Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to provide an update to the House on this matter. Covid-19, as the Senator will be aware, has had a significant impact on the primary care sector, including the redeployment of staff from their core roles to aid in direct response to the pandemic. Those staff who have been redeployed have taken on essential duties, including Covid tracking and testing and providing additional support to long-term residential facilities for older persons, disability services and mental health services. Significant progress was made in returning staff from Covid services to their core roles between June and October, reflected at least in part in the HSE's recruitment of a dedicated workforce for community swabbing and contact tracing. Figures from the latest staff census available show that the number of redeployed staff has fallen from a peak of 3,555 in April 2020 to 815 at the end of November, a reduction of approximately 77%. Regrettably, the surge in positive Covid cases in recent months has increased pressure on our health service and has meant that we have again needed to turn to primary care staff to support the wider response to Covid.

Turning to the specific question the Senator raised, I can inform her that as of 4 February 2021 the number of whole-time equivalent staff redeployed in the primary care centres she has identified is as follows: Ballyfermot primary care centre, 8.5 staff members redeployed; Crumlin primary care centre, three dental staff redeployed; Inchicore primary care centre, one dental staff redeployed; Meath primary care centre, five staff members redeployed; and, Rialto primary care centre, 0.5 staff redeployed. I stress that the HSE has advised that this level of redeployment is associated for the most part with only a small reduction in services. Further, I can assure the Senator that a number of actions are being taken to mitigate any negative impact of the redeployment. This includes the prioritisation of service delivery based on need as well as the use of tele-health and video calls to maximise service provision. In addition, to enable cross-cover of cases, staff have been relocated to assist in areas where staff have been redeployed.Where services are curtailed or reduced, this is being done in line with clinical advice, a shared national position with appropriate risk assessment and communication with providers, service users and families.

The global pandemic has undoubtedly disrupted our primary care services. I know the distress this can cause to those who need to access these services and supports. I assure the Senator that staff will return to their substantive posts as soon as it is possible for them to do so and that the focus will continue to be on ensuring those with the greatest need can continue to access services.