Results 11,521-11,540 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for his supportive comments in terms of moving in this direction. I want to start by acknowledging the really extraordinary dedication our healthcare professionals have shown. To the Deputy's question, we have seen an unprecedented growth in that workforce. One of the things we must do, obviously, in moving from five to seven days is increase the workforce. As the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The answer is "Yes". There are informal discussions going on. It is something I discussed with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, when I was at its conference, and the chief executive and I raised it when we spoke at the Fórsa conference. Most importantly around this, the people I hear supporting this are the healthcare professionals themselves. They are fully aware...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, it is. One of the big groups we will rely on to work in this way, for example, who typically are not on the five-seven contracts yet, are the health and social care professionals. My view is that as part of the upcoming round of pay talks, certainly from a health perspective, that is something at which we would be looking. To the Deputy's point, a lot of the workforce are already...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes. We are now looking at putting a formalised framework around this so that we can transition to this and that it becomes the norm.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Hospital Overcrowding (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I will start by acknowledging the enormous distress the overcrowded emergency departments are causing, first of all to patients and their families and second to our healthcare workers. I am regularly in emergency departments meeting with patients and their families and our healthcare workers. Part of the answer to the question lies in the discussion Deputy Cullinane and I just had. One...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Last December, the Government approved the next stage of the Enhanced Provision of Elective Care Programme and progression of the development of new Elective Hospitals with the preferred location in Cork being St Stephen’s Hospital. The HSE is currently developing a detailed project brief, procurement strategy and pre-tender business cases – which will be submitted to me for...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Waiting lists for scheduled care were too long before the pandemic and they worsened with COVID. However, since the peak of the pandemic, excellent progress has been made. We must acknowledge the extraordinary dedication of our healthcare professionals, who not only dealt with COVID, but are still dealing with its impacts today, including exacerbated waiting list backlogs. We are focused...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Aids and Appliances (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The Health Service Executive (HSE) provides a wide range of aids and appliances to eligible people following assessment by a relevant health professional. Vacancies in Children's Disability Network Teams can cause delays in these assessments being carried out. The aids and appliances are provided by the HSE through community services known as Community Funded Schemes. They are prescribed on...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Supporting women before, during and after menopause is a priority for me. This includes providing improved information, awareness, and treatment. The National Menopause Awareness campaign launched in October 2022, includes a dedicated webpage (Gov.ie/menopause) as a one-stop shop to provide trusted information for anyone affected by menopause in Ireland. Other initiatives include the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The Minor Injuries Unit at Monaghan Hospital plays a vital role in providing valuable services to the local community, treating both adults and children over the age of 5 years. Up until November of last year the opening hours of the MIU at Monaghan Hospital were Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. As part of improving urgent care access for patients, I asked the HSE to standardise opening hours...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Staff (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I wish to assure the Deputy of the continued commitment to developing diabetes services in Letterkenny and throughout the country. I am aware of the upcoming staffing changes in Letterkenny University Hospital. I want to recognise that Consultant recruitment can be a challenge. I recently visited LUH and discussed this issue with local management. LUH has approval for two...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centres (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I am very happy to report to the Deputy of the recent progress regarding the development of the Primary Care Centre (PCC) in Youghal. Originally, consideration was given to development of a PCC alongside the re-development of several facilities, including a Community Nursing Unit, on the site of St Raphael’s Hospital. However, following the completion of a feasibility study,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I would like to thank the Deputy for the opportunity to update the House on the progress being made on the extension of the Emergency Department (ED) at Mayo University Hospital. I am delighted to confirm the HSE Building & Equipment Capital Plan 2023 has been published. The Capital funding for 2023 is €1,027m, which includes an increase of 11% on the core allocation in 2022....

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cannabis for Medicinal Use (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Statutory Instrument 156/2023, the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2023 provides for Schengen residents travelling into Ireland with prescribed Schedule 2 or Schedule 3 (under the Irish Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017) narcotics or psychotropic substances for their own personal use while in possession of a certificate pursuant to Article 75 of the Schengen Acquis. Currently...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The HSE National Emergency Medicine Programme (EMP) Model of Care includes the development of Injury Units, allowing for the safe provision of care for many injuries that are unlikely to require same-day hospital admission. Approximately 130,000 patients attend 12 Local Injury Units (LIUs) in the country each year. They are designed to provide the same level of care as would be available...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Abortion Services (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: As the Deputy is aware, I commenced the Review of the operation Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 at the end of 2021. The Review was comprehensive and included a wide range of perspectives on termination of pregnancy services. The final Report of the Review was submitted to my Department on 28thFebruary 2023. The Report made a range of recommendations most of which are...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Aids and Appliances (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The Health Service Executive (HSE) provides a wide range of medical and surgical aids and appliances, including wheelchairs, free of charge to eligible people following assessment by a relevant health professional. The HSE has a contract in place for managed services for diverse medical equipment, including wheelchairs, provided by the community health services. These managed services...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: In January last year, the Government announced a COVID-19 recognition payment for eligible frontline healthcare staff in the HSE, Section 38 organisations, and other specific cohorts as follows: Private Sector Nursing Homes and Hospices (e.g. Private, Voluntary, Section 39 etc.); Eligible staff working on-site in Section 39 long-term residential care facilities for people with disabilities;...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: In line with Sláintecare, the Enhanced Community Care (ECC) Programme aims to deliver increased levels of health care with service delivery reoriented towards general practice, primary care and community-based services, with a focus on implementing an end-to-end care pathway that will care for people at home, enabling a “home first” approach to service delivery. Annual...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (1 Jun 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The Government is committed to the ongoing development of regional hospitals, such as Letterkenny University Hospital. LUH is a large, busy hospital and this Government has allocated significant resources in order to meet the needs of patients using the hospital. There has been additional investment in staffing and facilities at LUH in recent years. There has been an 18% increase in...