Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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137. To ask the Minister for Health the proposals in place to increase the number of public health nurses in view of the fact that the numbers have increased by less than 5% over the past five years while there has been a 20.9% increase in all other areas across the healthcare sector across the same time frame; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41273/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Public Health Nurses are key members of the multidisciplinary teams delivering primary and community healthcare services to clients across the country.

Budget 2021 provides €175m in new development money plus a further €30m in Sláintecare funding to implement a model of Enhanced Community Care.  This funding will allow for the development of new care pathways for primary health services and will enable delivery of enhanced care services for those that need them.  This investment has the potential to transform our primary and community sector and will support the recruitment of over 2,000 primary care staff, including approximately 1,100 public health nurses as well as other health and social care professionals.

As the allocation of resources, including the number of staff recruited to specific grades are a matter for the Health Services Executive, I have requested that the Executive reply directly to the Deputy on this matter.