Results 7,801-7,820 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney
- Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: The immediate focus of the North East Transformation Programme is to have acute and complex care concentrated on two hospital sites and to ensure that services in the region are organised to optimise patient safety. Planned changes include the transfer of acute in-patient services from Monaghan to Cavan and the development of additional services at Monaghan. Specific measures need to be...
- Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: The Government decided in July 2005 that the best option for improving geographic access for patients in the North West to radiation oncology services in the short term was to facilitate access to Belfast City Hospital. It also decided to explore the scope in the medium term for developing a joint venture based on a satellite centre in the North West linked to Belfast City Hospital. Cancer...
- Written Answers — General Practitioner Co-Operatives: General Practitioner Co-Operatives (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: As the Deputy's question relates to a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
- Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: In May 2007 the HSE commissioned KPMG consultants to undertake an independent review of maternity and gynaecology services in the Greater Dublin area. KPMG were asked to focus on four key areas: to build on the strengths of the current service configuration and model of care; to define the optimal configuration of maternity, gynaecology and neonatology services for the Greater Dublin Area; to...
- Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: A core function of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is to set standards on safety and quality of health services and to monitor enforcement of those standards in an open and transparent way. The Health Act 2007 gives HIQA strong powers in this area in relation to services provided by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and bodies funded by the HSE to provide services on...
- Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: Arising from the successful conclusion of the Consultants' Contract negotiations earlier this year, the current salary scales applicable to newly appointed Academic Consultants are as follows: Professor Type A Contract â â¬273,000 to â¬284,000 Professor Type B Contract â â¬255,000 to â¬265,000 Professor Type C Contract â â¬231,000 to â¬241,000 As part of their teaching...
- Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 195 together. I am aware that research on the range of conditions which may be treated by stem cells is gathering pace and offers promise for the future. I am also aware that the association referred to in the Deputy's question recognises cord blood as useful for some therapeutic purposes. However, the Deputy may wish to note that the association in...
- Written Answers — Hospitals Building Programme: Hospitals Building Programme (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: The aim of the acute hospital co-location initiative is to make available 1,000 additional public acute hospital beds for public patients by transferring private activity, with some limited exceptions, from public acute hospitals to co-located private hospitals. Significant progress has been made on the co-location initiative. The Board of the HSE has approved preferred bidder status for the...
- Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: Patients who require colonoscopies are prioritised on the basis of information about their symptoms provided by their GP. Those where cancer is suspected are dealt with on an urgent basis. Accordingly, longer waiting times apply only to patients in which an urgent clinical need has not been identified by their GP. Waiting times for colonoscopies have improved in the last 12 months but I...
- Written Answers — Pharmacy Services: Pharmacy Services (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: I commenced further sections of the Pharmacy Act 2007 on 28th November 2008. Among the sections commenced were those dealing with the setting up of a regulatory regime by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland for the registration of retail pharmacy businesses. Each retail pharmacy business will now have to meet certain minimum criteria regarding the facilities, storage and sale of medicinal...
- Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: The Government is committed to ensuring the delivery of the best quality health services possible in an effective and efficient way. Ensuring patient safety is of paramount importance so that people can have confidence in the services and that the best possible patient outcomes can be achieved. It is essential that we prioritise patient safety and quality and that we organise and manage...
- Written Answers — Pharmacy Services: Pharmacy Services (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: Following the High Court judgment concerning payments made to community pharmacists in September this year, the HSE have reinstated the previous level of payment to pharmacists from October 2008 onwards. Ms Justice Finlay Geoghegan has not yet ruled on the amount of arrears payable and possible damages arising from the judgment but indicated on 5th of December that she may do so before...
- Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111 and 126 together. Government policy is to increase substantially the number of consultants in the public health service in order to rebalance the ratio between consultant and non-consultant hospital doctors subject to the full implementation of reformed work practices. The finalisation of the new consultants' contract facilitated the recommencement of the...
- Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: There has been a growing demand for, and investment in, physiotherapy services over the last number of years. There were a number of issues contributing to difficulties accessing therapy services, one of which had been the supply of qualified personnel available to fill vacant posts. A particular priority for my Department and the Department of Education and Science in recent years has been...
- Written Answers — Private Health Insurance: Private Health Insurance (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: I expect to have a response early in the New Year to our notification of the measures to the Commission.
- Written Answers — Health Service Expenditure: Health Service Expenditure (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: The Report of the Committee of Public Accounts on the Third Interim Report on the 2006 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General â Expenditure on Health Services was published on the 18th November 2008 and its findings and recommendations are currently being examined by my Department and the HSE.
- Written Answers — HSE Service Plan: HSE Service Plan (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: I approved the HSE National Service Plan 2009 last Tuesday, 9 December 2008 under Section 31(8) of the Health Act, 2004. In approving the Plan, I highlighted to the HSE certain critical performance issues in overseeing its implementation. I also emphasised the necessity for the HSE to operate within the limits of its Voted allocation in delivering at a minimum, the levels of service which...
- Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
- Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: Following the Government decision to withdraw automatic entitlement to a medical card for persons aged 70 and over and to raise the means assessment threshold for persons in that age cohort, it is estimated that approximately 5% (20,000) of the current medical card holders aged 70 and over will no longer qualify for a medical card. The estimated 5% figure of persons aged 70 and over, who...
- Written Answers — Health Service Expenditure: Health Service Expenditure (16 Dec 2008)
Mary Harney: I welcome the 'Third Interim Report on the 2006 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General â Expenditure on Health Services' which was recently published by the Public Accounts Committee. A number of the Report's recommendations relating to matters such as the Hospital Consultants contract, the HSE's utilisation of assets and its financial management systems are already the subject of...