Written answers
Tuesday, 23 November 2021
Department of Health
Health Services
Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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568. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide the necessary funding for the resumption of the national diabetes register Sláintecare project as a priority; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that approximately 10% of the HSE annual budget is spent on diabetes care (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56920/21]
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. It was intended that the registry would be in place by 2021. However, 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.
The development of a National Diabetes Registry remains a priority, and following substantial increases in investment in eHealth, is now being considered as part of a wider review of Ireland’s health information strategy. The diabetes registry, along with other disease-specific registries, will operate as “virtual” registries and will use existing health and social care records to enable the monitoring of the incidence and prevalence of disease in Ireland.
I acknowledge that Diabetes is a significant issue and driver of health expenditure. In this regard, the 2019 GP Agreement introduced the chronic disease management programme for adult GMS patients who have one or more specific chronic diseases, of which Type 2 Diabetes is one.
For the first time we are seeing the delivery of structured care on a large scale for patients with chronic conditions in a primary care setting. Patients with an existing diagnosis of one of the specified chronic conditions, and those who are assessed by their GP on an opportunistic case finding basis, as well as those identified as high risk, will benefit under the programme. It is estimated that over 430,000 medical card and GP visit card patients will benefit from the programme when it is fully implemented.
The programme focuses on prevention, patient empowerment, early diagnosis and intervention, multi-morbidity and the provision of care as close to home as possible. The aim of the programme is to reduce morbidity and mortality from non-communicable diseases.
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