Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1697. To ask the Minister for Health if she will commission and publish a national review of asthma-related deaths in Ireland, similar to the UK's 2014 National Review of Asthma Deaths, to identify preventable factors and inform improvements in care and treatment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58083/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1699. To ask the Minister for Health if she will consider developing a national asthma strategy to reduce hospitalisation and mortality rates, improve access to modern treatments, and strengthen community-based asthma management; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58085/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1697 and 1699 together.

Improving the care of patients with asthma and severe asthma remains a priority.

The National Clinical Programme (NCP) for Respiratory supports access to respiratory services for patients living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. The HSE advises that the NCP provides support in several key areas. It collaborates with the Asthma Society of Ireland (ASI) to co-design new patient and staff resources including educational webinars and provides ongoing support for the Asthma Advice-line run by the ASI. The NCP has a clinical subgroup who are currently working to update National Clinical Guideline no 14 “Management of an Acute Asthma Attack in Adults”. It also has a Severe Asthma Advisory Group, who collaborate with the Acute Hospitals Drug Management Programme and the Medicines Management Programme to support therapies for severe asthma.

The end-to-end Model of Care for Asthma was published in in 2021. The HSE advises that the implementation of this model is being supported by the Enhanced Community Care (ECC)-funded model. 30 Chronic Disease Community Specialist Teams are being established in 30 Specialist Ambulatory Care Hubs to provide specialist, multidisciplinary care as close to home as possible. This includes new teams specialising in diagnostics for asthma, as well as the prevention and management of asthma with integrated consultants, nurses and physiotherapy services including access to pulmonary rehabilitation.

The HSE further advises that the Integrated Care Programme for Chronic Disease and the NCP also support the vital role that GPs play in the delivery of the Structured Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Programme which includes asthma patients.

In relation to your specific query regarding a review of asthma-related deaths I have requested the Health Service Executive to respond directly.