Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly so I will stick to the script so the Deputy will have his accurate answer. On behalf of the Minister, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Government accepts that access to appropriate care is an important part of maintaining optical health. The HSE provides these services in hospitals and in the community. This includes specialist clinics for complex issues and routine testing by optometrists. Cork Kerry Community Healthcare currently operates paediatric community ophthalmology services across counties Cork and Kerry. The staffing profile of this service includes community ophthalmology physicians, optometrists, orthoptists and nursing staff - I apologise I am getting caught with the words this morning. Recruiting staff to these highly specialised areas can be challenging. However, the need for these specialist staff is recognised by the national clinical programme for ophthalmology.

As the Deputy said, ophthalmology services are also provided at three Cork hospitals, namely, Cork University Hospital, the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital and the Mercy University Hospital. These services combined employed just over 65 whole-time equivalent staff at the end of 2022. At that time, more than four whole-time equivalents required recruitment. A regional eye care service is currently under development to serve the area. This involves collaboration between Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, the South/Southwest Hospital Group and the SIVUH The service will be based at the new primary community care centre in Ballincollig and will provide a designated specialist infrastructure for community procedures related to ophthalmology. These will be performed by the multidisciplinary team, which includes multiple grades of staff. This will allow maximum use of skills to deliver the best outcomes for children and adults. The project is in line with the national clinical programme for ophthalmology, which recommends the integration of hospital and community care, and that clinicians and care providers work in teams. Efficient operation of such multidisciplinary teams will be essential to delivering primary eye care. Standards of clinical care will be maintained by clear governance structures and clinical audits.

A community-based model will improve access to care and will also alleviate some of the pressures on hospital services. The positive effects of a community-based approach can be seen in CHO 6, CHO 7 and CHO 9, where primary care eye teams have been introduced. The teams have made a substantial impact on waiting lists in these CHOs. Their community-based treatments allow hospitals to focus their resources on more complex cases. The building in Ballincollig is operational and ready for equipping to deliver the integrated eye care service. This awaits funding approval from the HSE. However, stakeholders will meet tomorrow, 16 February 2023, to discuss what elements can be operationalised from within existing resources.

I feel I have not answered the question. I feel I had a better answer on a previous occasion I responded to a similar Topical Issue matter. I will listen to the Deputy's response.

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