Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is very familiar with this issue, having attended a meeting with the parents involved and with management from Letterkenny General Hospital. The difficulty which arises is that despite the protestations of the management at the hospital and those of the management of the West Northwest Hospitals Group, the parents to whom I refer are of the view that they have lost access to a critically important service provided by the paediatric clinical nurse specialist. Approximately 145 children in Donegal under the age of 18 have type 1 diabetes. The Minister is well aware of what this means for families and of the challenges faced by their children. At a recent public meeting in Donegal, the families involved told their stories and outlined the type of pressure and anxiety with which they are obliged to live. They also indicated how desperately important this resource - which is provided at the hospital - is to them. Under the national diabetes plan, there was to have been one paediatric clinical nurse specialist for every 100 children. One could argue that the number should be 1.5 specialists in place for the children to whom I refer in Donegal.

It is clear that there is confusion in respect of this matter. The management of the hospital has written to public representatives in Donegal since the meeting to which I refer took place. Management has not agreed to a further meeting with parents and public representatives in order that matters might be clarified. Is the Minister in a position to intervene in respect of this matter? I am aware that he has agreed to attend a meeting organised by the parents on Tuesday next. I welcome this development but I ask him to resolve the matters to which I refer before that meeting takes place. I request that he make clear to management at the hospital that what is not needed is someone who deals with children on a part-time basis and that what is actually required is a dedicated paediatric clinical nurse specialist who will deal solely with the children in question and their families.

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