Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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2730. To ask the Minister for Health the timeline for full resumption of services at the Gay Men's Health Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38930/21]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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2731. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the recruitment of permanent staff at the Gay Men's Health Service; if these permanent positions will be filled in 2021; if he plans end the practice of hiring agency staff at the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38931/21]

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2730 and 2731 together.

As these Parliamentary Question relate to operational issues, they are a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems.

The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.

I can say however that the Gay Men's Health Service (GMHS) reopened in January 2021 on a phased basis and in line with Government and HSE guidelines. The GMHS PrEP service has been recommenced and is seeing both new and returning service users. The Clinic’s Consultant in Infectious Diseases (GMHS and GUIDE Clinic, St James’s Hospital) and other doctors are providing virtual consultations, and PrEP service users attend GMHS for STI screening, blood testing and treatment as required.

Those with diagnosed STIs or requiring Hepatitis and/or HPV vaccine continue to be treated in GMHS also. A weekly STI clinic has commenced for symptomatic screening and treatment of both new and returning service users and, also, follow up for those who require further treatment or vaccinations. The GMHS Nurse led asymptomatic screening service has also been re-instated, following the recent HSE cyber attack.

The closure of the GMHS in 2020 resulted from the pressures arising from the Covid-19 pandemic and related primarily to the necessary redeployment of increasing numbers of personnel to diverse COVID-19 related duties. Staff in the Gay Men’s Health Service (GMHS) were reassigned, by reason of necessity, to other HSE services. Following the GMHS closure, significant efforts were made to maintain service provision through other locations, including the GUIDE Clinic in St. James’ Hospital.

Prior to the pandemic, the GMHS was staffed by 97% agency staff; this is no longer the case. Funding for the PrEP programme allowed pro-rata recurring funding to be allocated to GMHS in 2020. As a result of pandemic related pressures on staffing, recruitment in 2020 initially focussed on the services required to support the Covid-19 pandemic. However, a recruitment campaign to fill the posts for the GMHS PrEP programme commenced in the latter part of 2020 and is progressing well, with the recruitment of additional nurses underway. IT improvements have also been put in place.

HSE Community Healthcare East advises that they have made every effort to restore, and maintain services as far as is possible, given current pandemic related pressures on resources. It should be noted that, in order to ensure compliance with HSE Covid-19 safety measures, capacity at clinics is somewhat reduced, in order to maintain adherence to social distancing protocols.

The GMHS will continue to reinstate services on a phased basis and in line with the HSE's Safe Return to Work Guide. Officials from the Department of Health and HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme are in regular contact with CHO6 in order to monitor progress. The GMHS website is updated regularly, and provides full details of services available, as these are reinstated. It is hoped that GMHS services can be delivered to their full potential and developed further, once pandemic related constraints on health service capacity as a whole can be safely reduced.