in the US a one-year smear is recommended but that is because it does not have an organised population-based health programme like ours. Many people in the US can be screened too often. It is similar to what happened here in the bad old days before we had a population-based programme, with some people being screened too often and some not screened often...

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I have no access to that information. It is a question we could usefully explore. Why did some doctors decide they should tell the women and others put it on the file. When the serious incident management team was sent into CervicalCheck there was an expectation that the majority of doctors would have disclosed. I recall saying publicly in those days that expectation was not good enough in...

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I have expressed my view on the management of CervicalCheck. I do not want the priority of my energies or, I would suggest, all of our energies to be placed in who should leave their job now. There is a time and place in regard to accountability. I want the priority in CervicalCheck to be on getting the answers, getting the information, contacting the women and getting the guidance up on...

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I want to move towards mandatory open disclosure. I am sure it will come out in the review that we could have had a situation where doctors were replacing information on files to be given to a woman at her next appointment but given the lapse of such a serious period of time, clearly women were not told that information and this is not acceptable to anyone. I would like mandatory open...

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Healy for his comments, which I note. I have clear views in terms of how we need to reform the HSE, including putting in place a board with real powers, which it would take me longer than the 27 seconds available to me to outline. I am moving ahead with many elements of the Sláintecare programme and I would be happy to discuss that with the Deputy on another occasion.

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I am sorry, that is a very important question. The Government has not ruled out redress. It first needs to ascertain facts. There is a group of people in respect of whom an arm of the State had information that was not given to them. In my view, this is wrong. Whether it is legally wrong is neither here nor there. We need to look at how we can support those people. The Government will...

National Cervical Screening Programme: Statements (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputies on all sides of the House for contributing to this constructive and very important debate and questions and answers session. Regardless of any statutory or other inquiry that we set up, it is very important that the women of Ireland saw that the Oireachtas has spent so many hours rightly discussing this issue in a constructive fashion to determine how the facts will be...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Local Authority Members' Remuneration (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: Section 42 of the Health Act 2004 provided for the setting up of a system of four Regional Health Forums. Section 42(9) provides for the travel expenses and states that a member of a regional health forum, or a committee established by such forum, may be paid by the Health Service Executive travelling and subsistence allowances in accordance with such scales as may, from time to time, be...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Treatment Abroad Scheme (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: The HSE operates two schemes which facilitate patients accessing treatments abroad. The first is the Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS) which applies where the treatment is not available in the Irish Republic hospital system. The second is under the Cross Border Directive (CBD) and reimburses patients for treatments received in another EU/EEA Member State where the treatment is one which is...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Properties (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the management of the health care infrastructure estate, the Executive has been requested to reply directly to you in relation to the sale of Keadue Health Centre, County Roscommon.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The National...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Strategy (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: As this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Paediatric Services (1 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I am aware that there are challenges in meeting the growing demand for paediatric rheumatology services, and that the Health Service Executive is working towards improving access to such services. In relation to current rheumatology service provision and the number of children on the waiting list to be assessed and treated, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service...