Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 4 Nov 2003

Vol. 573 No. 3

Written Answers. - Health Board Services.

Tony Gregory

Ceist:

460 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Health and Children if his Department can assist the family of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7, who has an intellectual disability, to find a day placement in an appropriate care facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25164/03]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. T. O'Malley)

Responsibility for the provision of services to persons with an intellectual disability and those with autism in the Dublin region rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive officer of the authority to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.

Willie Penrose

Ceist:

461 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Health and Children when his Department will bring forward the report which has been gathering dust for a number of years which would permit it to amend the 1985 regulations governing the orthodontic and dental treatment of children who are attending primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25165/03]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

The aim of my Department is to develop the treatment capacity of orthodontics in a sustainable way over the longer term. Given the potential level of demand for orthodontic services, the provision of those services will continue to be based on prioritisation of cases based on treatment need, as happens under the existing guidelines.

I understand that the Deputy is referring to the 1996 Moran report on orthodontics, which referred to an index of treatment need. This is an alternative means of assessing children's need for orthodontic treatment. Following the 2002 joint Oireachtas committee report on orthodontics, the Health Boards Executive adopted the report of the review group set up by the chief executive officers with the following terms of reference: to review and report on progress to date on the recommendations set out in the Moran report; to consider the recommendations in the February 2002 report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children; and to make revised recommendations and prepare and cost an action plan in the context of the approach set out in the national health strategy, Quality and Fairness – a Health System for You. Its report confirms that the shortage of trained orthodontists restricts the use of this index by health boards at present.

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that I have taken a number of measures to improve orthodontic services on a national basis. The grade of specialist in orthodontics has been created in the health board orthodontic 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 three separate universities in the United Kingdom. These 13 trainees for the public orthodontic service are additional to the six dentists who commenced their training in 2001. There is, therefore, an aggregate of 19 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.

Furthermore, the commitment of the Department to training development is manifested in the funding provided to both the training of specialist clinical staff and the recruitment of a professor in orthodontics for the Cork dental school. This appointment at the school will facilitate the development of an approved training programme leading to specialist qualification in orthodontics. The chief executive officer of the Southern Health Board has reported that the professor will take up duty in December next. In recognition of the importance of this post at Cork dental school, my Department has given approval, in principle, to a proposal from the school to further substantially improve the training facilities there for orthodontics. This project should see the construction of a large orthodontic unit and support facilities. It will ultimately support an enhanced teaching and treatment service to the wider region under the leadership of the professor of orthodontics.

The chief executive officers of the health boards-authority have informed me that at the end of the September 2003 quarter, there were 20,784 children receiving treatment in the public orthodontic service. This means that there are over twice as many children getting orthodontic treatment as there are children waiting to be treated and almost 3,500 extra children are getting treatment from health boards since the end of 2001.