Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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213. To ask the Minister for Health if he will ensure that a BreastCheck service is available within a reasonable distance for women living in County Leitrim (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31137/22]

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

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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214. To ask the Minister for Health the investigations he has carried out into the increase adverse incidents that have happened in hospitals around the country; and the investigations HIQA has carried out into the overcrowding at each hospital in the State. [31145/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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When serious adverse events occur, it is vital that our health services take steps to ensure that such events are appropriately reviewed and responded to at a national level.

The HSE’s Incident Management Framework was launched in 2018 and updated in 2020. The HSE’s Incident Management Framework is applied to the management of individual incidents and is the mechanism for incident investigations in the HSE. The HSE’s Incident Management Framework is designed to provide health and social care services with a practical and proportionate approach to the management of incidents. The focus of the Framework is on understanding how and why an incident occurred and using this knowledge to improve safety. The HSE’s Incident Management Framework places emphasis on the need, in the aftermath of an incident, to adopt an empathetic, person centred and practical response to persons affected by an incident.

In relation to HIQA, it was established as an independent statutory authority under the Health Act 2007 to promote safety and quality in the provision of health and social care services for the benefit of the health and welfare of the public. The Health Act 2007, Section 8(1) (c) confers the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) with statutory responsibility for monitoring the quality and safety of healthcare services.

HIQA have recently launched a new inspection methodology. Since the launch of the new methodology, HIQA have inspected six hospitals. Due to concerns about ongoing overcrowding, HIQA conducted a risk-based unannounced inspection of the emergency department in University Hospital Limerick on 15th March 2022.