Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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508. To ask the Minister for Health the reason adults attending University Hospital Waterford from County Waterford, south County Kilkenny, south County Tipperary and County Wexford for type 1 diabetes care have not had access to a diabetic nurse specialist since 4 October 2021 and are being told via an answer phone message to contact their GP or local accident and emergency department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55573/21]

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.

Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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509. To ask the Minister for Health the reason University Hospital Waterford, a regional category 4 hospital with a HSE denoted patient catchment of 520,000 persons, is the only hospital in the country operating without a diabetes specialist nurse at present as the only available clinical nurse specialist has been on leave since early October 2021 without a designated replacement and with no other nursing back-up rostered to fill in; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55574/21]

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.

Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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510. To ask the Minister for Health regarding diabetes services at University Hospital Waterford, when the existing diabetic nurse specialist presently on call is expected back to work; the procedures in place to ensure that when a nursing specialist is on holiday leave or on extended leave the support protocol the hospital employs to cover patient queries and issues regarding ongoing treatment regime; if the hospital has a replacement policy in place to ensure key medical nurse specialists who may be the only point of contact for patient concerns have adequate trained cover provisioned within a cover plan; if that plan covers responses to medical telephone query; if such a cover plan exists, if the hospital can outline the reason it has not been implemented with the absence of the only clinical nurse specialist diabetic nurse on site who is now presently on extended leave; if the hospital sought to recruit a temporary replacement either internally or externally; if an adequate budget allocation exists for such recruitment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55575/21]

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.