Results 22,181-22,200 of 45,789 for speaker:Simon Harris

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: I would like Dr. Colm Henry as the chief clinical officer to respond in a moment but I undertook to examine and have personally reviewed the issue, which is something I would not normally do. In light of the significant comments of Mr. Justice Peter Kelly and Deputy Donnelly's own correspondence with me, I wrote to the director general asking for an urgent response. I received a significant...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: I will begin with a comment on CervicalCheck and on the nursing issue. Deputy O’Reilly did not refer to this directly but she reminded of something I would like to raise. In recent weeks, I have seen an assertion that I, as Minister, should call in HIQA to examine some of the situations in regard to CervicalCheck. I must remind the Oireachtas that was my initial starting point when...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: The next line might be the real closer on this. When two sides to a dispute have a different view on whether a claim can or cannot be processed, the appropriate thing to do is to refer it to the oversight body that was established to oversee that agreement. That is what we intend to do. The oversight body is the appropriate vehicle. I ask both sides to this dispute to engage fully with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: I thank the Chairman. We have discussed this a great deal. Every element of what we are engaging on with the IMO on now is pointed towards Sláintecare. Sláintecare is the singular test in all of the asks we on the State side have in the engagement with GPs. I do not wish to negotiate in public. I would be in awful trouble if I did. When I talk about sustainability measures, I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: I take that point. We should remember that by the end of this framework period, that old contract will effectively have been replaced. This is an evolving period whereby we invest in sustainability and new measures. The Chairman has educated me on this from the perspective of a GP as well and many new, younger doctors want to provide new and exciting services and work in different ways and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: I will share out the questions but I will take two of them. The Deputy is right to highlight the issue of the assessment of need waiting lists and I know she has been highlighting it for quite a period of time. Ms Anne O'Connor might add further detail but from my perspective, the fact that following negotiation and engagement with Fianna Fáil we have allocated funding for 100...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: Yes. I visited Naas General Hospital and met staff. I also met representatives from the Dublin Midlands hospital group. I know the capital project is a priority both for the hospital and the hospital group. It will make a huge difference to endoscopy waiting lists, not just for Naas General Hospital but also for the entire Dublin Midlands hospital group. This was a project that was ready...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: I thank the Senator for bringing the Nursing Homes Ireland issue to my attention in recent days. I have asked the Department and the HSE to engage with Nursing Homes Ireland. He is correct in stating that nursing homes have a very important role to play in winter planning. From a patient perspective, we need to keep as many older people as possible in the more comfortable environment of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: I might ask the chief clinical officer, Dr. Henry, to respond.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: Deputy Jack Chambers has raised an important point that we need to consider. I will ask the chief medical officer to advise me on the policy. From a delivery point of view, the chief clinical officer of the HSE, Dr. Henry, might also look at it and we can revert to the Deputy. My attention has not been drawn to the need to do more to regulate the position. Instinctively, I am of the view...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: I discussed the issue regarding new entrants to consultancy posts with colleagues earlier. The view of the Public Service Pay Commission, as well as mine, is that there is an issue when it comes to recruiting consultants. It noted in its report that reductions in the pay of new entrants appointed since 2012 were particularly severe. It also pointed out that the differential had, as the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: There is but we are not there yet because it is very much tied in with Sláintecare. We will publish the first Sláintecare action plan around Christmas. I will bring it to the Cabinet in December. That will obviously outline the actions we are going to take then. There is a significant body of work which the Sláintecare team needs to do working out the contractual...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: Accepting a cross-party vision on healthcare means doing some things differently from how one planned. Legislating for hospital groups now would ignore the fact that the Sláintecare committee rightly stated that it would be better to legislate for regional structures that include community health organisations in one entity while avoiding silos. That is the direction I intend to take....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: It is an important point. I am confident that the NTPF focuses on ensuring the work for which it is paying is above and beyond what was due to be done by the HSE. We publish annual integrated waiting list plans detailing what will be done by the HSE and NTPF. I will ask the CEO of the NTPF to respond directly to the Deputy's question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: The Senator is correct to suggest that there are learnings for the public service beyond An Garda Síochána in terms of how it responds to whistleblowers and people trying to highlight areas of wrongdoing or public concern. That was vividly depicted in the excellent documentary by Katie Hannon on Maurice and Lorraine McCabe. I would very simply say to anybody working in the health...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: I assure them that the law will be complied with in terms of the protection afforded to whistleblowers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: I do not fully understand the question. There is no redress scheme in------

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: Sorry, the word "redress" threw me. We made an allocation for the State Claims Agency for 2019. I ask Mr. Mulvany to locate the exact figure. That does not relate solely to misdiagnoses but, rather, to any action taken by a citizen against the State. The power for dealing with such complaints is delegated by the HSE to the agency.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: I will not adjudicate on the case referred to by the Senator. I do not question her bona fides. Her fundamental question regards whether a person can get his or her basic medical information from a hospital.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (14 Nov 2018)

Simon Harris: The file should be received within 28 to 30 days.