Results 23,681-23,700 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: That is the only solution. There are barriers to that. Appropriately qualified consultant orthopaedic surgeons and theatre nurses need to be recruited. There needs to be sufficient theatre time and theatre space. I met the consultants in Crumlin who are the specialists in this area quite some time ago. They agreed that a whole new theatre was needed in Crumlin to provide additional...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Okay.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Again, it is not appropriate for me to comment on individual cases. We do not know the details of all the individual cases that exist out there. There may be cases of people with greater levels of need.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I am sure Deputy Keaveney would not want to be personally responsible for deciding which cases should be prioritised and which cases should not. I am not going to make such decisions either. On the west and Galway specifically, one thing that might make sense is a national list. It does not make sense that children in the Galway region should be waiting longer than those in the Leinster...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Vaccination Programme (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Carer's allowance, carer's benefit, disability allowance and disability benefit are matters for the Department of Social Protection, but no one gets carer's allowance or disability benefit based on a diagnosis or a particular set of symptoms. Even if someone has a serious illness, for example, a severe cancer, he or she does not automatically get disability allowance. Everyone is assessed...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Vaccination Programme (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I agree with Deputy Ó Caoláin that it would be ideal if everyone had a medical card, but that is not the case. We have a means-tested system and people are assessed according to their means, not their diagnoses. In the case of discretionary medical cards, the assessment can take into account the burden of the illness and the cost of medical needs, but that is an individual...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Accident and Emergency Department Waiting Times (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Last December, I convened the emergency department task force to assist in dealing with the challenges presented by emergency department overcrowding. Significant progress has been made to date. The Special Delivery Unit, SDU, figures showed an 8% decrease in the number of patients on trolleys in November 2015 compared with November 2014. While the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Accident and Emergency Department Waiting Times (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Beaumont is an overcrowded hospital. There is no denying that. All efforts are being made to improve the situation. That the number of delayed discharges has been reduced from 95 to 70 has freed up 25 beds. This decrease needs to be sustained and we need to reduce delayed discharges further. That will involve more nursing home places and more home care, but not necessarily more acute...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Vaccination Programme (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I am aware of claims of an association between HPV vaccination and a number of conditions experienced by a group of young women. Anyone who is suffering ill health is eligible to seek medical attention and access appropriate health and social care services, irrespective of the cause of their symptoms. People are assessed for eligibility for...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Accident and Emergency Services Provision (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Last December, I convened the ED Taskforce to provide focus and momentum in dealing with the challenges presented by ED overcrowding and significant progress has been made to date. As mentioned previously, HSE figures are showing a 8% reduction in overcrowding this November compared to last. The INMO figures are also showing significant improvement in the second half of November. This...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Administration (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Improving access for patients is a key performance objective for our health services. In January, taking into account current pressures on acute hospital services, I put in place maximum permissible waiting times for in-patient and day case treatment and outpatient appointments of 18 months by 30 June and 15 months by year end. The HSE was provided with additional funding of €51...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Provision (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The main treatments for lymphoedema involve lymph drainage, compression bandages and physiotherapy. While these treatments are provided by the HSE it is acknowledged that there is variation in the level of delivery across the country, including the South East region. In June this year I met with representatives of Lymphoedema Ireland, the HSE and my Department to discuss the supply of,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Provision (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The trauma orthopaedic service for the North East is provided in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. The elective orthopaedics service for the North East is provided in Our Lady's Hospital, Navan, with an outreach clinic in Cavan. Our Lady's Hospital, Navan provides a regional orthopaedic service for the counties of Louth, Meath, Cavan and Monaghan. The service includes joint...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Cork University Hospital provides a tertiary referral service for cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery to the southern region. CUH also provides extensive interventional cardiology services and a 24/7 Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory providing 24/7 PPCI. In late 2010, following investment of €85m, the Cardiac Renal Centre was opened at CUH. The development which spans some...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Air Ambulance Service Provision (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Following a Government decision last July, the Emergency Aeromedical Support Service was established on a permanent basis. This very valuable service ensures that seriously ill or injured people in more remote areas, have timely access to appropriate high quality clinical care. The service is targeted mainly at western counties, where the road network may not allow for timely transport to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Staff (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The health service is committed to maintaining the highest possible standards of care for patients and providing employees with a safe system of work to enable them to deliver a high quality service. The health service is also committed to promoting a culture of openness and accountability so that employees can report any concerns they may have in relation to their workplace. Section 103 of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Capital investment in Naas Hospital in recent years has provided a new Central Sterile Stores Department, Minor Injuries Unit, Acute Medical Assessment Unit and an MRI service. The HSE is currently developing a substantial infrastructure project at Naas General Hospital which includes a new endoscopy unit. This project also incorporates the development of the Physical Medicine (Physiotherapy...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: University Hospital Waterford (UHW) achieved the requirement to reduce the Inpatient / Daycase waiting times to 18 months by the end of June 2015. This reduced, by 109, the number of patients waiting longer than 18 months for procedures. UHW has plans in place to reduce the longest waiting times to 15 months by the end of December 2015 which will address Ophthalmology, Gynaecology,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Accident and Emergency Services Provision (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The INMO ballot result by nurses working in Emergency Departments is disappointing especially given that actions proposed in the Emergency Department Task Force Plan are beginning to take effect. The ED Taskforce Implementation Group which is co-chaired by the Director General of the HSE and Liam Doran (INMO General Secretary) has implemented a range of measures and others are in train. ...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Regional Service Plans (3 Dec 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly with regard to the information sought; however you may wish to note that 24/7 consultant medical cover for cardiac patients is provided at University Hospital Waterford. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.