Results 25,141-25,160 of 46,036 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Paediatric Services (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: When the Deputy highlighted this issue with me in the Dáil last week, or perhaps it was her party leader, I asked the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, to ensure that all the proper protocols and procedures are being followed. I have no evidence to suggest they are not but in light of the Deputy raising it I have asked to make sure that is the case and I will correspond with her...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: General Practitioner Contracts (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: I believe we are following the correct sequence to bring about a new GP contract. It is the position of the Deputy's party and of all parties in the House that the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, has a crucial role in how we do our business in respect of industrial relations. The Irish Medical Organisation is a member of ICTU and it is the body with which successive Governments,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: General Practitioner Contracts (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: While it has taken longer to negotiate a new GP contract than I would have liked, I should point out that we are discussing a contract that has been in place since 1989 and we are going to deliver significant reforms to general practice. Deputy Harty has been a strong advocate for this for a number of years as well. I believe the sequence we are following is correct. If a different...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Paediatric Services (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy O'Reilly for the question and for the opportunity to update the House on the progress we are making on the scoliosis waiting list and, more importantly, what we will do next. The long-term strategy to develop sustainable scoliosis services has been prioritised by my Department and the HSE in the 2018 HSE national service plan. The Deputy is correct that the country was...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: General Practitioner Contracts (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for his question. He is correct to highlight the fact that there are number of challenges facing general practice we need to work on, including the resourcing and, most importantly, ensuring it is well positioned to serve the community now and into the future in line with the Sláintecare report. It is important to acknowledge the factual situation. The number of GPs...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: The Report of the Trauma Steering Group – A Trauma System for Ireland was approved by Government on the 6th February 2018 and published online.   In an inclusive Trauma System, as recommended for Ireland by the Trauma Steering Group, the trauma care pathway is not organised around individual institutions but in the context of networked ones whereby all acute hospitals...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: Following an independent review of the need for a second cath lab in University Hospital Waterford, the Herity report concluded that the needs of the effective catchment population for Waterford University Hospital could be accommodated within a single cath lab. Funding has been provided to support extension of the existing cath lab operating hours to 12 weekly sessions per week, or by 20%,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists Action Plans (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: Improving waiting times for hospital procedures and outpatient appointments is a key commitment in the Programme for Government.  In Budget 2018 the NTPF budget was increased to €50 million. The priority for this funding is reducing waiting time for hospital procedures, and the Inpatient/Day Case Action Plan 2018, published in April, targets a reduction in the number of patients...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Groups (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: The Reports The Establishment of Hospital Groups as a transition to Independent Hospital Trusts (DoH, 2013) and Securing the Future of Smaller Hospitals: A Framework for Development  (HSE, 2013) provided the foundations for the reorganisation of hospital services into Hospital Groups. The goal of this reform is to develop a world class person-centred hospital service that values and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Air Ambulance Service (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: In late 2016 the Department of Defence informed my Department that due to a shortage of pilots and air traffic controllers, the Air Corps would not be able to sustain the level of service previously provided for the transfer of Priority One paediatric transplant patients to the UK.  This was compounded when, following a review, the Irish Aviation Authority indicated that all patient...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Abortion Services Provision (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: The Thirty-Sixth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2018 seeks to delete Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution and substitute it with wording confirming that the Oireachtas may make laws for the regulation of the termination of pregnancy. The Bill passed all stages in the Houses of the Oireachtas on 28 March 2018. A Polling Day Order for a referendum was held on 25 May 2018. A certificate with...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Community Pharmacy Services (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: I wish to acknowledge the vital role that pharmacies play in their communities.  In that regard, the Programme for a Partnership Government contains a commitment to expand the role of community pharmacy in managing patient health, and this is an issue I intend to progress. Work has been done in recent years on wider healthcare roles for pharmacies, including the Pharmaceutical...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists Action Plans (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: Improving waiting times for hospital procedures and outpatient appointments is a key commitment in the Programme for Government. My Department, the HSE and the NTPF are in the process of finalising an Outpatient Action Plan for 2018. This plan will support the HSE’s compliance with its National Service Plan targets, reduce the growth in the number of patients waiting for outpatient...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cancer Screening Programmes (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: Currently, the testing of cervical smear tests is carried out by the following three institutions: - Quest Diagnostics Inc, Teterboro, New Jersey USA; - MedLab Pathology Ltd, Dublin (US company); and - Coombe Women and Infant’s University Hospital, Dublin.  Approximately 50% of the testing is done in Ireland, with the remaining 50% being done outside Ireland. Currently,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Dietician Service Provision (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: The ketogenic diet is used in the treatment of intractable epilepsy (as per NICE Guidance Ketogenic Diet and other Dietary Treatments for Epilepsy 2016) and metabolic disorders including glutathione 1 deficiency. This is a highly specialised service at Cork University Hospital, requiring specific training and experience, and currently provided to a small number of patients. ...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists Action Plans (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) data published on 13 June 2018 indicates that there is a total of 5,815 adults waiting for an outpatient appointment in Our Lady’s Hospital Navan. This is an increase of 3.5% on the numbers waiting in May 2017 (5,618). The Ireland East Hospital Group advises that Our Lady’s Hospital has undertaken a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists Action Plans (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: Improving waiting times for hospital procedures and outpatient appointments is a key commitment in the Programme for Government. The University of Limerick (UL) Hospital Group has advised that all patients who are waiting on outpatient lists, including for neurology, are prioritised according to clinical need. In addition UL Hospitals Group continues to focus on seeing and treating those...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Audiology Services Provision (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 86 together. The Report of the look-back of paediatric services in Mayo and Roscommon provided between 2011 and 2015 represents a thorough analysis of the quality of service delivery in the area against standards for such services that were set out in the National Audiology Review Group Report (2011). Since 2011, the recommendations of this Report,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service Provision (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: Dublin Fire Brigade provides emergency ambulance services in Dublin city and county, by arrangement between Dublin City Council and the HSE.  The HSE National Ambulance Service also provides some emergency capacity in the greater Dublin area.  Where required, the NAS provides additional resources from neighbouring counties to address demand in Dublin, including motorbikes, rapid...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cannabis for Medicinal Use (28 Jun 2018)

Simon Harris: On foot of the HPRA report ‘Cannabis for Medical Use – A Scientific Review’, I announced my intention to establish a ‘Cannabis for Medical Use Access Programme’ to facilitate access to cannabis-based products, that are not authorised as medicines but are of a standardised quality and meet an acceptable level of quality assurance. The programme will...