Written answers
Tuesday, 7 November 2023
Department of Health
Health Services
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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1370. To ask the Minister for Health the reason employees working for an organisation (details supplied) in a long-term residential house for disabled persons are not assessed as Section 39 employees despite having worked throughout the pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48810/23]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Firstly, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all healthcare workers for their efforts during the Covid 19 Pandemic.
Last year the Government announced a once-off, ex-gratiaCOVID-19 pandemic recognition payment for certain frontline public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic.
Eligibility criteria for the payment were set following significant consideration and consultation. I can confirm that in order to receive the recognition payment, staff must have:
- Been in COVID vaccination cohorts 1 or 2, and
- Worked ordinarily onsite in a COVID-19 exposed healthcare environment, and
- Worked for at least 4 weeks in the 1/3/2020 – 30/6/2021 period, and
- Worked in a HSE/Section 38 organisation, or one of the following:
2.Section 39 long-term residential care facilities for people with disabilities, working on-site;
3.Agency roles working in the HSE;
4.Health Care Support Assistants (also known as home help / home care / home support) contracted to the HSE;
5.Members of the Defence Forces redeployed to work in frontline Covid-19 exposed environments in the HSE;
6.Paramedic staff employed by Dublin Fire Brigade to deliver services on behalf of the HSE.
Only those staff who met all of the above eligibility criteria were covered for this payment. I appreciate that many other workers, volunteers, and other citizens including those working in the Nua Healthcare provided important services during this most difficult time.
The Government appreciates that those organisations and staff who are not encompassed for this particular payment may feel disappointed. It was a hard task to set out the eligibility criteria for this payment but the Government based its decision on certain aspects of all the different roles within the Healthcare sector and certain risks which eligible frontline workers faced. Immense efforts have been made by all healthcare staff since the onset of the pandemic which has not gone unrecognised.
In recognition of the efforts of all workers, volunteers, and the general public during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in remembrance of people who lost their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government announced a public holiday which took place on 18 March 2022. From February this year a new permanent public holiday was established to mark St Brigid’s Day.
Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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1371. To ask the Minister for Health the steps that are being taken to ensure continued support and services for stroke patients, given the absence of allocated funds in Budget 2024 for national stroke strategy services in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48819/23]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Following the announcement of the budget allocation for my Department, I will shortly be issuing a Letter of Determination to the HSE outlining my priorities and funding levels for 2024. This will be the basis on which the HSE will draw up its National Service Plan (NSP) for 2024. It is not until the conclusion of this process that a detailed breakdown of ELS/New Development expenditure will be available.
To address emerging healthcare needs of our population the HSEs National Stroke Strategy (2022-2027) underpins the work of the National Stroke Programme.
In 2020/2021, the National Stroke Strategy was developed by the multi-disciplinary Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) under the clinical governance and leadership of the National Clinical Programme for Stroke and underwent extensive consultation with internal and external stakeholders. The remit of the CAG was to produce a number of key objectives for the Stroke Strategy over the next 4 years that were; of high impact for patient care, realistic to achieve and required to ensure stroke services were adequately resourced to provide safe and effective urgent stroke care and prevention.
The HSE National Stroke Strategy was published on the HSE’s website on World Stroke Day 2022 (29th October). The strategy includes the right goals and targets and improved outcomes for patients including survival, reduced disability and the delivery of efficient and effective services that support people to live longer and in their own communities. It recommends the strategic development of the service over 5-year period 2022-2027. Four key pillars for stroke care outlined in the strategy are: 1. Stroke Prevention 2. Acute Care and Cure 3. Rehabilitation and Restoration to Life 4. Education and Research.
The recent Irish National Audit of Stroke (INAS) Report - A critical review of national stroke data for Ireland from 2013 to 2021by the National Centre of Clinical Audit (NOCA) provides an overview of key trends in stroke care from 2013 to 2021.
The INAS is a clinically led, web-based audit that measures the care provided in hospital with a stroke against Irish and UK guidelines. The Report highlights the many positive changes in stroke care nationally. Our emergency care processes have improved considerably during the reporting period (2013 to 2021), mortality for patients with ischaemic stroke has decreased by 29%, median total hospital length of stay decreased from 11 days to 8 days and the proportion of patients seen by a medical team within 10 minutes of hospital arrival has more than doubled. Moreover, the median time to patient assessment decreased from 2.5 hours to 12 minutes so patients are being seen much faster and the thrombectomy (mechanical removal of the blood clot contributing to the stroke) rate increased from 4.8% in 2016 to 9.5% in 2021.
The report also highlights some challenges; an increase in delay from stroke onset to hospital presentation was found, therefore there is the consequent importance of highlighting public education regarding the symptoms of stroke.
INAS allows hospitals to examine their own data and promotes continuous quality improvement. Such an approach is at the heart of the delivery of safe, high-quality care. It demonstrates a commitment by hospitals to using and analysing available data, such that individual hospitals, through their clinical governance or quality and risk processes, can identify areas of concern that warrant improvement or review.
This report provides evidence of year-on-year performance improvement in our hospitals, and I look forward to this continuing into the future.
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