Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 April 2023
8. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health what plans the HSE has for holistic, neuro-focused, multidisciplinary long Covid clinics; if he will tackle the long waiting lists for long Covid appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17659/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhat plans does the HSE have for holistic, neuro-focused and multidisciplinary long Covid clinics?
I am very aware that despite all the progress on Covid, long Covid is causing a great deal of suffering for people. We heard some testimony earlier on "Morning Ireland", which the Deputy may have heard, from people who are suffering from long Covid. We also heard, however, from the clinical leads about what is happening, and it is clear services are being put in place, as they must be.
To ensure people who need the care get it, the HSE has developed a plan for national long Covid services, which are being rolled out. The model of care provides a framework for how the services are designed and delivered. It has an holistic focus on service delivery, provided through GPs and community-led interventions, with specialist consultant-led clinics where appropriate.
The investment in this service has trebled this year, so we are taking it seriously. To date, six long Covid clinics have been established as well as six post-acute Covid clinics, while two further post-acute clinics are due to become operational shortly. As well as that, a dedicated neurology clinic is being established in St. James's Hospital to provide specialist assessment, diagnostics and treatment planning for patients who have persistent symptoms, as was mentioned by the clinical leads this morning. The service is led by a consultant neurologist. In addition, the HSE has developed online resources for the self-management of symptoms. Critically, there is additional training for healthcare workers, including GPs, who are trying to support their patients.
Recruitment is ongoing to fully staff the new long Covid service. Staff include consultants in infectious disease, respiratory medicine, psychiatry and neurology as well as health and social care professionals and clinical psychologists. In total, an additional 39.4 staff have been recruited to date and further recruitment is under way.
I thank the Minister. We welcome that. A conference on long Covid is due to be held today. We are only beginning to understand the evolution of long Covid. Many have been affected by this extremely debilitating condition. We probably all know someone who is suffering from it. In some circumstances, it has changed their life and put it on hold. Some people who had been very healthy contracted Covid and their lives changed, although the good news is the vast majority will recover from long Covid. People who are in that position want to access the best interventions possible in respect of not only respiratory issues but also cognitive impairment.
Sometimes the latter is lost in all the intervention that we are talking about regarding long Covid.
I agree with the Deputy on all that. The good news, as he said, is that for the vast majority of people, a relatively short amount of rehabilitation and health support leads to full recovery.
I have met patients whose lives have just been turned upside down. I have met patients in my own constituency. I have met patients in Tallaght hospital who are being treated in the long Covid clinic there and they are just devastated. They have gone from healthy active people, and, in some cases, healthy active mums and dads, to not being able to get up the stairs or get to the shops. For those whom long Covid affects badly, it can be absolutely devastating.
Obviously, it is an evolving area. HIQA conducted a thorough review last year to inform the model of care that we are putting in place but this will be an evolving area. The HSE has a new survey in place and the European Commission is also putting together a high-level informal network so that member states can learn from each other and update the service provision for people as we learn more.
That is all welcome. It is important that the State recognises that long Covid is prevalent and the vast majority of people will make a full recovery as long as they get the intervention, which is most important.
A major concern is waiting times for those suffering from long Covid. At present, it can be up to a year before they can get that intervention. That is probably not good at all because of the evolution of long Covid. It can last longer than even a year but generally the symptoms, if somebody is to make a full recovery, will probably just go beyond nine months to a year. That is generally the trend of long Covid but the waiting times are a huge concern for those who want to access those multidisciplinary interventions that they should receive.
We do not want anybody waiting long for this for obvious reasons. Part of what we are doing now with these new clinics around the country is staffing having them. We will have 14 clinics, and then the St. James's facility as well. People can also get initial treatment from their GP, which is an important message. Where more specialist care is required, we are putting these new services in place. They are still hiring. We want to, and our aim is, put in enough capacity that we can make sure people get quick access.
For reference, the long Covid clinics we have in place now are in St. Vincent's, Beaumont and Galway hospitals. The post-acute clinics are in Galway, the Mater and Connolly hospitals. We have combined ones in Tallaght hospital, St. James's Hospital and Cork University Hospital. There are two more coming, which, I believe, are in Limerick and Letterkenny hospitals.
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