Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her ongoing representations, made on behalf of the good people of Carlow, on the health services they deserve.

I will provide some good news on the orthodontic lists. For people in Carlow, rather than getting the service in Carlow, the priority is getting the service for these children. I will report to the Deputy and the House some very good news. Over the last few years, we have invested a lot of money in getting children the orthodontic care they need. The waiting lists have been too long. I am very happy to say that we have had a 44% reduction in the number of children waiting. This is fantastic, and I acknowledge the work of the HSE and our oral health community in achieving it. Some areas have seen a remarkable reduction. The Dublin and mid-Leinster region has, believe it or not, seen a 78% reduction in the list, which really is great to see. The south east has seen a 21% reduction in the list, which is encouraging. Now we want to make sure that everybody begins to see those very big redactions.

The Deputy will be aware that the HSE provides the orthodontic treatment for patients referred by a HSE dentist before the child's 16th birthday. That is for orthodontic assessment. The current HSE model for the service is provided by HSE specialist consultant orthodontists. It is concentrated into regional orthodontic units to ensure the necessary equipment and clinical skills are available and that the units have sufficient throughput. We are taking a regional approach to this by creating hubs because our first priority is that the children get the care they need as quickly as possible. It is the case that care is being provided on a regional rather than county basis. We have had a 21% reduction in the numbers waiting and we need to keep pushing with that.

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