Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senators Gallagher and Conway for bringing this important issue to the table and for this Commencement debate this morning, and acknowledge Senator Conway's advocacy from lived experience, which is an important value to bring to the table in a debate like this.

The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, is unable to attend this morning. He appreciates the considerable contributions of optometrists to public health in Ireland. He recognises that optometrists played a key role in responding to the health needs of the public during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Professionals in this field continue to provide a valuable service to people in Ireland, helping them to maintain good optical health.

The HSE contracts optometrists to provide routine eye examinations and glasses for people with a medical card under the community ophthalmic services scheme. This provides patients with the freedom to choose a practice and time that best suits them. As the Minister has previously stated, the fee paid to optometrists for providing this service will be reviewed this year.

Beyond the services already provided, making greater use of the skills of optometrists is recognised as an important element in improving health care delivery. The Primary Care: Eye Services Review Group Report of 2017 examined this in detail. The report recommends the expansion of the community ophthalmic services scheme to allow for the care of children aged over eight to be managed by their local optometrist. This would occur when visual impairment has been identified in screening.

Transferring care for this group would alleviate pressure on other services, allowing them to focus on more complex or urgent cases. It would also make greater use of the vast experience held by optometrists. Work on this proposal was delayed by the pandemic, but the HSE has resumed the process of exploring how best to implement this recommendation.

A further recommendation of the report is the establishing of primary care eye teams. These multidisciplinary teams include community ophthalmic physicians, orthoptists, specialist nurses, technicians and administrative staff. Adopting an integrated approach will utilise the full skill sets of each team member and provide a comprehensive service to patients. Primary care eye teams have been established in the following community healthcare organisations, CHOs: 6, 7, and 9.

The introduction of these teams in those CHOs has had a substantial effect on waiting lists. In 2023, the HSE will seek to establish primary care eye teams in other CHOs.

The Government recognises that waiting lists must be addressed. As part of our multi-annual approach to this issue, the Minister published the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan at the start of this month. Building on the work done in 2021 and 2022, €443 million has been allocated in budget 2023 to improve waiting times for patients in Ireland. This includes recurrent funding of €123 million for the HSE to implement longer-term reforms such as modernised care pathways and closing capacity gaps, and non-recurrent funding of €240 million for the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, and the HSE to provide additional public and private activity to clear the backlogs exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes support from the NTPF for the provision of ophthalmic treatments. The Minister expects that the combination of these various initiatives and funding streams will contribute to an improvement in service for patients in need of immediate care.