Results 4,661-4,680 of 11,457 for speaker:Mary Butler

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: I wish to point out an important point. The assessments are being done. There have been 10,000 assessments done over the past two years. Obviously, the court ruling has challenged that. There were 1,719 assessments done in the first quarter of the year. My understanding is the assessments are being done and that children are being referred on to different multidisciplinary teams and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: It is acknowledged there are serious challenges in the filling of therapy posts due to the availability of new opportunities across the health and social care sector. As I have said, 475 posts have been developed since 2019. I reiterate that assessment of need reports will no longer be issued on the basis of a preliminary team assessment, and the HSE will engage directly with the families...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services Staff (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: We have had many conversations about home care, and I know everybody feels the same. I am in a unique position as Minister of State in that I have a budget of €672 million to deliver home care. Every one of those packages, apart from what comes in rolling over ten or 14 days, is funded. The other ones will be funded very quickly. The issue is not funding. One issue we have, and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Mental Health Policy (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: The Deputy and I are on the same page here. It is hugely important. The centre spent five whole years looking at the effect mental illness of a parent has on the family. Family involvement, as the Deputy said, is very important in the recovery process and it is aligned with Sharing the Vision which, as the Deputy knows, is a ten-year plan. To show how important family involvement is I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Mental Health Policy (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: It is interesting the Deputy has raised this today. Deputy Lahart raised it with me last night as well. The association has obviously been meeting with quite a few Deputies around the House. There would have to be collaboration with the Department of Education. We have collaborated previously when I sent out the leaflet on supports available to young people. The situation has changed, as...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services Staff (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: I thank the Deputy for his question and his continued interest in this particular sector. We have had many conversations on it. He is right the demand for home support has never been higher and its importance as an alternative service to long stay care has grown considerably over the past number of years. It is also a much more cost-effective way for the State to support people compared...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services Staff (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: The Deputy is quite right in what he says. A national recruitment drive is really important. As he knows, we have nine CHOs and they vary. CHO 9, which covers north County Dublin, delivers all its supports through both voluntary and private. There is no HSE. It is something that evolved over many years. Its waiting list is the lowest in the country with 50 people waiting. Yesterday, I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Mental Health Policy (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: I welcome the research findings of Maynooth University’s centre for mental health and community research into family-focused interventions where there are parental mental health difficulties. The study is known as the PRIMERA programme, the findings of which I launched last week. The university's research programme findings recommend a family-focused approach. This was funded by the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: The Deputy has raised some good points. I will talk to the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, about encouraging people from outside the EU to come and work in these areas. We are looking at that with regard to home care as well. Everybody knows there is a shortage in the workforce. The Minister of State has been speaking to the Minister for Health about funding to buy private capacity....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mental Health Services (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: As the Deputy is aware, we must do due diligence. These audits will cost quite a lot of money. Obviously that is not the issue but they must be done right. We will get real-time data that we have never had before. We have been talking about the waiting lists in CAMHS for so many years and we have been talking about the challenges. I welcome that we will have these data but I want it...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mental Health Services (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: I know that.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mental Health Services (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: On the Deputy's first question, the four acute units are included in the audit. I believed that this was very important. The Deputy asked about Linn Dara. The Deputy will be aware that everything that we can do is being done. There was a report in the newspapers yesterday when I said there was capacity of 16 beds available in Cork. This is actually correct. There are 13 inpatients...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: I will take this question on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, who sends her apologies to the Deputy. The HSE acknowledges that the Cavan and Monaghan children’s disability network teams are currently operating their services with reduced staff numbers due to recruitment issues being experienced locally and nationally. The HSE advises that it is currently in the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: I am aware that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has been engaged with the Deputy and in various areas in the State. The Minister of State has taken to the road and is holding public meetings in different CHO areas to see what actions can be taken. As the Deputy recognises, it is not for the want of the Minister of State trying. The occupational therapy and physiotherapy wait...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Mental Health Services (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: I thank Deputy Ward for his question. The Maskey report contains 35 recommendations, the implementation of which will involve a range of actions by the Cork, Kerry Community Health Organisation, CHO, for Kerry south, as well as national actions. As the Deputy knows, the audit of CAMHS is divided into three separate parts. The procurement process for the national audit of compliance with...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: Respite capacity across public units has been significantly impacted by Covid-19. Since autumn 2021, the Community Health Organisation in Galway has sought to re-open publicly funded respite beds in line with post-pandemic requirements to meet Infection, Prevention and Control measures. The current number of operational respite beds in Co. Galway is 10, 7 of which are in Merlin Park...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Care Services (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: The reopening of day care centres remains a priority for me. At the end of April 264 centres had reopened, representing about 80% of centres planned to reopen with more coming on stream. Upgrade works at Portlaoise Day Care Centre are nearing completion and it is planned that this will re-open on 27thJune. Renovation works at Mountmellick are nearing completion and a projected opening...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Staff (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Homes (26 May 2022)

Mary Butler: The Department of Health has agreed to action 19.8 in the Housing for All Strategy to develop a mechanism in relation to the rental of vacant properties "in a way that is targeted, equitable, evidence-based and provides appropriate safeguards for vulnerable older people". Following this, the Government has approved a policy change to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme “Fair...