Results 27,321-27,340 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Health: Accident and Emergency Departments (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Emergency Department over-crowding is a priority issue for me and for the government. All hospitals, including Beaumont have escalation plans to manage not only patient flow but also patient safety in a responsive, controlled and planned way that supports and ensures the delivery of optimum patient care. These plans include the opening of additional overflow areas, reopening of closed beds,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Accident and Emergency Services Provision (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. 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.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: It is not acceptable that any hospital should attempt to lower their waiting list by denying patients clinically warranted treatment. Hospitals are expected to accept all patient referrals and prioritise on the basis of strict chronological order, other than in cases of evidenced clinical urgency including relevant cancer cases. It is not unreasonable for larger tertiary referral centres to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014,has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Children's Hospital Status (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board is the statutory body responsible for planning, designing, building and equipping the new children's hospital. The new hospital will be co-located with St. James's Hospital, and ultimately tri-located with a maternity hospital to be developed on campus. In addition to the main hospital, the project includes two satellite centres at the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Expenditure (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Procurement The most recent information provided by the HSE is that the Annual Financial Statements for 2014 are currently being prepared but not yet finalised and consequently national data on the 2014 cost of catering is not available. In 2013 catering non pay cost in the HSE owned hospitals and residences was approximately €54m. The HSE National Procurement Office seeks to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Insurance Regulation (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: VHI submitted its application to the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) on 16 May 2014. It continues to engage closely with the CBI in respect of its application, and my Department has also provided a number of clarifications to the Bank to assist it in its understanding of the interaction between the private health insurance market and the health system. Consideration of the VHI's...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. 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.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Abortion Legislation (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy is aware Article 40.3.3oof the Irish Constitution states that: 'The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.' The interpretation of Article 40.3.3owas considered by the Supreme Court in Attorney...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Accident and Emergency Departments (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: ED overcrowding is a priority issue for me and for the Government and I acknowledge the difficulties which the current surge in ED activity is causing for patients, their families and the staff who are doing their utmost to provide safe, quality care in very challenging circumstances. I convened the Emergency Department Taskforce last month to develop long term solutions to overcrowding...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Drug Treatment Programmes (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days she should contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Accident and Emergency Departments (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: ED overcrowding is a priority issue for me and for the Government and I acknowledge the difficulties which the current surge in ED activity is causing for patients, their families and the staff who are doing their utmost to provide safe, quality care in very challenging circumstances. I convened the Emergency Department Taskforce last month to develop long term solutions to overcrowding...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Accident and Emergency Departments (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. 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.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. 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.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As set out in Performance Management in the HSE - Guidance Document 2012, it is the policy of the HSE to "implement, maintain and monitor a Performance Management System that develops the capacity and capability of its employees, improves the performance of the organisation and addresses the underperformance in a timely and constructive manner". The performance management system applying to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I am concerned regarding the implications for the health service and patient safety should the current impasse over the annual retention fee increase continue. I have therefore written last week to the President of the Board of NMBI and asking that options be explored to bring a resolution to issues surrounding the annual retention fee. I recognise that the Board must meet its obligations...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Children's Hospital Status (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board is the statutory body responsible for planning, designing, building and equipping the new children's hospital. The new hospital will be co-located with St James's Hospital, and ultimately tri-located with a maternity hospital to be developed on campus. In addition to the main hospital, the project includes two satellite centres at the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Emergency Department over-crowding is a priority issue for me and for the Government. All hospitals, including the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore have escalation plans to manage not only patient flow but also patient safety in a responsive, controlled and planned way that supports and ensures the delivery of optimum patient care. The Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore enacts its...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service Response Times (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: There has been much discussion about ambulance response times recently. I would like to clarify that response time performance is improving in the face of increasing demands on the service. The latest published data shows that nationally, in October 2014, the volume of ECHO calls rose by 5% compared to the same period in 2013, and DELTA calls by 10%. Despite this, an ambulance arrived...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service Response Times (21 Jan 2015)

Leo Varadkar: In its recent report, HIQA acknowledged our geographic challenges and recommended different rural and urban response time targets. I also understand that the draft executive summary of the National Capacity Review, recently circulated to the Joint Committee on Health and Children, suggests that the response time targets recommended by HIQA cannot be met, even with substantially increased...