Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the expansion of entitlement to GP services for children from age 6 to 12. I ask the Minister to revert to me on the timescale for that.

One of the biggest issues I have been contacted several times about is the availability of GPs. We have heard from the public health official that many people are not returning for their follow-up Covid-19 test after being identified as a close contact to a case. I want to highlight my experience for the Minister, which is that if someone does not have a GP it is nearly impossible to get one. The requirement to be assigned a GP is three refusals, which is unacceptable. Will the Minister examine that issue because it could be a contributing factor, not to mention how people are expected to contact their GP with symptoms if they do not have a GP? Are we doing everything we can to boost employment in this area? GP clinics in my area of Carlow are full to capacity, and it seems to be getting worse. What does the Minister intend to do to make sure that we get additional GPs?

In the debate last night the Minister mentioned the medical card threshold increase for those aged 70 and over. That is very welcome but a serious issue has been raised by people coming into my clinics, particularly elderly people who have medical cards. Some of them are being charged €15 for a blood test and others are being charged €20. Some doctors are not charging but there is a great deal of confusion about that. I have contacted the HSE and I understand, and the Minister may be able to clarify this, that if a doctor requests a blood test one can claim back the fee from the HSE. If one goes to a doctor seeking a blood test, one has to pay for it. We need clarification on that. Many elderly people tell me that they cannot go in to get the test because they do not have the money. The Minister might be able to clarify that with the HSE and revert to me on it.

I want to ask about carers employed by the HSE. Will there be a widespread mandatory mask protocol for carers dispatched across counties who are treating older persons in non-hospital settings in the community? I have had several calls from constituents who are concerned about that. These carers are doing a fantastic job but some of them are not wearing masks. The Minister knows that carers work very hard, as I do because I know many carers. They might go into four or five houses a day. What plan is in place to offer them supports? It is very important that we give carers working in those front-line services our help. Will specific funding be made available for that?

Furthermore, family carers heard at the meeting of the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response last Friday that it might be January before day services for adult children with intellectual disabilities can return fully. Can the Minister give those family carers more help? Can he tell me what we can do to make sure these people are not forgotten? It is very important. We cannot use the pandemic as a reason to leave anyone in society behind. I am aware that Linda Comerford will hold a major protest outside the Convention Centre Dublin next Wednesday. It it important that we give our support to families. Families have gone through a very rough time in the past few months. They need all the support we can give them.

I read a newspaper article yesterday that doctors are warning of increased numbers of domestic abuse victims being admitted to medical facilities since the pandemic began. We need to put in place as many supports as we can in that area. It is a very serious and worrying problem.

We have been speaking about the importance of looking after people in nursing homes. I, too, want to ask about centres for older people with regard to section 39 organisations. Some people in section 39 organisations in my area of Carlow have contacted me. What measures do we have in place to help care homes that need extra funding through the HSE because everybody has been affected by this? It is very important that we make sure that we put funding into the areas where it is needed. The Minister might revert to me on that.

I am aware that the UK is doing a lot of what is called home testing. In rural areas in particular where there is no transport people are finding it difficult to travel to see a doctor. Are we considering putting some plan in place that will see Ireland start to do home testing? We all know that Covid-19 will be with us for a while so it will be important to have plans and support in place. I thank the Minister. He has two and a half minutes in which to respond with answers to my questions.

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