Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

2480. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the strategic workforce planning programme detailed in the Path to Universal Healthcare: Sláintecare and Programme for Government 2025+; if a specific unit in her Department is leading on this work; the timeframe being worked towards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46298/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Strategic Workforce Planning Unit in the Department of Health is leading on a number of programmes detailed in the Path to Universal Healthcare: Sláintecare & Programme for Government 2025+ with varying short, medium, and long-term objectives aimed at building a sustainable health and social care workforce to meet future population need for health services.

Since the establishment of the Strategic Workforce Planning Unit in the Department of Health in 2020, significant progress has been made to support sustainable workforce planning for our health services for the future. Building the supply of the health and social care workforce is a long-term endeavour and following an EU Technical Support Instrument (TSI) project funded by DG Reform (European Commission) we have a planning tool to support long term strategic health and social care workforce planning. Over time, the scope and capacity of the health and social care workforce planning model will be further expanded by incorporating new datasets and research to underpin the Department’s Health and Social Care long-term workforce planning and modelling.

Significant progress has been made working with the Higher Education sector to increase the availability of healthcare professionals to meet demand for health and social care services. In September 2022 an agreement was secured with the Irish Medical Schools for an additional 200 Irish/EU medicine student places by 2026. Across 2023 and 2024 a total of 762 recurring additional student places in health-related disciplines were provided in Higher Education Institutes plus 389 additional student places in Northern Ireland across medicine, nursing, midwifery and allied health professions. A further 25 additional places in medicine will be provided in 2025 in Northern Ireland.

In June this year, the Government announced major expansion in Health and Social Care Profession Training Places, with 461 new places to be delivered across nine priority disciplines by 2028. The expansion will see 310 additional student places created in 2025 and a further 151 in subsequent years, in disciplines critical to disability, health, and education services. This represents a vital investment in the future of our health, disability, and education services, and in meeting our Programme for Government commitments. Additional student places in medicine (as per 2022 agreement mentioned above), nursing, pharmacy and dentistry are also being provided this year. Further work is underway with DFHERIS and the higher education sector to increase the domestic supply of doctors, nurses and midwives, dentists, and health and social care professionals.

Additionally, the HSE are leading on developing health service resourcing strategies to address the gap between supply and demand, while also building workforce analytics and intelligence reporting across HSE Health Regions. The HSE launched its Resourcing Strategy in June 2023, an action orientated Strategy, ‘Resourcing our future’: www.hse.ie/eng/staff/resources/hrstrategiesreports/hse-resourcing-strategy.pdf. A number of actions and outcomes have been achieved to date as part of the HSE's ongoing efforts to address workforce shortages and to support Disability Services.

The Strategic Review of General Practice is currently underway, led by the Department of Health and supported by the HSE. With input from key stakeholders, the review is examining a range of issues affecting general practice including GP training, GP capacity, Out of Hours services reform, the eHealth Agenda, and the financial support model for general practice. Significant progress has been made and the review is to be completed this year, after which a final report will be presented to me and subsequently published.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

2481. To ask the Minister for Health if she will provide a breakdown of the number of audiologists employed by the HSE, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46299/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

2482. To ask the Minister for Health the average waiting time for an audiology assessment and fitting of hearing aids, broken down by RHA; the steps being taken to reduce these waiting times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46300/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.