Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 3 Oct 2001

Vol. 541 No. 2

Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.

Liam Lawlor

Ceist:

414 Mr. Lawlor asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will provide a report on the progress in improvements to orthodontic services in the Eastern Regional Health Authority area; and if he will deal with each item in turn as set out in his earlier communication with Deputy Liam Lawlor (details supplied). [20883/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin):

The provision of orthodontic services is the responsibility of the health boards in the first instance. I recognise that the waiting times for orthodontic treatment are unacceptably long. 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 ERHA has been allocated an additional £2.34 million, 2.971 million this year for orthodontic services of which £1.61 million, 2.044 million was for the orthodontic initiative.

The chief executive officer of the ERHA has advised me of the following developments in the region in relation to its initiative to improve its orthodontic services. Two additional consultant orthodontists have been appointed. The first has been assigned to the East Coast Area Health Board and the second has been appointed to the South-Western Area Health Board. The recruitment of a consultant orthodontist for the Northern Area Health Board is currently in train. Two orthodontic specialists have been recruited and a further recruitment drive is in progress to recruit four more. The recruitment process for three managers to manage the orthodontic services in the three area health boards has been completed and the successful candidates have taken up their duties. Interviews for posts of dental surgery assistants in the East Coast Area Health Board have been completed and the recruitment process for the successful candidates is almost finalised. A competition in respect of similar posts in the other area health boards will be organised in the near future. A competition to fill the post of dental hygienist in the East Coast Area Health Board has been completed and the recruitment of the successful candidate is currently in train. A competition in respect of similar posts in the other area health boards will be organised in the near future. The previously vacant post of superintendent radiographer at the regional orthodontic unit in St. James's Hospital has been filled. A similar post for the Loughlinstown unit has been filled on a permanent basis. A six surgery facility at the Loughlinstown regional orthodontic unit has been developed, is now open and treatment of patients there has commenced. The equipping of an additional five surgery unit at the St. James's Hospital orthodontic unit is being completed and it will be operational in the near future. The Northern Area Health Board is currently progressing plans for the development of a new regional orthodontic unit to be located on the grounds of James Connolly Memorial Hospital. Validation of existing waiting lists is currently in progress. Agreement has been reached between the ERHA and the Dublin Dental Hospital on the training of specialists to work in orthodontics. Four dentists for the ERHA will commence training in 2001.