Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

915. To ask the Minister for Health if he consulted with the Secretary General of his Department during the period in which the revised model of care for termination of pregnancy was revised to permit telemedicine abortion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34458/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The arrival of COVID-19 in 2020 required a substantial shift in how care is provided across the health service, including the adoption of measures to facilitate social distancing, reduced personal contacts and footfall within medical facilities, as appropriate. As part of the health system response, a revised Model of Care for the Termination of Pregnancy Service was agreed to facilitate remote consultation with a medical practitioner for the purposes of accessing termination in early pregnancy. The revised Model of Care was a collaborative development between the Department of Health and the HSE. 

There remains ongoing engagement between the Department and the HSE to monitor service provision around remote consultation and to facilitate the smooth-running of the service and resolve any issues that may arise. It is also important to reflect that the current public health guidance, including Guidance on Managing Risk of Transmission of Respiratory Viruses Including COVID-19 in General Practice, continues to apply and advises limiting “footfall through the practice by discouraging unnecessary attendance at the practice by people who can be dealt with equally well by telephone.”

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

916. To ask the Minister for Health the date on which he expects to announce a decision on the future policy of telemedicine abortion in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34459/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to protect public health and limit the spread of COVID-19, the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE) worked together in 2020 to put arrangements in place to allow termination of pregnancy services in early pregnancy to be provided remotely.

For the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency, where the need for social distancing, reducing personal contacts and reducing the burden on medical practitioners are paramount, it became possible for a woman to access a termination under section 12 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 (i.e., before 12 weeks) from her medical practitioner by telephone or video conference consultation.

There is ongoing engagement between the Department of Health and the HSE to monitor service provision, facilitate the smooth-running of the service and resolve any issues that may arise. However, as restrictions began to ease, it became timely to revisit the Model of Care to review its operation and consider whether remote consultation as part of a blended approach to termination of pregnancy care should be continued post the COVID-19 public health emergency period. At the request of the Department, the HSE conducted a review of the Revised Model of Care for Termination of Pregnancy, examining patient safety aspects, with input from service providers in both hospital and community settings. The Department is continuing its engagements with the HSE regarding the final considerations related to this review and the next steps.

The outcome of the review will be made available once this deliberative process concludes.

It is important to reflect that COVID-19 is still with us and Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) guidance on Managing Risk of Transmission of Respiratory Viruses including COVID-19, continues to advise, amongst other things, to limit footfall in General Practice settings and support telephone consultations where care that meets the needs of the patient can be delivered - this helps to eliminate the risk of transmission of viral infection. As such the arrangements for remote access to this service in the context of COVID-19 remain in place, in the context of the wider public health guidance.