Results 26,961-26,980 of 46,081 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Treatment Purchase Fund (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Shortall for the question. As the Deputy knows, the programme for Government commits to reducing waiting times for procedures in hospitals and to increase funding for the National Treatment Purchase Fund to deliver on this commitment. In the budget and Estimates for 2018, funding for the NTPF to treat public patients was increased to €50 million. The inpatient and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Respite Care Services Provision (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: Deputy Murphy O'Mahony will have to accept me as a substitute for the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, who is in New York for the signing of a UN convention. The Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, as well as...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Respite Care Services Provision (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: Not only do I see the need, I am determined we address it. We will provide 19,000 extra respite care nights this year. That is a large increase and has been welcomed by carers. However, they want to see the houses open and so do I. These houses will start to come on stream. We hope to be able to announce locations and target opening dates for all these houses in the coming weeks....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Respite Care Services Provision (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: The Deputy is correct. Every CHO will receive one new respite house or facility this year. For some that will involve capital works to upgrade existing facilities, while for others it will involve the procurement, purchase or even construction of a new respite care centre. That is why there are tender processes in some CHOs. So far, two houses have opened in Kerry and north County Dublin...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Admissions (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: I agree with the Deputy's analysis of the problem. It still beggars belief that we reduced the number of hospital beds in this country long before the troika arrived in town. I believe we can do much more in community and in primary care. Even as we do that, there is a clear, compelling and indisputable case that we need to provide more acute hospital beds. There will be certain things we...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: General Practitioner Contracts (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: I appreciate the question raised by Deputy Donnelly and I am sure he appreciates the position I am in where I cannot negotiate on the floor of the House. I expect that we will be investing many millions more in general practice from 2019 and that we will be beginning to move post FEMPI in 2019 subject to us being able to agree a myriad of things we need to discuss. In any negotiation, both...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: I do not think Deputy O'Reilly and I disagree on quite as many things as we like to think. I know it is very important that we stress those differences but in respect of recruitment and retention, I certainly agree with her that this is a challenging area. As she is aware, the Public Service Pay Commission is doing a body of work. I know the unions and representative bodies have fed into...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: I can commit to increasing security in our emergency departments. Sorry, I thought that was what the Deputy asked.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: I believe that has already been agreed through the emergency department agreement negotiated with my predecessor in 2014. I have discussed this with the INMO and have made it very clear to it and the HSE that this needs to be addressed. When the INMO pointed out to me areas where it did not believe this to be the case, I asked the HSE to take action. I want staff in all our hospitals to be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: I take what the Deputy said very seriously. This is a very important matter. The safety of staff in our emergency departments, which is an area on which she wishes me to focus with regard to this question, should be of paramount importance. I will get a report from the HSE about all our emergency departments. Where they have security staff within the emergency department, I will share...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: General Practitioner Contracts (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: I congratulate the Deputy on his appointment as his party's spokesperson on health. We obviously know each other well. It is a great day for Greystones and County Wicklow, with such great emphasis being placed by us on healthcare. I, too, look forward to us working together. As a much more accomplished politician than I once said, "I wish you luck but not too much." I also very much...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: General Practitioner Contracts (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: I expect that we will, as part of the engagement on general practice, put together a roadmap to move to a post-FEMPI legislation era. I am glad that the Deputy mentioned other healthcare professionals because he is entirely correct. We have begun the process of unwinding the difficult FEMPI legislation pay cuts for all public servants, including other staff working in the health service,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Psychological Services (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: In 2015, the HSE established a group to review the eligibility criteria for employment as a psychologist in the Psychological Services. This review was completed in 2016 and made recommendations which have been accepted in full by the HSE Leadership Team. The group reviewed the care group delineation and decided to move the requirement away from named psychology qualifications solely....

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff Remuneration (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: Under section 39 of the Health Act 2004, the HSE provides financial assistance to organisations by means of a grant. Section 39 legally underpins the provision of services similar or supplementary to a service that the HSE may provide. In 2017, the HSE provided funding of approximately€800 million to over 2,200 of these agencies. The funding provided can range from high value, in...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Groups (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: The RCSI Hospital Group has identified the need for development of the resuscitation area in Cavan Emergency Department. Future investment in Cavan General Hospital will be considered within the overall acute hospital infrastructure programme, the prioritised needs of the hospital groups and within the overall capital envelope available to the health service. The National Development Plan...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 36 together. The endoscopy suite and the mental health acute unit at Naas Hospital are both included in the National Development Plan 2018-2027. The National Development Plan provides €10.9 billion to invest in infrastructure, equipment and additional service capacity for the public health sector. This represents an increase of 165% in capital...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: There are several misoprostol-containing medicines authorised for use in Ireland, two of which contain misoprostol as the sole, active ingredient. All misoprostol-containing medicines are available only on foot of a prescription. As prescription-only medicines, they should only be taken by a patient when prescribed for them by their medical practitioner, or other healthcare professional, as...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors Recruitment (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: Under section 57 of the Health Act 2004, the HSE’s regulatory functions include responsibility for all Consultant appointments in the public health service in Ireland including HSE hospitals, voluntary hospitals, mental health services and other agencies; whether additional, replacement, temporary or locum. In March 2008 the HSE amended the qualifications specified for...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists Action Plans (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: Improving waiting times for hospital procedures is a key commitment in the Programme for Government and in 2018 €50 million was allocated to the NTPF to provide treatment for patients. The recently launched Inpatient/Day Case Action Plan outlines the combined impact of HSE and NTPF activity in 2018 to reduce the number of patients waiting for treatment to below 70,000 in 2018. This...

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (19 Apr 2018)

Simon Harris: An independent review of MIDOC services in Offaly was undertaken in 2017, which identified concerns in the areas of clinical risk, medical emergencies, and lone working. These concerns related specifically to locum doctors working alone at the MIDOC satellite sites at Birr and Edenderry. Since 2 April 2018, MIDOC has been operating one fully functioning treatment centre on the campus of...