Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

Ní féidir leis an Aire Sláinte agus Leanaí bheith i láthair agus tá brón uirthi. Tá áthas orm go bhfuil an t-ábhar seo ardaithe ag an Seanadóir Buttimer. I will take this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney.

The Minister is aware that the number of children diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes attending Cork University Hospital has increased from 122 in 2000 to 275 in 2007. Tá an tAire sásta tabhairt faoi deara go bhfuil an HSE ag méadú na seirbhísí san áit seo.

The HSE has succeeded in recruiting a senior dietician for the paediatric service and a suitably qualified dietician commenced providing the service from Tuesday, 30 October. The funding and whole-time equivalence for the post have been ring-fenced and the post will be established in the hospital in a permanent capacity. A clinical nurse specialist post has been offered to a nurse who is already working in the paediatric unit at the hospital. She will be able to take up duty when her current post has been backfilled. It is likely that approval for her replacement will be granted shortly.

Cork University Hospital provides a service whereby a dietician and the clinical nurse specialist for diabetes attend the general paediatric clinics to see urgent cases of children with diabetes, for example, those who are newly diagnosed, have a new regime or are experiencing difficulties with control. Hospital management assure us that every effort will be made to ensure all the relevant staff attend these clinics.

The HSE is considering the following additional staffing level requirements for the paediatric diabetic service in the south for 2008: 1.2 whole-time equivalent clinical nurse specialists; 0.2 whole-time equivalent dietetic support staff; 0.5 whole-time equivalent consultant paediatrician — a share of one whole-time equivalent who has a special interest in diabetes and endocrinology but also has a general paediatric commitment; and 0.3 whole-time equivalent social worker support — also a share of the general paediatric commitment. These posts would form part of a multidisciplinary team along with the nursing and dietician posts currently being put in place.

The general manager and nurse service manager of Cork University Hospital, together with the business manager for the division of paediatrics, have met representatives of the support group and are fully aware of its concerns over the paediatric diabetic service. The Minister is satisfied that every effort is being made to address those concerns.

At the end of 2006, the HSE established an expert advisory group on diabetes to draw up standards of care for persons with the disease. This process will take account of the document of the Department of Health and Children, Diabetes: Prevention and Model for Patient Care. The group has subdivided its work into six areas: standards of care; retinopathy; paediatrics; education and patient empowerment; podiatry; and the model of shared care. The group will report in 2008 and the allocation of any additional resources for diabetes will be informed by this process.

The Minister is confident that the measures being adopted will bring about much improvement in the paediatric diabetic services in the HSE's southern area.