Written answers
Tuesday, 7 October 2014
Department of Health
Dental Services Waiting Lists
Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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368. To ask the Minister for Health the waiting times for delivery of dental services and in particular those waiting for orthodontic services under the general medical scheme; if geographically there are variances in our ability to deliver these services; if the variances are due to staff vacancies that exists due to embargoes on recruitment of relevant staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38082/14]
Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides access to dental treatment for medical card holders over the age of 16. Services are provided by contracted dentists. There are no waiting lists for these services.
Dental services for children up to 16 years of age and persons of all ages with special needs are provided by the Public Dental Service of the HSE through its dental clinics. All HSE dental clinics prioritise emergency care for children up to 16 years of age, treatment for special needs patients and screening of children aged from 11 to 13 years, including referral for orthodontic services where necessary. Other services, including screening of children 6 to 8 years, are provided but may be deferred in clinics where there is pressure on resources. Some patients have specialist treatment needs. Waiting times vary based on referral type and needs of patients.
The HSE provides orthodontic treatment to those who have been assessed and referred for treatment before their 16th birthday. It should be noted that the nature of orthodontic care means that immediate treatment is not always desirable. It is estimated that in up to 5% of cases it is necessary to wait for further growth to take place before treatment commences. Patients are assessed by the HSE Orthodontic Service under the modified Index of Treatment Need. Patients with the greatest level of need are provided with treatment by the HSE. Information on waiting times is collated by the HSE by region and for the intervals as shown below. The most recent information on assessment and treatment waiting lists relates to the second quarter of 2014.
| Waiting time for assessment | 1 - 6 months | 7 - 12 months | 13 - 24 months | >24 months | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster | 2,030 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2,031 |
| HSE Dublin North East | 397 | 556 | 0 | 0 | 953 |
| HSE South | 1,203 | 396 | 109 | 12 | 1,720 |
| HSE West | 1,606 | 268 | 62 | 18 | 1,954 |
| TOTAL | 5,236 | 1,221 | 171 | 30 | 6,658 |
| Waiting time from assessment to commencement of treatment | 1-6 months | 7-12 months | 13-24 months | 25-48 months | Over 48 months | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster | 1,133 | 779 | 1,060 | 1,261 | 87 | 4,320 |
| HSE Dublin North East | 163 | 626 | 997 | 1,252 | 748 | 3,786 |
| HSE South | 650 | 439 | 946 | 1,333 | 9 | 3,377 |
| HSE West | 1,257 | 1,220 | 1,496 | 1,010 | 52 | 5,035 |
| TOTAL | 3,203 | 3,064 | 4,499 | 4,856 | 896 | 16,518 |
The Government has decided that the numbers employed across the public service must be reduced in order to meet fiscal and budgetary targets. The health sector must make its contribution to that reduction. The recruitment embargo or moratorium has achieved substantial reductions in employment in the public health service and the number of staff employed by the health service has reduced from 111,770 whole time equivalents (WTEs) at the end of March 2009 to 99,959 (WTEs) at the end of December 2013, a reduction of 10.6% or over 11,800 WTEs. The recruitment moratorium and staff on long term leave is impacting on waiting lists in some areas. At present the HSE is considering a number of options to tackle waiting lists where they are problematic. These include skills mix and procurement of services.
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