Results 17,961-17,980 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The Deputy will be aware that the management and delivery of the health and personal social services is now the responsibility of the Health Service Executive. I understand that the Health Service Executive replied directly to the Deputy in March. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to respond to the Deputy in relation to this case and to provide...

Hospital Services. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: If we all knew why the late Pat Joe Walsh died, we would not have needed a report in the first place. The report was written by two very eminent independent clinicians, one from Northern Ireland and one from the UK. We sought people from outside the jurisdiction to get an objective assessment of what happened on that famous night. If we had known all the answers we would not have needed to do...

Hospital Services. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: It does.

Hospital Services. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: It does. To provide the range of acute services at the level of development——

Hospital Services. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The Deputy knows what happened in Northern Ireland when his party colleague had responsibility for health services. Let us be fair on this matter. The HSE commissioned an independent report into acute hospital services in the north east. The report is to hand and it will be published in due course.

Health Services. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: I am aware of the development proposals of the former Western Health Board for new and refurbished health facilities on the site of the former Grove Hospital in Tuam. This project has become known as the Tuam health campus. This site was acquired from the Bon Secours Order some years back and while a development control plan was prepared, this has not yet been advanced due to more urgent...

Health Services. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: I assume the project manager is someone from within the HSE. That would be normal. Deputy McHugh asked about the function of the project manager. As he will be aware because he is familiar with this, it is an eight acre site and the original plan in 2002 was to use all of the site. We believe it will not be necessary to use all the site and I hope some of the site can be disposed of to...

Health Services. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: Yes. Clearly, whatever services are provided there will be for all patients. There will be no question of it being restricted to private patients. However, it may well be that local general practitioners, in conjunction with the HSE or others, may decide to provide a primary care facility there. There may be an interest in using the current tax breaks to provide the capital costs of the...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The inspection of private nursing homes is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health (Nursing Homes) Act 1990. The 1990 Act provides for the registration of private nursing homes and for procedures for attaching conditions to the registration and de-registration of nursing homes. The Nursing Homes (Care and Welfare) Regulations 1993 set out the standards to which...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The intention is to publish the inspection reports from mid-July. I am not certain what form the publication will take. I will discuss that with the HSE but it would be common practice to have it on the Internet. I will certainly ensure that happens because it is more convenient from the point of view of families and the public and the perspective of the HSE. When the HSE purchases nursing...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: Yes. As a matter of routine, when somebody is inquiring about a nursing home or seeking to place a relative in a nursing home, he or she should be able to find out the track record of that nursing home and, clearly, publication of the inspection reports would greatly assist that. We must also increase the standards and make sure they are monitored on a consistent and thorough basis.

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The inspectors will have powers to inspect on a frequent basis. Currently the rule is that each home should be inspected twice. I am not certain we should focus on the number of inspections per year. It may well be the case that some nursing homes require more frequent inspections than others and those which operate to a high standard may only require an inspection once every year or 18...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: I am sorry Deputy Twomey is in such bad form today. He is in an angry mood and has alleged that replies are abysmal. I am not inventing policy as I go along. A considerable amount of work has been carried out in respect of care of the elderly. One of the most senior, respected and experienced officials in my Department has responsibility for this area, work which has been under way in my...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The law concerning eligibility has not been changed since the early 1970s. As the Deputy is aware, the Government is working on eligibility and entitlement legislation, which will clarify which individuals are entitled to which services because greater clarity is needed in this area.

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: I am not skirting any issue. The issue of whether everyone over 70 is entitled to a bed funded by the State and if a bed in a public facility is not available, whether the State must fund a bed in a private nursing home is being tested in the courts. As we know from the 29-year-old issue concerning charges, no legislation we introduced could be retrospective. I do not know how this will be...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: I informed Deputy Twomey that this is being challenged in the courts.

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: It is unreasonable and unsustainable to stipulate that everyone is entitled to everything, regardless of their resources and family circumstances. If such a system were sustainable and the courts ruled in its favour, we would be forced to legislate in that area because it is not affordable. It is unfair that very wealthy people would be entitled to the same level of services as people who are...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: That is separate legislation which is under way and has been committed to for some time. It is a major task.

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: In respect of Deputy Ó Caoláin's earlier intervention, the same standards must apply wherever older people reside, irrespective of whether it is in a public or private facility. Deputy Twomey said that I saw terrible standards in facilities I visited but I saw no terrible standards of care anywhere. The standards of care in all the facilities I visited were very high. However, I have seen...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The residents of the Cootehill centre should not be put at a disadvantage vis-À-vis residents elsewhere, nor are they as far as I am aware. I want the facilities for senior citizens there to be used to their full potential.