Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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566. To ask the Minister for Health the number of general practitioners that are receiving HSE payments for employing practice nurses to carry out antenatal care, including routine checks. [17968/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Under the GMS scheme, subsidies are payable to GPs towards the cost of employing support staff, including practice nurses.

Practice nurses carry out a wide range of patient care under the direction of the GP. Services provided may include, for example: vaccinations; women’s health services; antenatal and postnatal care; skin and wound care; health promotion and lifestyle advice; general nursing duties; practice administrative and policy work; specialist services in a particular disease area such as diabetes or cardiology.

The HSE can provide information on the number of GPs receiving subsidies towards the employment of practice nurses, therefore I have arranged for the question to be transferred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy. However, these subsidies are not specific to particular services being provided by practice nurses and the HSE would not hold information on the number of these GPs who employ a practice nurse for the purpose of carrying out antenatal care.

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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567. To ask the Minister for Health if all practice nurses employed by general practitioners to carry out antenatal care, including routine checks, are registered midwives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17969/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Practice nurses carry out a wide range of patient care under the direction of the GP, which can vary depending on the qualifications and skills of individual nurses. Services provided may include, for example: vaccinations; women’s health services; skin and wound care; health promotion and lifestyle advice; general nursing duties; practice administrative and policy work; specialist services in a particular disease area such as diabetes or cardiology.

Practice nurses who are also registered midwives are able within their scope of practice to undertake antenatal care, provided they are competent to do so, i.e. their knowledge and skills in midwifery practice are up to date.

The scope of practice of midwives, which is different to the scope of practice of nurses, as set out in The Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework 2015 is underpinned by EU Directive 2005/36/EC (as amended). Article 42 of the Directive states that midwives shall ‘diagnose and monitor normal pregnancies; carrying out the examinations necessary to do this.’

While a routine antenatal check-up will include tasks which a nurse is trained to undertake (e.g. recording blood pressure) a nurse cannot take accountability for interpretation of the observations whereas a midwife is educated and trained to do so. Fragmented task-orientated care is not the best approach to care for pregnant women.

As practice nurses are employed directly by GPs, who are private contractors, details of the number of practice nurses who are registered midwives and who carry out antenatal care are not available to my Department or the HSE.