Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 3 Oct 2001

Vol. 541 No. 2

Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.

John McGuinness

Ceist:

540 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 266 of 14 November 2000 and Parliamentary Question No. 356 of 20 March 2001, an appointment has been arranged by the Eastern Regional Health Authority for a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; if this person is still on the category II waiting list; and his views regarding the length of time patients have to wait on this service. [21984/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin):

The provision of orthodontic services to eligible persons in County Wicklow is the statutory responsibility of the Eastern Regional Health Authority 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. This will enable health boards to recruit additional staff and engage the services of private orthodontists to treat patients.

In the Eastern Regional Health Authority, two additional consultant orthodontists have been appointed and the recruitment of a fourth consultant orthodontist for the Northern Area Health Board is in train. Two orthodontic specialists have been recruited and three managers have been appointed to manage the orthodontic services in the three area health boards. A six surgery facility at the Loughlinstown regional orthodontic unit has been developed and is currently providing treatment to eligible persons in the East Coast Area Health Board. The equipping of an additional five surgery unit at the St. James's Hospital orthodontic unit is being completed and 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.

In addition, agreement has been reached between the ERHA and the Dublin Dental Hospital on the training of specialists to work in orthodontics and four dentists for the authority will commence training in 2001. Validation of waiting lists is currently in progress.

I have again asked the chief executive officer of the authority to investigate the position in relation to this case and to reply to the Deputy as a matter of urgency.