Results 40,761-40,780 of 46,235 for speaker:Simon Harris

Other Questions: Hospital Services (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Fleming for his good wishes. I emphasise that no decision has been made on Portlaoise or on the services mentioned by the Deputy. Officials in the Department of Health have been liaising with the HSE on the significant body of work that needs to be done in relation to the draft report that has been drawn up by the HSE. This work will answer some of the significant questions...

Other Questions: Hospital Services (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: The Deputy is right to acknowledge the additional staffing that has been provided at the hospital in recent years. According to the information that is available to me, an additional 65 posts have been filled at Portlaoise Hospital since 2014, comprising 17 medical posts, ten nursing posts, five allied health professionals, 24 patient and client care staff and nine administrative staff. I...

Other Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: The Deputy is correct. I recently met some of the representatives of radiographers and I am aware that the latter are willing to do more within the public health service. We are exploring with the HSE the additional tasks they want to take on, which will lessen the burden on other parts of our health service. Where health service professionals put their hands up and say they are willing to...

Other Questions: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: There are 28 consultants employed at Portiuncula University Hospital, while three posts are vacant. This hospital, like many other smaller hospitals, has difficulty filling certain posts and relies on locums to fill posts pending permanent appointments. Of the 28 consultants in post, five are currently employed as locums. The hospital is focused on filling posts on a permanent basis,...

Other Questions: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy and I do assure him of that. The process of increasing both the number of consultants working in the hospital and the number working on a permanent basis, rather than on a locum basis, is the intention of the HSE and the Saolta hospital group. Three locum posts will convert to permanent posts later this year, two in September and one in October. In addition, we will...

Other Questions: Hospital Services (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: I am very conscious of the impact that long wait times in emergency departments can have on patients and their families, as well as on front-line staff. Last Monday I attended my first meeting of the emergency department, ED, task force implementation group, which is co-chaired by the director general of the HSE and Mr. Liam Doran of the INMO and which is providing focus and momentum in...

Other Questions: Hospital Services (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: I am not in a position to reveal the figure for the winter initiative today but I will be shortly. The Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform have made clear in this House that we will present our health Estimate, as well as all other Estimates for departmental Votes, in the next fortnight. I hope I will be able to provide clarity to Deputy O'Reilly in this regard at...

Other Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: I look forward to working with Deputy Kelleher in his role as his party's spokesperson on health, a role he has carried out for a number of years. Improving access for patients is a key objective for our public health service. The 2016 HSE service plan undertakes to maintain 2015 levels of service in respect of scheduled care and to continue to address waiting times as part of the...

Other Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: The Deputy has made a fair point in regard to the 15 month target. As I said earlier, some 94% of patients are being seen within that 15 month target and 60% of patients are being seen within the six month period. However, we must continue to try to do better. What we see here is a direct result of a period of difficult economic decisions, through the time Fine Gael was in government...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff Recruitment (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: An easing of restrictions on the employment of additional staff was announced by the previous Government in budget 2015. Under this new approach, public sector organisations can obtain delegated sanction to recruit within the parameters of their pay budget once they obtain approval for their pay and numbers strategy from their parent Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff Recruitment (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: No, the health service must be cognisant of its budget. I am sure many areas of the public service need more front-line staff. I am aware that the public service went through an extraordinarily difficult time and that an increase in the numbers of front-line staff is needed. We increased staff numbers in 2015 and will increase them again this year and in subsequent years. However, if the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff Recruitment (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: Of course, I speak to front-line staff. No one here has exclusivity on speaking to them and I will continue to speak regularly with them, as will, I am sure, Deputies from all sides. While staff accept that the economy is recovering because more money is being invested in the health service, they would be the first to tell me and I would be the first to agree that we must do much more to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Ambulance Service (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: The Deputy makes a number of very fair points. She is correct that it is more than a question of generalities and is about what specifically we will do. I can tell the Deputy very clearly today that the programme for Government, which outlines my mandate and what I need to implement along with my colleagues in the Department of Health, commits the Government to increasing the number of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Ambulance Service (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: Let me be very specific. I have four specific points to make. First, there is €7.2 million for the ambulance service this year, as I have outlined. It will enable the creation of new developments within the service. Second, within a week of my appointment as Minister for Health, I went to the Cabinet and got this report published. It was long overdue and needed to be published....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Ambulance Service (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: Absolutely, it will cost money. The Government is absolutely committed to continuing to increase investment in the National Ambulance Service. We began this process with the last budget under the last Government, and we will continue under this Government.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Ambulance Service (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy O'Reilly for her question and I wish her well in her appointment as her party's spokesperson on health. I look forward to the debates that we will have in the Chamber. I hope that we will be able to build on yesterday's establishment of a cross-party committee to devise a singular vision for the health service and work together. Last month, at my request the HSE published...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Management Structures (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: The Public Service Management Act, 1997, gives Secretaries General the power to assign responsibility for the performance of functions to officers of a department. Work is assigned by the Secretary General in my Department to areas where the skills and expertise reside in order to have the work completed as effectively and efficiently as possible. Responsibility for abortion policy is under...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: Last month at my request, the HSE published the National Ambulance Service Capacity Review together with an action plan for implementation which incorporates the recommendations of both the Capacity Review and the 2014 HIQA Report on the National Ambulance Service. The Capacity Review makes it clear that we need a very significant programme of investment in our ambulance services. In...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ministerial Responsibilities (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: Finian McGrath TD has been appointed as Minister of State for Disabilities at my Department, with responsibility for all legislation, policy and funding relating to the provision of specialist health and personal social services to persons with a disability. Catherine Byrne TD has been appointed as Minister of State with responsibility for Communities and the National Drugs Strategy which...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Staff Data (2 Jun 2016)

Simon Harris: The HSE has responsibility under the Health Acts for the training of NCHDs. It has advised that details relating to training positions are contained in its most recent report 'Annual Assessment of NCHD Posts'. This report outlines all of the training positions by specialties and can be found within the Staff and Career section of its website.Detailed information regarding trainees by...