Written Answers Nos. 2165-2185
2165. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance and policy framework approved by her Department for gender identity services for children and young people; the date of the most recent Departmental review of that framework; the role of her Department in setting safeguarding and clinical governance standards for these services; and how compliance with those standards is monitored at national level. [74396/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2166. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national datasets her Department requires for planning, oversight, and safeguarding of gender identity services for minors, including referral volumes, diagnostic profiles, and treatment pathways; which of those datasets are not currently in place; and the timeline for establishing a national dataset aligned with evidence-based clinical governance standards. [74397/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2167. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health her Department’s policy for evaluating international clinical guidance prior to alignment with national healthcare frameworks; the assessments carried out by her Department on the WPATH Standards of Care between 2018 and 2023; and the timeline for completing a formal review of those standards in light of the Cass Review. [74398/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2168. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national reporting requirements approved by her Department for waiting times in publicly funded addiction services; the reason a comprehensive national waiting-time dataset is not currently available; and the timeline for introducing full national reporting of assessment and treatment waiting times. [74399/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraA key strategic priority of the National Drugs Strategy is to enhance access to, and delivery of, drugs services in the community. Demand for and access to services has increased during the period of the current strategy.The National Drug Treatment [Reporting] System is the national surveillance system that records and reports on cases of drug and alcohol treatment in Ireland. It is compiled annually to provide information on treatment demand and provides important data to allow services to deliver what is required. Data published in the 2024 National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) by the Health Research Board (HRB) shows that there was a record figure of 13,295 cases treated for problem drug use in 2024. This continues the upward trend in treatment cases and demonstrates the impact of the National Drugs Strategy in enhancing access to drug services, with an increase of 50% in cases since the strategy began in 2017.
The cases reported in the NDTRS are from a record number of 456 drug services, these services are available throughout the country and can be found on an online interactive [map] on [www.drugsandalcohol.ie]. The map lists services for different types of drugs, age groups, location, and treatment provided.
I have provided a letter at the following link detailing how the HSE monitors performance and activity in relation to HSE addiction services. Further information on these KPIs is available in the HSE national service plan 2026.
2169. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has adopted any population-based workforce planning benchmark or consultant-to-patient ratio for the provision of chronic pain services; if so, to specify the benchmark applied; and if not, to explain how the adequacy of current consultant capacity is assessed for governance and service planning purposes. [74400/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
2170. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the average waiting time, by hospital group, for a first outpatient assessment in publicly funded chronic pain services at the end of Q4 2025; the longest waiting time recorded nationally; and the number of patients waiting longer than six months and longer than twelve months for an initial appointment. [74401/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is acknowledged that many patients are still waiting too long for hospital appointments and treatments. I am conscious of the burden that this places on patients and their families.
The multi-annual Waiting List Action Plan approach was implemented in September 2021 to sustainably reduce and reform hospital waiting lists and waiting times.
With the multi annual action plan approach, we are progressing towards the ultimate vision of a public healthcare service in which everyone has timely access to high-quality scheduled care, where and when they need it.
My Department is engaging with the HSE and National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to finalise the action plan for 2026, building on the progress delivered to date, renewing the focus on improving waiting times for patients, and considering the learnings from the challenges that arose in 2025.
National waiting list information by hospital, specialty, and time band is published monthly by the NTPF on its website: www.ntpf.ie/home/nwld.htm
The information is now being made available through an interactive visual tool which provides users with a much-improved way of accessing and analysing waiting list information.
The specific information requested by the Deputy which is not readily available on the NTPF website is set out in the following table.
It should be noted that the health system does not collect the data necessary to calculate the average time to treatment of patients who have already received their care. The mean and median average waiting times provided to my Department by the NTPF and set out in the attached, are in respect of how long patients on lists have been waiting.
Mean & Median waiting time on the Pain Relief Outpatient waiting list by HSE Region - End December 2025
|
HSE Region |
Mean Wait time (days) |
Median Wait time (days) |
|
Children's Health Ireland |
71 |
52.5 |
|
HSE Dublin and Midlands |
297 |
268 |
|
HSE Dublin and North East |
202 |
183 |
|
HSE Dublin and South East |
303 |
258 |
|
HSE Mid West |
113 |
86 |
|
HSE South West |
205 |
170 |
|
HSE West and North West |
172 |
132 |
Notes:
The NTPF advise that the health system does not collect the data necessary to calculate average wait times. In particular, the time to treatment of patients who have already received their care is not collected. The NTPF collects data on patients currently on the waiting list and the average time that these patients have been waiting is provided.
The NTPF advise that in official reporting of hospital waiting times, the median is considered more accurate than the mean because it reflects the midpoint of all patients' wait times, minimizing the impact of exceptionally long or short waits that can distort the average and providing a more representative measure of typical patient experience.
2171. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the proportion of patients diagnosed with chronic pain who are managed without access to a specialist consultant-led pain service due to capacity constraints; and the assessment her Department has made of the clinical, social, and economic impacts of managing chronic pain outside specialist services. [74402/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2172. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the current number of whole-time equivalent consultants delivering chronic pain services meets any recognised international guideline, standard, or comparator used by her Department; and if not, the actions planned, with timelines, to align consultant capacity with population need. [74403/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2173. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department or the Health Service Executive maintains any national dataset recording cases where a baby is born alive following a termination of pregnancy carried out under the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018; and if not, the rationale for the absence of such a dataset given her Department’s statutory responsibility for governance, quality assurance and patient safety across maternity services. [74421/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have referred it to the HSE for direct reply.
2174. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if maternity hospitals are required by her Department, the HSE, or the national women and infants health programme to formally notify the Department or the HSE of all cases where signs of life are observed following termination of pregnancy; and if notification is not mandatory, the legal or policy basis for this position. [74422/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question related to a service area, I have referred it to the HSE for direct reply.
2175. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the national women and infants health programme has issued any binding national protocols, as distinct from non-statutory guidance, governing the clinical, reporting and governance response to live births following termination of pregnancy; and if so, the date of issue and whether such protocols are subject to compliance monitoring. [74423/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question relates to a service area, I have referred it to the HSE for direct reply.
2176. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of internal reviews, clinical audits, serious incident reviews or governance assessments commissioned or overseen by her Department or the HSE since 2019 in respect of live births following termination of pregnancy; and if the findings of any such reviews have been provided to her Department. [74424/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs The Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have referred it to the HSE for direct reply.
2177. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has sought legal advice since 2019 on the absence of a statutory reporting requirement for live births following termination of pregnancy; and if she will commit to examining the introduction of a formal national reporting and audit framework to ensure consistent oversight and learning across the maternity system. [74425/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter, I have referred it to the HSE for direct reply.
2178. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health the procedures in place to tackle the delay in the symptomatic rapid assessment clinic in CUH; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74428/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2179. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Health to provide the current waiting list times in Drogheda hospital for dermatology services from 2019 to date in 2025, per year, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74436/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2180. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Health if the movement of dermatology services from Monaghan Hospital has added to the waiting list times in Drogheda Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74437/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2181. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Health her plans for any reforms to ensure that the dermatology services remain in Monaghan Hospital, along with a dermatologist in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74438/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the HSE that the dermatology referral pathway was centralised at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda in Q2 2024, where a dedicated dermatology unit is in place. I am further informed that the consultant-led Dermatology Outpatient Service in Monaghan Hospital transferred permanently to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda in Q4 2025.
As with many other hospital-based specialties, consolidating dermatology services on a single site supports a more streamlined and efficient model of care, ensuring continued access for service users, including those from Cavan and Monaghan.
2182. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Health if she will provide a list of the services currently available in Monaghan Hospital; in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74439/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2183. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Health the current number of free rooms in Monaghan Hospital; the reason these room are not being utilised for clinics; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74440/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2184. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the office rental costs per annum for staff in her Department and for each agency or organisation under her remit, in each of the years between 2015 and 2025 inclusive, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74451/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe OPW is responsible for the procurement and lease of my Department's Head Office at Block 1, Miesian Plaza. My Department moved into this accommodation in 2018. Prior to that, the Department's Head Office was at Hawkins House, Hawkins Street, Dublin 2. This was a State owned building with no rental costs to the Department.
My Department entered into a lease with the Health Research Board (HRB) for additional accommodation at Grattan House, Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2. The lease was signed on the 2nd March 2020 for a period of 3 years and the rent cost was €463,845.
I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Details for other bodies under the aegis of my Department are operational matters for the bodies concerned and the Deputy should contact the relevant Director/CEO/Registrar directly.
2185. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if she plans to increase the number of assistant psychologist jobs nationwide to support the provision of mental healthcare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74459/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis government aims to enhance mental health services in local communities and to continue to recruit Mental Health staff both nationally and internationally.
Sharing the Vision is Ireland’s ambitious, multifaceted national mental health policy to enhance the provision of mental health services and supports across a broad continuum from mental health promotion, prevention, early intervention and specialist mental health service delivery during the period 2020-2030.
The ambition of Sharing the Vision is to enhance access to mental health services, and psychologists are core members of community mental health teams. There is a requirement to plan for expansion of the provision of psychologists, and the Programme for Government commits to expanding psychology assistant posts and expanding the number of funded places in Clinical Psychology Doctorate training.
The Department of Health is currently working to set out the long -term workforce planning needs of the health and social care sector in Ireland’s Future Health and Social Care Workforce Plan.
The plan will project the workforce required to meet the needs of the population over the next 15 years, including for mental health services. The plan has been guided by Sharing the Vision, and it recognises the requirement to plan for the expansion of staffing in mental health services, including assistant psychologist posts.
More broadly, the government is focused on achieving and maintaining optimum mental health in Ireland. HSE WTE numbers working in Mental Health increased by 7% between year-end 2019 and June 2025, with 99% of that increase relating to posts directly involved in patient care. The availability of suitably qualified workforce has been highlighted as a significant challenge at a time when there has been record levels of investment in mental health services with an increase of 50% since 2020 and totalling almost €1.6 billion in Budget 2026. An additional 300 WTE posts, almost all clinical, have been allocated to HSE Mental Health Services for 2026, representing 9% of the overall growth in health service staffing this year.
Implementation of Sharing the Vision is guided by a detailed Implementation Plan, with regular policy implementation progress reports published on the Department of Health website. Implementation of the policy is overseen by an independently chaired National Implementation and Monitoring Committee. The current Implementation Plan 2025-2027 for Sharing the Vision was published in April 2025.
