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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 24 Jun 2003

Vol. 569 No. 3

Written Answers. - Palliative Care.

John Perry

John Perry

John Perry

Ceist:

304 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on the recent statement by a person (details supplied) that only ?12.5 million of the promised ?57 million for palliative care and hospices has been delivered. [17461/03]

John Perry

John Perry

John Perry

Ceist:

305 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has abandoned the report of the National Advisory Committee on Palliative Care as Government policy. [17462/03]

Micheál Martin

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 304 and 305 together.

The publication of the report of the National Advisory Committee on Palliative Care was approved by Government and launched on 4 October 2001. The report describes a comprehensive palliative care service and acts as a blueprint for its development over the next five to seven year period. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has provided funding to all the health boards on a pro-rata basis to commence the development of palliative care services in line with the recommendations in the report.

The report recommended that palliative care needs assessment studies should be carried out in each health board area and these studies are either completed or nearing completion. Information gleaned from these studies will inform the future development of palliative care services at health board level in consultation with the consultative and development committees which have been set up as recommended in the report. In addition a paediatric palliative care needs assessment study is ongoing and the report of the expert group on specialist design guidelines for palliative care settings is also nearing completion.
As the Deputy can see, my Department, the health boards and the voluntary sector are actively involved in planning for the development of palliative care services in line with the recommendations in the report of the national advisory committee and funding is being provided for the development of such services on a incremental basis in line with the recommendations in the report.
John Perry

John Perry

John Perry

Ceist:

306 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of the needs assessment survey which he requested from each health board before September 2002 following publication of the report of the advisory committee on palliative care which have not been delivered. [17463/03]

Micheál Martin

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

As the Deputy may be aware, following the report of the advisory committee on palliative care in 2002, each health board was required to carry out a needs assessment survey. My Department has been informed by the Mid-Western and Midland Health Boards that they have carried out the needs assessment surveys.

In the case of some health boards public health doctors played a leading role in conducting the needs assessment surveys and the dispute involving these doctors resulted in such boards being unable to complete the needs assessment surveys in the timescale originally envisaged. The boards have informed my Department that with the dispute now over they hope to be able to complete the needs assessment surveys as a matter of urgency.

Question No. 307 answered with Question No. 301.

Roinn