I could not agree more about the need for a dedicated cardiovascular strategy and the multi-annual funding to facilitate that. With regard to Waterford, I have a small update. After an extensive recruitment campaign, we now have two labs open. One of those, from 18 March, will open with extended, albeit not 24-hour, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.-----

I know the Deputy is aware but I want to inform the House more broadly. The other lab will provide elective services five days a week and the two labs together will protect better against both emergencies and elective issues. That is a major step in what the Deputy correctly acknowledges is a long-standing need. With regard to 24-hour care, I am very open to providing the best care possible. I want to see what is in the cardiac review and to make sure we have the resources there, but I also want to ensure they are …

Following the Deputy’s question last week, and prior to that, my Department and the HSE have had extensive engagement with the organisation concerned. That engagement has focused on identifying ways the organisation can continue to deliver services, which is what we want, how it can be supported by the Department and the HSE, notwithstanding the tax treatment, and finding what other solutions are possible. Several solutions in line with tax legislation and the provisions of the Health Act have been developed and pr…

The Deputy set out the different options that were proposed. They were proposed in good faith with a view to keeping the service open and working. At some point, there is a finite number of options that can be proposed and try to be supported. They are really trying to work to find a solution. The Department and the HSE are ready to continue to engage with the charity regarding the proposed structural solutions. It will require some adjustment as to how GP Care For All operates or is structured but the HSE has also…

I do not accept that no solution has been attempted. I know it is not quite what Deputy Sherlock is saying but for the benefit of the House, proposals have been presented to GP Care For All. One is a partnership model, which is a traditional model of service delivery within general practice and also works in other areas. Another proposal is a hybrid model where the HSE contracts individual GPs to provide services to specific patients and a model around that. Another proposal is a more direct subsidy model. A few di…

There is a significant ongoing programme of work to prepare for the opening of the new hospital, including integration of the three hospitals and operational commissioning. This operational commissioning includes the clinical fit-out for the entire hospital, total digital integration and staff training to ensure the hospital can open and accept patients safely and also that the workforces and cultures of the three hospitals come together. There are approximately 4,500 staff working across Children's Health Ireland.…

I am advised that there is active engagement between the HSE and CHI to further revise the workforce plan. The question of staffing in all the specialisms has to come within the workforce plan. I appreciate that between now and the opening of the hospital, we might get several such letters from different specialists who are, understandably, trying to make the best case they can for the best resources for their area but this can only be delivered within an overall workforce plan and the budget for that. While we mig…

I am anticipating that report but I have not received it yet. I have not been presented with it yet. Of course, I will look at it immediately. There are a number of different issues that are not the same thing. One is the report, and we will look at the issues that are particular to that. The others are the resources and the increase in the number of consultants, which is quite considerable as the Deputy is aware, and making sure that we have the best workforce plan for the hospital in the first instance and into t…

Yes, but-----

Over €200 million is invested in public oral healthcare services annually. The dental treatment services scheme provides oral healthcare, free of charge, to medical card holders aged 16 and over, as the Deputy is aware. Services are provided by dentists and clinical dental technicians who hold a contract with the HSE. It is not mandatory for a dental practitioner operating in the State to hold a contract to operate the DTSS. However, it is the Government’s continued intention to support and incentivise practitioner…

I accept there has been an issue with the DTSS and the contractors numbers, notwithstanding the increase in fees and the increase of 44,000 in the number of patients being treated, which is something. Nevertheless, our figures for contractor numbers have gone down very considerably, from 1,500 in 2019 to 813 in 2024. In Cork and north Cork those numbers have gone from 35 to 26. I accept that. The new policy is designed to try to reflect this and reform that service delivery. The new policy sets out detailed descrip…

No, it is not sustainable and that differential in money is not fair. This is why the emergency services are attempted to be covered by the HSE. We really do need to move to that new oral policy which provides fair and open access to people across every community and in a targeted way. That is about prevention as much as about emergency care. I appreciate what the Deputy has said about accidents, which is a slightly different thing, but this is about general oral healthcare. We need to focus on the implementation o…

In 2013, there were just over 21,000 invasive cancer cases diagnosed in Ireland. By 2022, that figure had risen to 26,000 annually. Of course, the population grew very considerably in that time as well. That increase is in line with projections made by the National Cancer Registry Ireland. With a growing and ageing population increases in cancer cases are to be expected, with cancer being more prevalent as one ages. While we are seeing more people being diagnosed with cancer, those people are living longer with and…

It is really important to look at where we are versus the rest of Europe in terms of the impact of the investment we deliver. The most important impact is that people are living longer and recovering from cancer and living with and beyond cancer. When we talk about investment, that is what we are trying to achieve. Of course we want to use the resources we have in a way that will deliver the best return on our investment for all of our people. I have spent some time on this. Report after report, whether it is the O…

I am a supporter of the public health system. That is what I am trying to drive investment into. I would like to see everybody treated in the public system. That is what this programme for Government and this House is about. It is about Sláintecare and delivering the best service in the public health system. My concern is making sure that happens. The Deputy has cited Sweden and the UK and it is important we do that. We want to be the best and for the people of Ireland to have the best experience. The Deputy is qui…

Excuse me.

I certainly understand the frustration and worry that comes with having difficulty in accessing GP services. That is not what we want. Timely and available access to GP services is critical to good healthcare. In rural and remote areas, in particular, general practice is often in a role of clinical leadership for patients for whom access to other services is farther away. Being aware of this, and that the country as a whole needs more GPs, the Government has taken a series of measures in recent years - and is commi…

I always thank Deputies for raising practical problems and barriers I can interrogate and investigate within the Department and HSE. I do not know the status of every application so I really appreciate it. I am informed by the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, who also serves the community in Waterford, that she met HSE Estates last week on the Tallow project, which is important. She will be keeping a close eye on the progression of that. She also informs me Tallow GP service now has four GPs operating. It is a sma…

I will indeed.

I have not seen that for some time. It is welcome to see it.