Tuesday, 23 Jun 2026

Home Care Packages

Ceisteanna (876)

Sorca Clarke

Ceist:

876. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of people in the midlands region who have been approved for HSE home support hours but are currently unable to access all or part of those hours due to a lack of available home support workers; the number of directly employed HSE home support workers and the number employed by private providers in the region; the current vacancy rate; the measures being taken to recruit additional home support workers; and when she expects all approved home support hours to be delivered in full. [47744/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Home Care Packages

Ceisteanna (877)

Sorca Clarke

Ceist:

877. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the reason a person aged 98 years, who has been approved for thirteen hours of home support per week has been advised that no home support workers are currently available to provide the approved care, they are only available for four hours a week; the steps being taken to ensure that the approved hours are delivered; whether alternative arrangements through private or voluntary providers will be put in place pending recruitment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47745/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Health Services

Ceisteanna (878)

Michael Cahill

Ceist:

878. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to prioritise oral health within the universal healthcare agenda, develop a detailed implementation strategy and ensure stakeholder buy-in (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47747/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

I am determined to ease the pressure people are facing now in accessing oral healthcare through the public system, in particular for children and adult medical card holders. My Department and the HSE are finalising a focused two-year action plan to deliver real improvements on the ground.

Over the next two years, the aim is to stabilise services, reduce waiting times, and make access measurably better for patients while laying the groundwork for longer-term reform. This will be achieved by initiatives such as utilising the newly available capacity that the new surgical hubs will provide as they continue to come onstream to enable reductions in waiting times for GA (General Anaesthetic) access for patients – both children and adults.

My Department and HSE officials have already initiated engagements with many of the stakeholders that will have important roles in enabling much better access to dental services across the country.

Recent engagements with for example, the Irish Dental Association (IDA), the Irish Dental Hygienists Association (IDHA) and the Dental Council have ranged from addressing waiting lists and delivering near term improvements to the schools program, to improving the supply of dental team members by exploring innovative ways of broadening the educational and training options for both hygienists and dental nurses. We will also be consulting with colleagues in DFHERIS on educational opportunities for both the current and future dental workforce.

Health Services

Ceisteanna (879)

Séamus McGrath

Ceist:

879. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Health her plans to assist the small number of people who may have had adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines; and to provide and update on discussions with vaccine manufacturers or indemnities provided in relation to adverse reactions from those vaccines. [47757/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

Significant work has been completed by my Department to develop a model for a vaccine damage scheme and officials are continuing to refine the proposed model. It is my intention to bring the model to Cabinet for discussion and consideration in due course. Until the model has been considered and approved by Government, it is not possible to provide any further information in relation to the scheme's implementation.

Health Services

Ceisteanna (880)

Robert O'Donoghue

Ceist:

880. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the current staffing levels for diabetes services in the Dublin Fingal West area; the extent of staffing shortages across the multidisciplinary diabetes team, including consultant, nursing, dietetic and podiatry posts; the impact these vacancies are having on patient access to care and waiting times; if additional funding has been allocated to address these shortages; if recruitment is planned or underway to fill existing vacancies and expand the service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47758/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Question No. 881 answered with Question No. 807.

Question No. 882 answered with Question No. 807.

Hospital Appointments Status

Ceisteanna (883)

Claire Kerrane

Ceist:

883. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the lengthy waiting times for rheumatology outpatient appointments at Galway University Hospital; the steps being taken to reduce waiting lists for patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and chronic pain; and if she will provide an update on when a person (details supplied) who was placed on the rheumatology waiting list in October 2025, unable to work due to chronic pain, can expect to receive an appointment. [47765/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Health Services

Both the NPR and MDR present data at a national and regional level and, depending on the KPI, at site or IHA level. Both reports therefore allow for the direct comparison of performance between the six health regions.

The MDR provides performance data against all KPIs as set out in the NSP and follows the structure of the HSE’s Corporate Plan and NSP. The NPR provides data on approximately 100 priority KPIs, organised across the continuum of care, from screening, to pre-hospital and urgent care, to planned and urgent planned care.

The NPR and MDR are published online each month: www.about.hse.ie/publications/ .

As noted by the Deputy above, the Health System Performance Assessment Framework (HSPA) provides data at national level. As part of the continued implementation of HSPA, and improvements in the availability of quality-assured regional metrics, the inclusion of selected prioritised regional data within HSPA will be explored further.