Cormac Devlin
Question:15. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if an update will be provided on the provision of services at the obesity clinic, Loughlinstown hospital, County Dublin. [17002/22]
View answerThursday, 31 March 2022
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Written answers
The Weight Management Service in St. Columcille’s Hospital Loughlinstown, Co. Dublin, is a public service, run under the guidance of the HSE Clinical Lead for Obesity.
The clinic provides a one-year lifestyle and behaviour change programme, delivered by dietitians, physiotherapists and psychologists.
Patients are referred to the Weight Management Service by their GPs, via hospital consultant or other qualified healthcare professionals.
The treatment includes assessments of diet and food habits by the dietitians, and of exercise habits and barriers to physical activity by the physiotherapists. If eligible, patients are referred to the bariatric surgery service or an Inpatient Weight Management Programme.
At present, the HSE advises that there is a considerable waiting list for the service, with waiting times for a first appointment averaging five years. I sincerely regret this lengthy delay. However, the 2022 Waiting List Action Plan has identified implementation of obesity care pathways as a priority. It will provide funding in 2022 to increase access and capacity nationally to specialist services, providing specialist care in the right place at the right time, reducing waiting times and expanding services.
The Model of Care for the Management of Overweight and Obesity, which I launched in 2021, sets out how healthcare for those living with overweight and obesity in Ireland should be organised and resourced now and into the future.