Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)

I will try to be brief in that case. I thank the Senator for raising this matter. We are trying to improve services in Letterkenny General Hospital as well, so I understand what she is trying to achieve and the importance of insulin pump therapy.

I will cut to the chase and speak to the situation with regard to Cavan and Monaghan hospital. As we know, the provision of insulin pump therapy is a highly specialised subspecialty of paediatric medicine and must be led by a consultant endocrinologist. Cavan and Monaghan Hospital and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda have a shared care model with clear clinical pathways relating to children accessing paediatric insulin pump therapy. The initial set-up and subsequent clinics, which require consultant involvement, are carried out at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda. All other clinics, including a dedicated paediatric nurse clinic and a diabetic clinic, are conducted at Cavan Monaghan Hospital. Prior to this pathway of care being introduced in quarter 4 of 2023, patients requiring insulin pump therapy would have been referred to Drogheda or Temple Street for the entirety of their care and would have had to attend all clinics as opposed to just the insulin pump clinics in Drogheda and Temple Street.

The Government is aware of the needs of members of the diabetes community and the challenges they face. In recent years, there has been increased demand for paediatric diabetic services. That is the position regarding Cavan and Monaghan. Follow-up care is available at Cavan Monaghan Hospital, but the initial appointments and the consultant-led insulin pump appointments take place in Drogheda, in the main, and Temple Street.