Seán Haughey
Ceist:392. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health his views in relation to an issue (details supplied). [25653/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 19 May 2022
Ceisteanna (392)
Freagraí scríofa
As part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to protect public health and limit the spread of COVID-19, the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE) worked together in 2020 to put arrangements in place to allow termination of pregnancy services in early pregnancy to be provided remotely. For the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency, where the need for social distancing, reducing personal contacts and reducing the burden on medical practitioners are paramount, it became possible for a woman to access a termination under section 12 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 (i.e., before 12 weeks) from her medical practitioner by telephone or video conference consultation.
There is ongoing engagement between the Department of Health and the HSE to monitor service provision, facilitate the smooth-running of the service and resolve any issues that may arise. However, as restrictions began to ease, it became timely to revisit the Model of Care to review its operation and consider whether remote consultation as part of a blended approach to termination of pregnancy care should be continued post the COVID-19 public health emergency period. At the request of the Department, the HSE conducted a review of the Revised Model of Care for Termination of Pregnancy, examining patient safety aspects, with input from service providers in both hospital and community settings. The Department is continuing its engagements with the HSE regarding the final considerations related to this review and the next steps. The outcome of the review will be made available once this deliberative process concludes.
It is important to reflect that COVID-19 is still with us and Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) guidance on Managing Risk of Transmission of Respiratory Viruses including COVID-19, continues to advise, amongst other things, to limit footfall in General Practice settings and support telephone consultations where care that meets the needs of the patient can be delivered - this helps to eliminate the risk of transmission of viral infection. As such the arrangements for remote access to this service in the context of COVID-19 remain in place.