Michael Ring
Ceist:339 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the qualifications a person must have to carry out smear tests to ensure that they have the expertise, knowledge and skill required. [13743/03]
Written Answers. - Cancer Screening Programme.
Smear-taking services are provided, in the main, in GP clinics and family planning clinics. In a limited number of instances, smear test clinics are run by health boards. The Western Health Board provides such clinics and has advised that a person employed as a smeartaker in the clinics in question must have a minimum qualification as a registered general nurse, with specific training and experience in cervical screening. The nurse must also be on the current register with An Bord Altranais.
In the case of phase one of the Irish cervical screening programme in operation in the Mid-Western Health Board, the board has advised that prior to registration with the programme as a smeartaker, a doctor must be a registered medical practitioner. Also, a nurse or midwife registered with An Bord Altranais who is employed within a primary health care setting and has received adequate smeartaker training, may be registered with the programme as a registered general practice associated smeartaker. Item 3.1 (i) of the general practitioner Mid-Western Health Board Irish cervical screening programme agreement provides that, "The general practitioner should endeavour to attend for training programmes approved by the programme and ensure that his practice nurse(s) and locums and trainees are adequately trained to the quality assurance guidelines of the programme."
Michael Ring
Ceist:340 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the attempts the Western Health Board made to recruit staff before the public health nurse actually ceased to provide smear test clinic services in Counties Mayo and Roscommon; and if the Western Health Board advertised this vacancy. [13744/03]
Michael Ring
Ceist:341 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the way in which a public health nurse can cease to provide a service outside of the Galway area, when that person was employed specifically to provide the smear test clinic service to County Galway, Mayo and Roscommon; and if the decision to cease services outside of Galway was made by the employee or the Western Health Board. [13745/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 340 and 341 together.
The Western Health Board has advised that the public health nurse, employed to carry out the smear testing clinics in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, ceased to provide the service to the Mayo and Roscommon areas, in line with the recommendations from the board's occupational health physician in 2002. However, cervical smear testing continues to be available in a number of settings in Mayo and Roscommon, for example, GP practices, family planning clinics and obstetric-gynaecology clinics. In the event of clients contacting the board's community services about this service, they are advised to contact their GPs in the absence of scheduled clinics in Mayo and Roscommon.
The board has advised that it is currently examining proposals, in consultation with its directors of public health nursing, to reinstate the service in Mayo and Roscommon. Ultimately, recommencement of the clinics will require training of staff to provide the service in the two counties.