Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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672. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 3321 of 27 July 2021, his plans to introduce a national registry of heart valve disease to include data from public and private hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43628/21]

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 progress the Review to completion over the coming months and the Steering Group is due to reconvene this month.

As this also relates to a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.