Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 September 2004
887 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health and Children the efforts that are being made to recruit extra orthodontic consultants in the north-west region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22176/04]
Amharc ar fhreagra889 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health and Children if money could be made available to health boards from the national treatment purchase fund for orthodontic priority treatments, particularly in areas where orthodontic staff are scarce and lists are backing up due to circumstances beyond their control; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22178/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 887 and 889 together.
The provision of orthodontic services is a matter for the health boards in the first instance.
I am pleased to advise the Deputy that I have taken a number of measures to improve orthodontic services in the North Western Health Board, NWHB, area and on a national basis. The grade of specialist in orthodontics has been created in the health board orthodontic service. In 2003, my Department and the health boards funded 13 dentists from various health boards, including one from the NWHB, 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. Thus, there is 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 commenced duty on 1 December 2003. 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.
Orthodontic initiative funding of €4.698 million was provided to the health boards-authority in 2001 and this has enabled health boards to recruit additional staff, engage the services of private specialist orthodontic practitioners to treat patients and build additional orthodontic facilities. The NWHB was allocated an additional €0.273 million in 2001 for orthodontic services of which €0.178 million was for the orthodontic initiative.
In June 2002, my Department provided additional funding of €5 million from the national treatment purchase fund towards the treatment of persons on the orthodontic waiting lists; the NWHB received €285,000 from this fund. My Department instructed the health boards-authority that the funding was to be allocated on the basis of the following principles: treatment of clients longest on the waiting list in accordance with the severity of their treatment need; allocation to provide additional treatments over and above what was provided in the normal way; efficiency and value for money; and equitable delivery across health board populations.
The allocation of additional funds will be considered in light of funding availability and the capacity of the health boards to strengthen the level of orthodontic services provided.
The management of orthodontic staff in the NWHB is the statutory responsibility of the chief executive officer. Therefore, my Department has asked the chief executive officer of the NWHB to provide the Deputy with the information requested.
Finally, the chief executive officers of the health boards-authority have informed my Department that at the end of the June quarter 2004, there were 20,236 children receiving orthodontic treatment in the public orthodontic service. This means that there are nearly twice as many children getting orthodontic treatment as there are children waiting to be treated.
