Written answers
Thursday, 17 December 2015
Department of Health
Departmental Projects
Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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416. To ask the Minister for Health the 25 health priorities for 2015 he announced on 27 January 2015, indicating which of these have been fully achieved as of 15 December 2015, in tabular form [45712/15]
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the following table. The information reflects the current position with delivery of commitments continuing and further planned review of achievements scheduled for early January.
| No | Priority | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| Priority Area: Healthy Ireland | ||
| 1 | Introduce major Public Health Bills (Alcohol, Standardised Packaging of Tobacco, Licensing of Sale of Tobacco) | Achieved |
| 2 | Publish the findings from the first Healthy Ireland survey, giving an overview of the health of the nation for the first time since 2007. | Achieved |
| Priority Area: Patient Outcomes and Safety | ||
| 3 | Reduce number of patients with delayed discharges by one third to less than 500 and number of patients on trolleys in EDs waiting for admission for over 9 hours by one third to less than 70 | The numbers of delayed discharges have fallen from 830 in December 2014 to 582 on 15 December. The average number of patients waiting greater than 9 hours in Quarter 4 in December to date (1 Oct - 4 Dec) is 109, down from 173 in February. Currently the numbers in EDs on trolleys are approximately 25% less than the same day last year. |
| 4 | Develop and implement a plan to address waiting lists, with a focus on long waiters such that nobody will wait longer than 18 months for inpatient and day case treatment or an outpatient appointment with further reduction thereafter at no greater than 15 months by year end. | End of December figures are not yet available. Significant reduction has been achieved in recent months in the number of patients waiting over 15 months for in-patient/daycase surgery or outpatient consultations. |
| 5 | Continue to reduce the cost of medicines to patients and the taxpayer | Interim reductions under the current agreement were not conceded by the industry and the focus has moved to the negotiation of a successor agreement. Preparations are advanced between the HSE, DPER and the Office of Government Procurement in advance of the formal commencement of negotiations with the industry. Preliminary discussions have taken place with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association regarding a possible successor pricing and supply agreement to the current agreement. Formal engagement is expected to commence in Quarter 1 2016. |
| 6 | Publish the Review of the Mental Health Act | Achieved |
| 7 | Extend and implement the National Clinical Effectiveness Guidelines | Achieved |
| 8 | Agree a plan for extending HIQA regulation to other health and social care sectors, commencing in 2015 with private healthcare providers. | Plan developed and agreed. |
| 9 | Progress the reconfiguration of residential services as recommended in Time to Move on from congregated settings | As of 30 September 2015, 84 people had moved out of congregated settings to homes in the community with further progress planned by the end of 2015. |
| Priority Area: Universal Health Care | ||
| 10 | Take the first concrete steps to provide a Universal Health service by extending GP services without fees to all under sixes and GP services without fees to the over 70s | Achieved At the start of December over 200,000 children and 93% of GPs had signed up to the enhanced under 6 GP service and about 49,000 people over 70 had sighed up for GP care without fees. |
| 11 | Put in place models of care that improve the way people can access services, by supporting new models of chronic disease management increasing GP access to diagnostic services and progressing the provision of minor surgery in primary care | Achieved |
| 12 | Commence development of a revised contract for publicly funded GP services as part of an integrated health service | Achieved |
| 13 | Implement a package of measures to increase the number of people with Health Insurance | Achieved. Lifetime Community Rating introduced as well as young adult discounts. Over 100,000 more people now have health insurance compared with the same time in 2014. |
| 14 | Universal Health Insurance – complete the costing analysis and revert to Government with a roadmap on next steps | Achieved |
| Priority Area: Modernise Health Infrastructure | ||
| 15 | Secure planning permission for the new children’s hospital (St James’s campus) and satellite centres (Blanchardstown and Tallaght) and publish heads of Bill to merge the three existing children’s hospitals into one | Oral hearings in relation to planning completed, Decision expected in Quarter 1 2016. Work on Heads of Bill is underway. |
| 16 | Commence works on the new National Forensic Mental Health Services Campus (Portrane) | Achieved |
| 17 | Submit planning application for the new National Maternity Hospital (St. Vincent's) | Work to finalise the planning application is ongoing. |
| 18 | Build nine new primary care centres and more through lease arrangements | Full achievement expected. |
| Priority Area: Reform | ||
| 19 | Get the hospital groups and community healthcare organisations up and running | Achieved |
| 20 | Publish draft legislation on Assisted Human Reproduction and associated research | Policy proposals have been agreed by Government and it is expected that the General Scheme will be completed in 2016. |
| 21 | Issue the first Individual Health Identifiers and increase investment in ICT and eHealth | Capital Investment in 2015 increased by 37.5 %. The technical capability to assign identifiers is now in place. |
| 22 | Develop a new mechanism to ensure implementation of HIQA recommendations made to the HSE | Full achievement expected. |
| Priority Area: Innovative Funding Models | ||
| 23 | Embed ‘activity based funding’ in the health service | Achieved. Activity-Based Funding budgets for inpatient and day care services are being introduced for the 38 largest public hospitals. Developing ABF budgeting for other areas like outpatients will continue in 2015. |
| 24 | Pursue alternative public/private options to construct new community nursing units | Achieved. The Department completed a major cost benefit analysis project on capital tax incentives to support targeted development of Nursing Home Facilities. In his budget speech, Minister Noonan announced changes to the Employment and Investment Incentive Scheme (EIIS) to allow for investment in the extension, management and operation of nursing homes. |
| 25 | Explore the possibility of using social impact bonds to provide more resources for drug treatment and rehabilitation | Achieved. Draft of policy document has been completed following consultation with other Departments and an expert from the UK. |
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