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

I thank the Minister for highlighting the importance of driving reform and improvements in healthcare services for children and young people.

We all agree reform is necessary but reform for its own sake is not the goal. What matters is how these changes are experienced by the people who rely on our services every day. I am speaking about children, young people and their families. We owe it to these families, and to the healthcare workers doing their utmost to provide these services, to push for a greater integration in care which is child-centred, compassionate and progressive. I want to offer my thoughts on how we get to this. This means listening to those with lived experience and putting their child and the family at the centre of the decisions we make. One way in which this is done is through the youth advisory council. This is a group of young people who share their experience as users of the hospital services to inform policy, practices, research and the development of services, both within CHI and on a national basis. This council gives young people a voice and allows them to actively contribute to the quality of paediatric care in Ireland. This quality of care is not driven in isolation; it is driven by integration. When services work together seamlessly across disciplines and settings, children receive more timely, co-ordinated and effective care that truly meets their needs and improves health outcomes. Integration across services ensures that patients are supported, not only in moments of crisis, but through their entire healthcare journey.

I recognise that health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life, where they live, learn, work and play. Improving the health and well-being of the whole population is a key goal for this Government. Healthy Ireland is a Government priority and aims to create an Ireland where everyone can enjoy physical and mental health and well-being to their full potential, and where well-being is valued and supported at every level of our society and is everyone's responsibility to access some of the significant challenges regarding the lifestyle issues, including overweight and obesity and physical inactivity. We endeavour to develop strong national policies and facilitate multi-interventions in some of the key settings.

The obesity policy and action plan is a major milestone in the implementation of Healthy Ireland. Recent data from the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative shows that nearly one in five primary school-aged children in Ireland is overweight or obese. This increases to one in four in DEIS schools. This is a significant issue that needs to be addressed. It is clear that, as a country, we are facing a significant challenge to tackle obesity through the course of life. We need to turn the tide on the overweight and obesity epidemic. Unfortunately, that is what we are facing at the moment. It is something that we, as a Government, are totally committed to tackling. Under this plan, we liaise closely with the CHI child and adolescent complex obesity service. The CHI service has been led by a health and social care professional since 2016. It is delivered by a multidisciplinary team, including health professionals from general paediatrics, nursing, dietetics, physiotherapy, clinical psychology, occupational therapy, medical social work and administration. CHI provides families with guidance on health, nutrition, self-esteem, family communication, physical fitness and activity through education, goal setting and support in a safe environment. This guidance is provided with a focus on promoting a sensitive, respectful and empowering atmosphere, which is important for us. The CHI service aims to halt or slow the progression of childhood obesity, improve health complications and increase knowledge and understanding related to health literacy for families and children. The goal is to help families create a health-promoting home environment, reduce further weight gain and address associated health problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or painful joints. This service compounds with treatment. It is about prevention. Having worked with the different Departments and the Minister, I can say that this is all about prevention.

I am committed to preventing obesity and changing the unhealthy food environment but also to improving and increasing services for children and young people living with obesity to reduce the impact of this disease. In this way, we can support healthy generations of children who can enjoy their lives to the fullest and reach their full potential as they develop into adults, which is critical to the country's future.

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