Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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1209. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to standardise referral pathways nationwide using existing IT infrastructure such as Healthlink to aid improved communication between the community and hospital services for heart failure; his views on whether heart failure virtual consultations between general practitioners and cardiologists are particularly useful in rural areas or areas geographically removed from heart failure units or those with multimorbidity; his plans to develop the services to deliver more effective and cost-effective care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21591/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The provision of digital solutions to aid communication and consultations can be of benefit in many health settings and in numerous locations, including rural settings. When deployed to support clinical requirements, it can result in improved patient experiences and medical outcomes.

There is an ongoing programme of work by the Health Service Executive to implement and upgrade ICT infrastructure in multiple geographical locations and in multiple health settings. As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.