Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and welcome the opportunity to address the Dáil on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, on this important topic. I assure the House that Children's Health Ireland, CHI, is very aware that issues with the complex pain management service have been the cause of anxiety and upset for parents and children. Funding has been provided to address this issue and most posts have been recruited.

As the Deputy may be aware, the background to this issue is that a consultant in complex pain management in CHI resigned at the end of 2019. It is a highly specialised position and the service has evolved on an ad hocbasis since then. It was recognised there was a need to put in place a more structured model to manage the needs of patients with complex pain to ensure outcomes and alignment with best practice internationally. Funding was provided to do that and this provided for a number of key posts as part of the development of the service.

The model of care for paediatric anaesthesia developed by the national clinical programme for anaesthesia and endorsed by the Irish paediatric anaesthesia network provides guidelines for the organisational structure and best practice model for a paediatric pain management service. CHI has been in the process of developing the structure for this model and key posts are now in place. This interdisciplinary service consists of a whole-time equivalent consultant with special interest in pain management, a clinical nurse specialist, 1.2 whole-time equivalent advanced nurse practitioners, an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist and a psychologist.

Children’s Health Ireland has advised that all posts are in place except the consultant position. Unfortunately, recruitment for this post has so far been unsuccessful and is ongoing. The post was advertised last year but did not attract candidates. It is being redesigned to structure it slightly differently and it is hoped the way it has been configured will now attract suitable candidates. In the interim, CHI advises that a locum consultant has been put in place until such time as the permanent consultant position is filled.

CHI has confirmed all service users have access to the clinical nurse specialist and advanced nurse practitioners, who are available to address urgent queries under the governance of the pain consultant. Contact details have been provided to service users by the CHI.

The new service will provide a biopsychological approach to pain rehabilitation, in keeping with evidence-based treatments that are recognised globally. CHI has advised that the new model of care will be fully in place prior to the end of the second quarter of this year and service users will be contacted with appointments. I reassure patients that the Minister is committed to ensuring children have access to this crucial service and the Department of Health will continue to work closely with the HSE and CHI in this regard.

The Deputy asked about a nine-to-five service, consultant referrals and the out-of-hours service. I will raise that directly with the Minister if the Deputy sends me an email.

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