David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1126. To ask the Minister for Health the indicative timeframe for when the GMHS will fully reopen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41812/21]

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The Gay Men's Health Service (GMHS) reopened in January 2021, on a phased basis and in line with Government and HSE guidelines. With gradual increases in staffing and other additional resources, the GMHS has been able to incrementally expand the number of services offered during the course of 2021, and this process continues.

The GMHS PrEP service has 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 focused 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.

All health services, including the GMHS, are continuing to face constraints, resulting from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. It should be noted that, in order to ensure compliance with HSE Covid-19 safety measures, capacity at clinics is somewhat reduced. Necessary constraints include attendance by appointment only, or online as a result of the need to maintain social distancing. Previous significant impacts have also included the redeployment of staff to necessary Covid-19 related duties, such as testing, contact tracing, vaccination or front-line patient care.

At present, the GMHS is continuing 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. It is hoped that it will be possible to increase capacity as vaccination rates increase and as Covid-19 restrictions can safely be scaled back, in line with official guidelines.

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.