Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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12. To ask the Minister for Health when he will meet with the Donegal branch of an organisation (details supplied) to address its concerns regarding broken promises to improve diabetes services in Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19824/24]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The Donegal branch of Diabetes Ireland is urgently requesting a meeting with the Minister. He met the group briefly in a hotel in Donegal in 2022. The group was hoping to meet with the Minister last year, but the situation has got even worse since the meeting happened in 2022. The issue concerns adults with type 1 diabetes and the lack of endocrinologists, podiatrists and advanced nurse practitioners. We are asking for an urgent intervention and that the Minister meet the group at the earliest opportunity to hear about the issues and try to get them resolved.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy said, I have met the group in question, which is very active and effective in Donegal. I will highlight some of the important progress that our healthcare workers in Letterkenny University Hospital, LUH, have achieved. It really is very encouraging to see. In the last while, they have reduced the number of patients awaiting first appointment by two thirds, which is fantastic. I will double-check, but I think in just the last year they brought that figure down from 243 patients to just 85. Obviously, we want to bring it within the normal Sláintecare target of between ten and 12 weeks, but a reduction of two thirds is very encouraging to see. All patients with type 1 diabetes are now getting their first appointment within six to eight weeks, which was not the case previously. Most patients with type 2 diabetes have been waiting less than six months and that figure is also coming down. Our target is ten to 12 weeks, whereas previously the waiting time was up to two years. I commend the healthcare workers in LUH and the community on this huge achievement. Why is it happening? It is partly because we opened a new community hub in February last year. This has resulted in important improvements in patient care, with 10,000 individual patient interactions with more than 2,000 patients completed since its opening.

Regarding the concerns raised, recruitment for the consultant post in the community hub is also under way. The recruitment for the endocrinology posts is being advanced. I know there is frustration and that these posts have been advertised before. The fact that we are now advertising for them under the new consultant contract should make a significant difference.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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What the Minister has just read out does not tally with the request for the meeting that has been sent to him. The Donegal branch of Diabetes Ireland has said that the situation with patient safety at the hospital is "beyond critical". There is currently no endocrinologist in the hospital and there are three vacant posts. There are no advanced nurse practitioners. Two posts were not approved by the HSE. There are no podiatrists and there are also two vacant posts in podiatry. There is no access to pump therapy. There are no psychology supports. LUH has the worst record of recall for type 1 diabetes patients, with waiting lists of more than three years. That information is in the correspondence sent to the Minister. There is something badly wrong with what the Minister is being told, through Saolta University Health Care Group, I assume, given what is actually happening on the ground. As the Minister acknowledged, the Donegal branch of Diabetes Ireland is highly respected.

The branch members have met various Ministers over the years, including the current Taoiseach, James Reilly and the Minister. I ask him to meet them please at the earliest opportunity.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. As he said, the focus right now is on getting these consultants in place. I fully accept that. Letterkenny has approved two full-time posts, with 100% commitment at the hospital and, as the Deputy said, there is also a third post. The focus is on these endocrinology posts. There was very effective intervention by central HSE for recruiting more consultants for Letterkenny, on the back of the visit I had there some time ago. I will engage again with central HSE and the HR team to see what else we can do.

We have the new consultant contract in place. The Deputy aware of the discussions between the NHS and the HSE and the fact that we are paying twice what NHS consultants are getting. It is a very attractive contract for international recruitment. I will ask the HSE to engage specifically with Letterkenny, as it has done on other specialties. We need to get these three endocrinologists in place. As he pointed out, and as the community knows, it is the hiring of these endocrinologists and support staff that will get the diabetes services the people of Donegal need and deserve.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Will the Minister meet the Donegal branch of Diabetes Ireland? As he knows, it is highly respected. He needs to meet its members face-to-face to get their account of what is happening so he can best address the issues.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Certainly the next time I am in Donegal there will be no issue with that. We are very clear on what the issue is; it is a lack of recruitment. We have the money and we have the posts. We need the advanced nurse practitioners and the endocrinologists. I want to use the time to get the posts in place. I am very aware of the issues being raised and there is ongoing engagement through the HSE. Of course we would never rule out a future meeting.