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Health Board Services.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 April 2004

Tuesday, 6 April 2004

Questions (220, 221)

Brian O'Shea

Question:

311 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children the funding provided to each of the health boards for the development of palliative care services in 2002, 2003 and 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10697/04]

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Written answers

The report of the national advisory committee on palliative care was published in October 2001 and makes a number of recommendations for the future development of palliative care services in Ireland. The report is seen as the blueprint for the future development of palliative care services here in Ireland. Since October 2001, an additional €13.184 million has been invested in palliative care services and a further €1.2 million in additional funding has been made available specifically for palliative care in 2004. This funding has been used to improve palliative care services in line with the recommendations in the national advisory report.

Health Board

Additional Funding

2002

2003

2004

€m

€m

€m

ERHA

1.930

0.701

0.340

MHB

0.330

0.122

0.065

MWHB

0.748

0.257

0.125

NEHB

0.590

0.217

0.105

NWHB

0.787

0.290

0.145

SEHB

0.578

0.213

0.175

SHB

1.072

0.376

0.105

WHB

0.892

0.280

0.140

Total

6.927

2.456

1.2

Brian O'Shea

Question:

312 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children, further to Question No. 363 of 30 March 2004, the way in which he will ensure equality of access for persons requiring palliative care services, including radiotherapy, living long distances from Dublin, Cork and Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10698/04]

View answer

The Government's objective is to provide a model of cancer care which ensures that patients with cancer receive the most appropriate and best quality of care regardless of their place of residence. To achieve this objective, an integrated and co-ordinated approach, which encompasses prevention, screening, cancer treatment — including medical, surgical and radiation oncology — supportive and palliative care, education, training and research, is required.

The publication of the report of the national advisory committee on palliative care was approved by Government and launched on 4 October 2001. The report describes a comprehensive palliative care service and acts as a blueprint for its development over a five to seven year period. My Department has provided funding to all the health boards on a pro rata basis to commence the development of palliative care services in line with the recommendations in the report.

The report recommended that palliative care needs assessment studies should be carried out in each health board area and these studies are either completed or nearing completion. Information gleaned from these studies will inform the future development of palliative care services at health board level in consultation with the consultative and development committees which have been set up as recommended in the report. In addition, a paediatric palliative care needs assessment study is nearing completion and the report of the expert group on specialist design guidelines for palliative care settings is also nearing completion. My Department, the health boards and the voluntary sector are actively involved in planning for the development of palliative care services in line with the recommendations in the report of the national advisory committee and funding is being provided for the development of such services on an incremental basis in line with the recommendations in the report.

Regarding access to palliative care services, such services are provided in a number of facilities, both statutory and voluntary, and access to such services for patients in need of palliative care, including those with cancer, is based on need. My plan for the development of radiotherapy services is that the supra-regional centres in Dublin, Cork and Galway will provide comprehensive radiation oncology services to patients regardless of their place of residence. Specifically, these supra-regional centres will provide significant sessional commitments to patients in the mid-west, north-west and south-east. Approval has already issued for the appointment of two consultant radiation oncologists at Cork University Hospital and University College Hospital Galway, with sessional commitments to the South Eastern Health Board and the North Western Health Board, respectively. I expect proposals in this regard to be finalised shortly for submission to Comhairle na nOspidéal, involving the Mid-Western, Western and Southern Health Boards, to expedite the recruitment of two further consultant radiation oncologists at CUH and at UCHG.

The immediate developments in the southern and western regions will result in the provision of an additional five linear accelerators. This represents an increase of approximately 50% in linear accelerator capacity. We will also provide for the appointment of an additional five consultant radiation oncologists. We have ten consultant radiation oncologists nationally. This will result in a significant increase in the numbers of patients receiving radiation oncology in the short term. These appointments are specifically designed to offer patients in areas such as the mid-west and south-east equity of access to radiation oncology services that are in line with best international practice.

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