Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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617. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 609 of 20 May 2020, if the work location of a person diagnosed with Covid-19, that is, a small retail, large retail, warehouse, construction, transport, hairdressing and so on will be included in the NPHET daily reports or a weekly report; and his views on whether this would assist in highlighting industry together with issues regarding public health guidelines in the Covid-19 crisis. [8860/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Under the Infectious Diseases Regulations 1981, and subsequent amendments, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre is authorised by law to collect information from doctors and laboratories, via Medical Officers of Health, about diagnoses of certain infectious diseases in Ireland. These diseases are referred to as notifiable diseases.

The most recent amendment to the Regulations is the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 53 of 2020) which added COVID-19 to the list of notifiable diseases.

While occupation related information is not currently collected in the manner referred to in the Deputy's question, I understand work regarding improvements in this area is underway. Defining the wide range of professions and occupations undertaken across the country in such a way as to enable it to become a meaningful data source is a complex and technical exercise. I have therefore asked the HSE to provide further information directly to the Deputy on this important matter.

Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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618. To ask the Minister for Health the measures the HSE has taken to reschedule surgeries and other non-emergency medical procedures which have been postponed due to Covid-19 (details supplied). [8865/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In response to the Covid-19 pandemic the HSE had to take measures to defer all non-urgent elective scheduled care activity, including outpatient clinics. This was to ensure patient safety and that all appropriate resources were made available for Covid-19 related activity and time-critical essential work. This decision was in line with the advice issued by the World Health Organisation, and the National Action Plan published on 16 March. The trajectory of the disease means there is now an opportunity for increasing the provision of non-covid care including more routine care.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has approved a number of recommendations relating to protecting and maximising the delivery of essential time-critical non-Covid-19 care alongside Covid-19 care. On 5 May, NPHET agreed that its recommendation of 27 March, in regard to the pausing of all non-essential health services should be replaced, in relation to acute care, with a recommendation that delivery of acute care be determined by appropriate clinical and operational decision making. The HSE advise that following this recommendation, they issued advice to clinicians regarding the application of essential risk mitigating steps to be taken in acute settings, in order to ensure the safety of staff and patients. This will have operational implications, which will impact on throughput. Hospitals have now begun to resume elective care in the context of this advice and guidance.

My Department, the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund are currently working together to estimate the impact of Covid 19 on Scheduled Care waiting lists, with a view to informing activity going forward. As the system continues to deliver Covid-19 and non-Covid 19 care side-by-side over a more prolonged period, my Department and the HSE will continue to work closely together to protect essential non-Covid 19 acute care and progress the provision of more routine non Covid-19 care.

Where possible, hospitals are working to find innovative ways to enable service provision, which include virtual clinics for some outpatient department appointments. The HSE website provides details on services currently available and operational in each hospital on its website. This information is reviewed frequently and provides up-to-date announcements on services available at each site ().

Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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619. To ask the Minister for Health when non-emergency procedures and surgeries that were scheduled to take place in private hospitals prior to the start of the Covid-19 crisis will recommence. [8866/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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A major part of the Government's Action Plan in response to Covid-19 was to substantially increase the capacity of public healthcare facilities to cope with the anticipated additional demand. In order to urgently ramp up capacity for acute care facilities, an arrangement was agreed with the private hospitals to use their facilities as part of the public system on a temporary basis, to provide essential services. A Heads of Terms of an Agreement between the HSE and the Private Hospitals was agreed at the end of March 2020 and all 18 of the acute private hospitals signed up to it. Under the arrangement, all patients in the private hospitals are treated as public patients and their treatment is prioritised based on clinical need. Provision was made under the agreement to allow for continuity of care for patients who were in a private hospital or attending for treatment at the time the Heads of Terms of the Agreement were agreed, on the grounds that these patients would be treated as public patients.

The agreement was reviewed at the end of May and the Government decided that the existing arrangement should not be extended beyond the end of June. It has however mandated the HSE to negotiate a new arrangement with private hospitals which would provide the HSE with full access to private hospital capacity in the event of a surge of Covid-19 and separately with ongoing agreed access, to enable the HSE to meet essential and elective care needs.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the HSE had to take measures to defer all non-urgent elective scheduled care activity, including outpatient clinics. This was to ensure patient safety and that all appropriate resources were made available for COVID-19 related activity and time-critical essential work. This decision was in line with the advice issued by the World Health Organisation, the measures set out in the Action Plan in Response to Covid-19 and the recommendation of NPHET. The NPHET has now recommended that steps be taken to resume non-urgent scheduled care in the context of the safe care guidelines set out by its Expert Advisory Group.