David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1007. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost to establish a diabetes register. [41541/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In September 2019 Sláintecare Integration funding was allocated to the HSE to design and procure a National Diabetes Registry demonstrator product and develop a full specification plan for a National Diabetes Registry. The project was paused as it was dependent on the input and expertise of key HSE staff who were redeployed onto urgent on-going COVID-19 work. This project remains a priority and, subject to COVID-19, will be revisited in the future. Pending the development of the full specification plan, it is not possible to calculate the full cost of establishing the National Diabetes Registry at this point.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1008. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost to establish a stroke register. [41542/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In 2012, the National Stroke Register (NSR), was first developed. In 2019, it came under the auspices of the National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA) and evolved into the Irish National Audit of Stroke (INAS). The first INAS report (2019) Stroke which presents data and findings to the end of 2019 was published on 16th December 2020 by NOCA. It continues on from the NSR yearly reports, and access to data analysts and researchers provided through NOCA has allowed the Audit team to produce a more detailed evaluation of stroke care in Ireland than has been possible before.

Funding for the Audit is provided by the Health Service Executive (HSE) through the Office of the Chief Clinical Officer.

This Parliamentary Question relates to cost/funding issues which are an operational 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

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1009. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost to establish a heart valve disease register. [41543/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The management of heart valve disease is a specialists cardiac service.

The National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services is a key enabler for future policy and its recommendations will inform the future provision of services. The National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services commenced in January 2018 with Professor Phillip Nolan as Chair of the Steering Group. This Review aims to achieve optimal patient outcomes at population level with particular emphasis on the safety, quality and sustainability of the services that patients receive by establishing the need for an optimal configuration of a national adult cardiac service. This aligns with the Sláintecare reform programme. While substantial progress has been made on the Review, the COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted on the progress of the review, as the Chair has played a key role in the national COVID-19 response, both as a member of the NPHET and Chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group. Work is now underway to finalise the Review to completion over the coming months.

As part of the response to this Parliamentary Question relates to a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1010. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost to extend the type 2 diabetes cycle of care to all people with type 2 diabetes. [41544/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In October 2015, the Diabetes cycle of care programme was introduced nationally by the HSE. Under this programme, adult GMS patients, those who hold a medical card or GP visit card, with a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes are eligible to be managed as part of the programme by their GP.

The 2019 GP Agreement introduced the chronic disease management (CDM) programme for GMS patients who have one or more specific chronic diseases, of which Type 2 Diabetes is one. The structured programme, commenced in 2020, is being rolled out to all adult GMS patients over four years (2020 to 2023), and will replace the Diabetes cycle of care programme as it is rolled out.

People who cannot, without undue hardship, arrange for the provision of medical services for themselves and their dependants may be entitled to a medical card. In the assessment process, the HSE can take into account medical costs incurred by an individual or a family. People who are not eligible for a medical card may still be able to avail of a GP visit card.

While Type 2 diabetic patients who do not hold a medical card or GP visit card are not eligible under the Diabetes cycle of care or the CDM programme, diabetes is one of the conditions covered by the Long Term Illness Scheme. Under this scheme, patients with diabetes can receive drugs, medicines, and medical and surgical appliances directly related to the treatment of their illness free of charge, regardless of whether they hold a medical card.

It is not possible to calculate the cost of extending the CDM programme, the successor to the diabetes cycle of care programme, to all with type 2 diabetes as the fees payable to GPs could only be determined following agreement with the IMO on the scope and content of the extended service, as well as the cost of the additional supports necessary to provide for that service. It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate based on the fees payable to GPs under the CDM programme due to issues such as the lack of current prevalence data, the number of undiagnosed patients and patient uptake, and comorbidity.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1011. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated total annual diabetes-related expenditure. [41545/21]

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.