Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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732. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to ensure an individual is supported in seeking specialist care in the UK (details supplied). [29841/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I understand the Deputy may be seeking further information on the EU Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS).

The HSE operates the EU Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS), for persons entitled under EU Regulation 883/04. The TAS is a consultant led scheme and allows for an Ireland-based public consultant to refer a public patient who is normally resident in Ireland for treatment in the public healthcare system of another EU member state, the UK or Switzerland. Subject to the EU Regulations and Guidelines, the TAS provides for the cost of approved public treatments in another EU/EEA member state, the UK or Switzerland through the issue of form S2 (IE) where the treatment is:

• among the benefits provided for by Irish legislation;
• not available in Ireland;
• not available within the time normally necessary for obtaining it in Ireland, taking account of the patient's current state of health and the probable course of the disease;
• medically necessary and will meet the patient’s needs;
• a proven form of medical treatment and not experimental or test treatment;
• provided in a recognised public hospital or other institution that will accept EU/EEA form S2 (IE) and;
• is under the control of a registered medical practitioner.

www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/treatment-abroad-scheme/

Patients are advised to contact the HSE TAS office directly, for advice on making an application for treatment abroad, in advance of travelling abroad. Contact details are available on the TAS Website (www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/treatment-abroad-scheme/).

In relation to the details supplied, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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733. To ask the Minister for Health to provide his response to an organisation’s (details supplied) call for a national eye-care programme for children aged 8-16 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29842/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Sight testing, eye examinations and optical appliances are provided to medical card holders by ophthalmologists, optometrists and dispensing opticians through the Community Ophthalmic Services Schemes (COSS). Patients may access these services following a referral by a healthcare professional such as their general practitioner.

All children, including those not covered by a medical card, receive a vision screen while in national school from a Public Health Nurse. The Health Service Executive (HSE) provides optical services free of charge to preschool children and national school children referred from child health service and school health service examinations who are discovered to have sight problems. These children are referred to the appropriate consultant for treatment. In such circumstances, these services will continue to be provided until the child has reached the age of 16.

The HSE Primary Care Eye Services Review Group Report, published in June 2017, highlighted the limitations of the current model of service delivery and set out the way forward for a significant amount of eye services to be delivered in a primary care setting. The Report estimated that 60% of existing outpatient activity could be moved to primary care thus enabling hospital services to focus on patients who require more specialist diagnostics or treatments.

The National Clinical Programme for Ophthalmology has developed a model of care which details how the realignment of eye services from the acute hospitals to the community will be undertaken. Included in current priorities is transferring the care of children aged 8+ years to the care of local private optometrists.

A project team with a wide-ranging membership was established in late 2019 / early 2020 to progress this initiative. The work of the team was paused due to the requirement to focus resources on the COVID 19 pandemic. However, the project team has been reconvened and is progressing matters in relation to this initiative.

As this also involves a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly in regards to progress made, as soon as possible.