Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1054. To ask the Minister for Health if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding treatment for haemochromatosis patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21297/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the HSE has responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres and other Primary Care facilities, the Executive has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1055. To ask the Minister for Health if appropriate diagnostic and treatment pathways will be made available to screening services upon resumption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21303/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1056. To ask the Minister for Health if diagnostic, radiology and laboratory departments are allowed timely access to allow investigations for both hospital doctors and general practitioners in the community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21304/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, there is now capacity in place to test 15,000 people a day (100,000 tests a week) across our hospital and community system. While this level of capacity isn’t being used on a continuous basis, the testing and contact tracing operational and resource model has been designed to flex up and down as required to meet demand on an ongoing basis.

In the week ending 31st August almost 62,000 laboratory tests were undertaken, one of the highest weekly amounts since the pandemic began. The recent weekly positivity rate has been running at approx. 1.5%.

Hospitals are generally responsible for undertaking COVID-19 testing of their own patients and staff, while GPs have direct access to the HSE community testing programme through the SwiftQ IT referral system. The HSE has invested significant resources in our COVID-19 laboratory system. There is a network of laboratories in place across the hospital system and a number of community based laboratories focused on COVID-19 testing, including two commercial providers.

The HSE has placed significant effort on reducing turnaround times as much as possible. The median time for referral to appointment in the community is 0.8 days, with 90.5% receiving an appointment the same or next day. The median time for swab taken to laboratory result in the community is 30 hours, while in the hospital system it is 17 hours (including transit times).

The HSE provide daily updated information on its testing and contact tracing dashboard available at the following link.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1057. To ask the Minister for Health if private hospital capacity can be used to clear cancer diagnostic backlogs (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21305/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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An arrangement with private hospitals was put in place for the period 30 March to end June in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. This facilitated access to diagnostics and treatment for public patients in private hospitals.

The arrangement facilitated the transfer of critical time-dependent and complex services, particularly those involving cancer surgery, chemotherapy, cardiothoracic surgery, transplant surgery and cardiology.

I am advised that the HSE are in negotiation with the private hospitals in relation to:

- access to private hospitals in the case of a Covid-19 surge;

- access to services to address needs in providing essential ongoing care; and

- securing an ability to address elective care for public patients experiencing delays and in circumstances of a growth in waiting lists.

Cancer diagnostic services (including Rapid Access Clinics) have continued throughout the pandemic, with appropriate restrictions for physical distancing and infection prevention and control. At this point, attendance numbers at urgent Symptomatic Breast Disease Clinics have returned to pre-Covid levels. While attendances are down for Rapid Access Lung Clinics, Rapid Access Prostate Clinics and non-urgent Breast Disease Clinics, they are showing a month on month recovery.