Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 April 2012
711 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health when a new programme for respiratory conditions will be implemented; the new resources that will be made available for this programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19956/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE Clinical Programmes Directorate are currently developing appropriate models of care to ensure the delivery of safe and effective services across a range of respiratory services including asthma, COPD and pulmonary rehabilitation. This programme of work is ongoing and will inform the most appropriate structure, staffing and organisation of services.
712 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health when a new programme for cardiac conditions will be implemented; the new resources that will be made available for this programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19957/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder its Clinical Programmes Directorate the HSE has established cardiovascular related programmes for Stroke, Heart Failure and Acute Coronary Syndrome to improve and standardise patient care by bringing together clinical disciplines and enabling them to share innovative solutions to deliver greater benefits to HSE service users.
The National Stroke Programme aims to provide rapid access to best-quality stroke services; prevent 1 stroke every day and avoid death or dependence in 1 patient every day. The work of the national programme continues in 2012, including the implementation of the TRASNA project, the development of services for the investigation and treatment of patients with suspected Transient Ischaemic Attacks (TIA), continued implementation of the stroke register, planning for services to identify patients with high risk factors for stroke (atrial fibrillation) and working in partnership with other relevant clinical care programmes to ensure access to community-based services for stroke patients. The National Heart Failure Clinical Care Programme aims to reorganise the way heart failure patients are managed in our health service. Over the coming years a co-ordinated, multi-disciplinary and patient focused disease management programme will be rolled out nationally. While the initial focus of the work is on the creation of dedicated hospital centres where care and expertise in heart failure is concentrated, the majority of people with heart failure are managed in the Community.
The Programme aims to ensure that every patient with symptoms of heart failure is diagnosed correctly and without delay and seeks to reduce recurrent admissions by 1,000 with additional impact on de novo admissions, thus reducing length of stay, saving 20,000 hospital days per year.
The objectives of the Acute Coronary Syndrome Programme are to improve the care of the acute coronary patient and to reduce their length of stay in hospital. The programme is currently aiming to:
develop standardised pre-hospital protocols for response, triage, treatment and transport of patients with acute coronary syndromes,
designate Primary PCI centres for Ireland,
standardise hospital response in a PPCI centre and a non PPCI via protocols,
prevent acute coronaries and instances of reoccurrence, and
improve cardiac rehabilitation resources.
The programme has also been working on the recommendations of The Report of the Task Force on Sudden Cardiac Death (2006) with a final progress report currently in preparation. The majority of the recommendations relate to improving first response to a cardiac event and priority was given to these recommendations.
713 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health when a new programme for neurological conditions will be implemented; the new resources that will be made available for this programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19958/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE Clinical Programmes Directorate are currently developing appropriate models of care to ensure the delivery of safe and effective services across epilepsy, stroke services and neurology outpatient services. This programme of work is ongoing and will inform the most appropriate structure, staffing and organisation of services.
