Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.
Bernard Allen
Question:
322
Mr. Allen
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
if, in view of the long waiting lists for orthodontic treatment throughout the country, he will introduce a scheme whereby families who are failing to get treatment in the public sector will be grant-aided towards the cost of private treatment.
[23983/01]
The provision of orthodontic treatment is a matter for the health boards in the first instance. Under the orthodontic initiative, my Department recently approved a proposed scheme from the Mid-Western Health Board to engage the services of private specialist orthodontic practitioners to treat patients. The details of this scheme will be circulated shortly to the chief executive officers of the other health boards to facilitate similar arrangements with private specialist orthodontic practitioners in their boards. I am confident that the orthodontic initiative, combined with the structural changes being introduced into the public orthodontic services, will significantly increase the number of patients receiving orthodontic treatment.
Bernard Allen
Question:
323
Mr. Allen
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there are in excess of 5,000 children awaiting orthodontic treatment in the Southern Health Board, a further 5,000 awaiting an initial examination and that many of these children have been waiting for up to eight years for treatment; the recorded numbers in each county in the Southern Health Board; the steps he has taken to deal with the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[23984/01]
The provision of orthodontic treatment to patients in counties Cork and Kerry is the statutory responsibility of the Southern Health Board – SHB – in the first instance.
At the invitation of my Department, a group representative of health board management and consultant orthodontists reviewed the orthodontic services. The objective of this review was to ensure equity in the provision of orthodontic treatment throughout the health boards. Following this review structural changes are being introduced in the orthodontic services. These changes include the creation of the grade of specialist in orthodontics, the development of specialist training programmes and the creation of a grade of auxiliary dental worker to work in the orthodontic area.
However, it will be some time before these structural changes impact significantly on service levels. Consequently, I asked health boards to develop proposals to make an immediate significant impact on their waiting lists. An additional investment of £5.3 million, 6.729 million, has been approved for orthodontic services this year, of which £3.7 million, 4.698 million, is to fund an initiative on orthodontic waiting lists. The SHB has been allocated an additional £938,000 1.191 million this year for orthodontic services of which £813,000, 1.032 million was for the orthodontic initiative as follows: recruit an additional two consultant orthodontists: following recent interviews, the board expects that a candidate for one of the positions will be recommended by the Local Appointments Commission; the development of a new orthodontic unit in Tralee for the provision of orthodontic services to Kerry and parts of west Cork; the development of a new regional orthodontic unit in the north side of Cork city for the provision of orthodontic services to north Cork; commission four additional orthodontic chairs in St. Finbarr's Hospital; and validate waiting lists.
My Department has also funded the recruitment of a professor in orthodontics at Cork dental school to facilitate the development of an approved training programme leading to specialist qualifications in orthodontics. Applications for the post will be invited shortly when the post is re-advertised by University College Cork. I am also informed by the chief executive officer of the SHB that at the end of the September 2001 quarter, there were 2,300 patients in orthodontic treatment in the board.
The chief executive officer has also informed me that at the end of the September 2001 quarter, the numbers awaiting orthodontic assessment and treatment were as follows:
|
AssessmentWaiting List
|
Treatment Waiting List
|
|
|
Health Board
|
|
Category A
|
Category B
|
|
Southern
|
5,962
|
Nil
|
4,470
|
Patients are referred for secondary care orthodontic treatment in accordance with guidelines issued by my Department that prioritise need for treatment based on the degree of handicap and severity of malocclusion. Patients in category A require immediate treatment and include those with congenital abnormalities of the jaws such as cleft lip and palate, and patients with major skeletal discrepancies between the sizes of the jaws. Patients in category B have less severe problems than category A patients but have a definite need of treatment and are placed on the orthodontic treatment waiting list. The breakdown of this data by county is not routinely collected by my Department. I have, therefore, asked the chief executive officer of the SHB to look into the matter and reply directly to the Deputy.
