Results 1,561-1,580 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Policy (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: The ongoing work of the Productivity and Savings Taskforce aims to ensure that we maximise the use of health funding by identifying savings and opportunities to improve productivity across the health service. The Taskforce published an Action Plan last April and have met on 10 occasions to date this year. The Action Plan and minutes of meetings are published on the Government website: ...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I want to acknowledge that waiting lists for scoliosis and spina bifida services are unacceptably long. I am acutely conscious of the burden that this places on patients and their families. I committed €19 million of current and capital funding to tackle these waiting lists by creating additional capacity. There was an increase in the number of spinal procedures carried out in...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: This Government has a consistent track record of investing in our National Ambulance Service (NAS) who provide a high quality, effective and patient-centered ambulance service for people right across the country, including in the Monaghan area. Through the HSE National Service Plan for 2024, the NAS received a significant allocation of €231 million. Increases in investment in...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: The challenge facing our acute hospital waiting lists is well recognised, and both the Government and I have acknowledged that waiting lists are too long and many patients on those lists are waiting too long to receive the care they need. According to the latest NTPF figures, there are 3,930 children on the Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) orthopaedic outpatient waiting list and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Tobacco Control Measures (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: The illicit trade in tobacco products and related enforcement issues are a matter for the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and my colleague the Minister for Finance. My objective is to reduce smoking prevalence and therefore reduce the demand for tobacco products which will ultimately lead to a reduction in tobacco smuggling and other aspects of illicit trade. My current legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: The immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). NIAC continue to revise its recommendations having regard to of the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation. To date, the varicella vaccine has not been included as part of the primary childhood immunisation...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 41, 45, 46, 53, 55 and 58 together. There has been an unprecedented level of investment by this Government in the health service workforce in recent years, with the growth in the number of staff recruited in 2023 being the highest since the foundation of the HSE As of August 2024, there were 27,901 more staff working in our health service than there were...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: 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: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: It is acknowledged that acute hospital waiting lists are too long, and that many patients are waiting an unacceptably long time for care. As part of the multi-annual approach to reducing waiting lists, and just as importantly the length of time that patients are waiting, I published the 2024 Waiting List Action Plan on the 27th of March. Total funding of €360 million has been...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centres (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: As the Health Service Executive (HSE) holds responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Infrastructure Provision (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I have asked the HSE, as the agency with day-to-day responsibility for developing healthcare projects in Swords (including the Surgical Hub, Primary Health Care Centre, Elective Hospital and other related projects) to respond to you directly in relation to the matters raised.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I want to acknowledge that waiting lists for scoliosis and spina bifida services are unacceptably long. I am acutely conscious of the burden that this places on patients and their families. I committed €19 million of current and capital funding to tackle these waiting lists by creating additional capacity. There was an increase in the number of spinal procedures carried out in 2022...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Budget 2025 (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I have secured a record level of €25.76 billion in funding for the Health Vote in Budget 2025. This includes the conversion of €0.93 billion of extra non-core funding of €1.03 billion given to health during Covid to permanent funding. This means that 2025 sees an increase in permanent funding of €3.97 billion and an overall increase of €2.94 billion on...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Service Executive (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: The Strategic Workforce Planning and Intelligence (SWP&I) Team in the HSE have engaged the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in a programme of research to develop a workforce projection model and undertake strategic workforce planning projections for a number of professions. Workforce demand projections for acute hospital staff In 2021, the Strategic Workforce...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Qualifications (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I can confirm that officials in my department are in regular contact with CORU where the matter of recognition and registration timelines have been discussed. CORU has made significant progress to reduce both recognition and registration timelines throughout 2024. Regarding the recognition of non-Irish qualifications, recognition timelines from when a complete application has been...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cannabis for Medicinal Use (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: The Department of Health is currently assembling the clinical review group. The clinical review group will examine the findings of the HRB's evidence synthesis publication to determine if there is sufficient evidence to expand the range of conditions covered by the MCAP. Recommendations will be made to me as Minister for Health as to whether sufficient evidence exists to include other...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Infrastructure Provision (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I have asked the HSE, as Sponsoring Agency with day-to-day responsibility for the development of the new elective hospital in Cork to respond to you directly in relation to the matters raised.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Pharmacy Services (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I believe that pharmacists can do more for our health service. They can do more in our communities. Pharmacists are highly trusted, highly accessible and highly skilled. They’re in every town and village in Ireland. Pharmacists in the community already deliver many important services such as advice on prescription and non-prescription medicines, health interventions such as smoking...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Policy (3 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: The ongoing work of the Productivity and Savings Taskforce aims to ensure that we maximise the use of health funding by identifying savings and opportunities to improve productivity across the health service. The Taskforce published an Action Plan last April and have met on 10 occasions to date this year. The Action Plan and minutes of meetings are published on the Government website: ...