Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

131. To ask the Minister for Health the proposals being considered to intensify co-operation on an all-Ireland basis in relation to the introduction and implementation of restrictions such as those provided for in the National Framework for Living with Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33479/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

There has been significant engagement between the Ministers for Health, the Chief Medical Officers in Ireland and Northern Ireland throughout this pandemic.

All parties recognise that, in terms of public health measures in both jurisdictions, it is of utmost importance to maintain strong North-South collaborative arrangements. A Memorandum of Understanding was formally agreed by the Chief Medical Officers of my Department and the Department of Health in Northern Ireland in April 2020 to strengthen North South co-operation on the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The MOU ensures timely and responsive communications and decisions in a fast-moving environment and facilitates greater co-operation on areas such as: modelling and data sharing; public health guidance and messaging; testing and contact tracing approaches; development of tracing apps; coordination across health services; and travel measures.

The MOU was noted at the twenty-fourth Plenary meeting of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in Dublin Castle on the 31 July 2020, where the close and productive cooperation that has taken place between Ministers, Chief Medical Officers and health administrations, North and South, to deliver an effective public health response was welcomed.

On 25 September, the Chief Medical Officers for Ireland and Northern Ireland published a joint statement encouraging continued and enhanced cooperation between the public health agencies in each jurisdiction in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additional, I chaired a Health and Food Safety meeting of the NSMC on 2 October which was attended by Minister Swann and the respective CMOs.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

132. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to ensure that normal medical services, including screening services, pain clinic services and therapies such as speech therapy, physiotherapy and so on are available during the level 5 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33536/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ensure the continued and appropriate delivery of Health Services in a COVID Environment, The HSE have developed the ‘Delivering Health Services in a COVID-19 Pandemic’ Plan. This plan includes the normal winter plan that would incorporate enhancement to services to cope with winter pressures, but also takes a more strategic approach by considering actions necessary to resume services and building capacity such that the system can deal with expected demand and pressures to the end of 2020/21.

This Plan was considered as part of the Estimates process, which concluded with the announcement of over €4billion additional funding for the Health Service in 2021. The HSE will now produce its National Service Plan which will set out the level the type and volume of services that it will provide for the funding allocated.

The Government introduced Level 5 public health restrictive measures to enable a significant suppression of the virus to very low levels of transmission in advance of the winter months. These measures have been introduced to limit the impact on public health while protecting the three core priorities of:

1. Preventing unnecessary disruption to non-COVID health and social care services particularly given the impact on those services in the first half of 2020

2. Protecting medically and socially vulnerable people and

3. Proactively protecting against and averting significant disruption to childcare and education.

Primary and community care service activity has fallen because of general COVID mitigation measures, but also as a result of the redeployment of staff in the sector to support COVID services, and the necessary changes in the methods of service delivery to comply with infection control and transmission reduction measures.

However, it is important to stress that essential services have been maintained, and services have continued to be provided to priority groups and the most vulnerable, using innovative new service delivery channels such as telehealth and video consultations where possible.

The HSE and its funded disability partners will continue to provide therapeutic supports in line with public health guidance and direction and having regard to the availability of staffing resources.

All Community Healthcare Organisations are currently putting appropriate arrangements in place and are resuming children’s therapy services including Speech and Language therapy services, in line with public health guidance.

In relation to screening programmes, I am pleased that all four of the National Screening Programmes have restarted a phased reintroduction of screening services.

The National Screening Service (NSS) is planning to continue screening during the national Level 5 restrictions.

However, this is contingent that screening is planned and safe to protect the clients, providers and staff from the risk of COVID-19 transmission and that end-to-end screening pathway are maintained.