Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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804. To ask the Minister for Health whether he intends to make provision for increased standard eye examinations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36888/24]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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805. To ask the Minister for Health whether he intends to establish an eye care scheme for children between the ages of eight and 12 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36889/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 804 and 805 together.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) provides optical services free of charge to pre-school children and national school children referred from child health service and school health service examinations who are discovered to have sight problems. These children are referred to the appropriate consultant for treatment. In such circumstances, these services will continue to be provided until the child has reached the age of 16.

The Community Ophthalmic Services Scheme (COSS) is a national fee-per-item scheme which was introduced in 1979. Under the COSS, medical card holders aged over 16 years can be seen by ophthalmologists, community ophthalmic physicians, optometrists or dispensing opticians. Eligible patients can receive an eye examination and be provided with prescribed optical appliances in accordance with a national schedule of approved optical appliances.

The Health Professionals (Reduction of Payments to Ophthalmologists, Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians) Regulations 2013 (SI 274 of 2013) sets the fees for optometrists and dispensing opticians under the COSS. Increasing the fee payable to contractors for a standard eye examination under the COSS (to ensure parity with that payable for the same exam under the Department of Social Protection’s Treatment Benefit Scheme) is a priority for my Department, and work is ongoing in this regard.

The HSE Primary Care Eye Services Review Group Report, published in June 2017, set out the way forward for a significant amount of eye services to be delivered in a primary care setting. The Report estimated that 60% of existing outpatient activity could be moved to primary care thus enabling hospital services to focus on patients who require more specialist diagnostics or treatments.

The National Clinical Programme for Ophthalmology developed a model of care, also published in 2017, detailing how the realignment of eye services from the acute hospitals to the community will be undertaken. Included in current priorities is transferring the care of children aged 8+ years to the care of local private optometrists, and the HSE have forwarded a costed implementation plan in that regard.

There will be engagement between my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform during the Estimates 2025 process in regard to the funding needed to progress healthcare priorities, including the provision of eyecare. Of course, any publicly funded ophthalmic service expansion should address unmet public healthcare needs and improve access to public health services while ensuring value for money.