Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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567. To ask the Minister for Health if there is a national policy on the provision of mobility equipment and disability aids such as wheelchairs that ensures equality of access and provision across each CHO area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45903/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Health Service Executive (HSE) provides a wide range of medical and surgical aids and appliances, including wheelchairs, free of charge to eligible persons (such as medical card holders and people on the Long-Term Illness scheme) following assessment by a relevant health professional.

These are provided through community services known as Community Funded Schemes and play a key role in assisting and supporting people to maintain everyday functioning, and to remain living in their homes and local community.

Each Community Health Organisation (CHO) operates processes for the allocation of funding for medical and surgical aids and appliances. Each application within a CHO is assessed by the local Resource Allocation Group and a determination is made regarding approval based on clinical priority and the funding availability within local budgets.

Currently, many of these aids and appliances are not provided on a standardised basis across the country and many do not yet have formal contracts in place governing their supply or price. This has resulted in an inequality of access for some aids and appliances in some areas. In addition, it does not allow the HSE to deliver best value for money in the provision of these aids and appliances.

The HSE National Service Improvement Programme has the aim of improving the equity of access, value for money, and functional processes of the Community Funded Schemes through the establishment of national standards and guidelines for the provision of medical and surgical aids and appliances.

The scale of this Programme is enormous given that many thousands of items are provided from community-based services across the country. While this work was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Programme has now recommenced, and significant work in relation to the standardisation of these itemised lists has been completed to date.