Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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185. To ask the Minister for Health to provide an update on the steering group on the dedicated child health workforce, as committed to in First 5; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29945/23]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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First 5 is Ireland’s first ever cross-departmental strategy to support babies, young children and their families. The ambitious ten-year plan will deliver a broader range of options for parents to balance working and caring and a new model of parenting support.

In line with the principles set out in Sláintecare, and the First 5 Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and Their Families 2019- 2028, the Department of Health is tasked with progressing Strategic Action 3A - to develop a dedicated child health workforce model with a population-based approach and focused on areas of high population density and disadvantage, recognising that this will require additional resources. This work was overtaken by other more immediate priorities with the onset of the pandemic.

This Department is now focusing on progressing this matter, including the development of a pilot model of practice for child health and wellbeing workforce. This requires the re-establishment of the relevant working group which will be tasked with, among other things, the scoping out of the most appropriate approach to developing a model, informed by international best practice and outcomes and the implications for the Irish context.

Separately, the Department is identifying an appropriate model for community nursing and midwifery in Ireland and aligning this model with the framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix in Community Care settings. This work will be helpful in developing a dedicated child health workforce model.

A detailed implementation report was published in 2019. Multiple divisions of the Department of Health, as well as partners including the HSE and Tusla, are involved in the implementation of the health-related elements of the plan.

Implementation of the 2019 actions of the First Five Years Strategy is underway across the following areas in the HSE that are responsible for implementing the actions from the First Five Years Strategy: 1) National Healthy Childhood Programme, 2) The Healthy Eating and Active Living Programme, 3) The Mental Health Division, 4) The National Women and Infants Programme, 5) National Immunisation Office, 6) Community Operations, 7) The Nurture Programme and 8) Strategic Planning and Transformation”. Some examples of the significant number of service delivery areas with a focus on children, either in whole or in part are outlined below.

The new Children’s Hospital (NCH) project comprises the main hospital on a shared campus at St James’s, and two Outpatient and Urgent Care Centres on the campuses of Tallaght and Connolly hospitals. Both satellite centres are now open and successfully delivering a new model of ambulatory and urgent care for children and adolescents in the Greater Dublin Area. NCH will be Ireland’s first digital public hospital, providing 39 clinical specialties, and act as the hub for acute paediatric care and services nationally.

The NCH project will deliver world class facilities that will improve and prioritise medical outcomes for the nation’s sickest children, while bringing about transformational change to the delivery of healthcare for the children of Ireland for generations to come.

Building on the significant investment of €7.3m to continue implementation of the National Maternity Strategy (2016-2026) in 2021, funding of €8.7m was allocated under Budget 2022.

The funding allocated in 2021 provided for an additional 96.5 Whole Time Equivalent staff (WTE) and allowed for further development of community midwifery as well as specialist services. It has enabled the expansion of breastfeeding supports and strengthened training and education supports for staff.

The funding allocated in 2022 is providing for the recruitment of an additional 87.8 WTEs into maternity services across the country, including consultants, midwives/nurses, Allied Health professionals, healthcare assistants and administrative staff. These posts are supporting the realisation of the Strategy’s vision of a new model of integrated, team-based care that provides increased choice to women, as well as improving outcomes and experiences for women and babies accessing maternity services.

Encouraging mothers to breastfeed is a priority for the Department of Health. National health policy, including the Healthy Ireland Framework, the National Maternity Strategy, the Obesity Policy and Action Plan, and the National Cancer Strategy, emphasises the importance of supporting mothers who breastfeed, as well as taking action to increase breastfeeding rates in Ireland.

The HSE Breastfeeding in a Healthy Ireland Action Plan is the framework for progressing supports for breastfeeding in Ireland.

In May 2021, the Minister for Health announced additional annual funding to the HSE of €1.58 million to fund 24 additional lactation consultants thereby providing support to every maternity unit in the country.

There are currently 55.1 dedicated lactation posts employed in the HSE, with 35.5 wte working in maternity services and 19.6 wte in primary care. 30.5 of the 34.5 of the new lactation posts approved by the DOH and the HSE’s National Women and Infants Health Programme have been appointed, with a further 1 wte starting in August. 1.5 wte are awaiting commencement dates and supplementary campaigns are in progress for the remaining 1.5 wte.

The HSE is actively engaged in enhancing lactation supports through both these dedicated infant feeding positions and the implementation of training for all practitioners who provide advice and support in infant feeding as part of their wider service roles.

Healthy Ireland, which comprises both the Health and Wellbeing Programme in this Department, and the Health and Wellbeing Division in the HSE, also provides significant supports for child health and wellbeing.

The HSE Education Team works with the Professional Development Service for Teachers in terms of supports and resources for schools and various wellbeing curricula.

The Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme, which has been rolled out to 19 of the communities of most need around the country, includes many supports for families and children, including parenting supports and Healthy Food Made Easy courses.

The Department of Education’s Active School Flag programme, co-funded by Healthy Ireland, supports pupils in more schools to be more active, more often. Over 2,100 primary schools have engaged with the programme since inception and a pilot programme for post-primary schools is also in progress. Healthy Ireland also co-funds Sport Ireland’s Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study, and the Daily Mile in schools, which is managed by Athletics Ireland.

Finally, the Deputy will be aware that my colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has responsibility for reporting on the wider implementation of the Strategy. Earlier this month, Minister O'Gorman published the First 5 Annual Implementation Reports for 2020 and for 2021/22. These reports highlight how the interim target for paid parents' leave, of 7 weeks per parent by 2021, has been achieved, how the interim target of a 30% graduate early learning and childcare workforce by 2021 has been exceeded, and how the investment target for early learning and childcare, of €970 million by 2028, has been exceeded 5 years ahead of schedule.

The progress outlined in these reports over the period 2020-2022 gives a valuable insight into the broader achievement of the First 5 commitments to date.