Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.
Michael Ring
Ceist:
226
Mr. Ring
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the number of children in the Western Health Board area who received orthodontic treatment through the purchasing fund, waiting list initiative, in 2001 and 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4897/03]
Michael Ring
Ceist:
227
Mr. Ring
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the reason the public orthodontic service has deteriorated so much in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[4898/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 226 and 227 together.
As the Deputy is aware, the provision of orthodontic services is a matter for the health boards in the first instance. However, I am aware of concerns about orthodontic services and consequently I have taken a range of measures to improve them nationally.
In 1998, following a review of orthodontic services by representatives of health boards and health board consultant orthodontists, the Moran report was submitted to my Department containing a number of recommendations on the future strategic development of orthodontic services.
One of the recommendations was the establishment of the grade of specialist in orthodontics that has now been created in the health board orthodontic service. The introduction of this pivotal grade will have a tremendous impact on the future delivery of orthodontics in the public service: ultimately, it will address the issues of recruitment and retention of qualified clinical personnel in the service. This year, my Department and the health boards are funding 13 dentists from various health boards for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and at two separate universities in the United Kingdom. These 13 trainees for the public orthodontic service are additional to the six dentists who commenced their training last year and one dentist whose specialist training is nearing completion. Thus, there is an aggregate of 20 dentists in specialist training for orthodontics. These measures will complement the other structural changes being introduced into the orthodontic service, including the creation of an auxiliary grade of orthodontic therapist to work in the orthodontic area.
In the short-term, I have funded an orthodontic initiative to ease current pressures on the system. Additional funding of €6.729 million was approved for orthodontic services in 2001 of which €4.698 million was to fund an initiative on orthodontic waiting lists. This is enabling health boards to recruit additional staff, engage the services of private specialist orthodontic practitioners to treat patients and build additional orthodontic facilities.
Furthermore, last June, my Department provided additional funding of €5 million from the treatment purchase fund to health boards specifically for the purchase of orthodontic treatment, with €465,000 of this allocated to the Western Health Board. This funding is enabling boards to provide both additional sessions for existing staff and purchase treatment from private specialist orthodontic practitioners.
Operational responsibility for the treatment of patients under the orthodontic initiative and the treatment purchase fund lies with the health boards in the first instance. I understand from the chief executive officer of the Western Health Board that a total of 250 cases were referred for treatment under the waiting list initiative in 2001 and 2002.
Entitlement to secondary care orthodontic treatment is determined by reference to orthodontic guidelines, a set of objective clinical criteria applied by health board orthodontists when assessing children's priority of need for treatment. The orthodontic guidelines were issued by my Department in 1985 and are still in use. The orthodontic guidelines are used to ensure that orthodontic resources are prioritised for and applied equitably to the most severe cases.
Finally, the chief executive officers of the health boards-authority have informed me that at the end of the September 2002 quarter, there were 18,511 patients receiving orthodontic treatment in the public orthodontic service. This is an increase of approximately 4,000 patients in orthodontic treatment when compared with the number of patients receiving treatment in 1999. In specific relation to the Western Health Board, the board reported to the joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children that in 1998 there were 4003 patients awaiting orthodontic assessment and treatment in the boards area. At the end of September 2002, the chief executive officer reported that there were 1665 patients awaiting assessment and treatment in the Western Health Board area. I expect that the number of patients receiving orthodontic treatment in the public orthodontic service will continue to increase as these measures impact further on the service.
