Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 March 2024
630. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the cost of extending the chronic disease management programme to all heart failure patients; the current number of heart failure patients on the programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10012/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. The General Practitioner (GP) Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Programme commenced in 2020 and has been rolled out on a phased basis to adult GMS (Medical Card and GP Visit Card) patients over a 4-year period. The specified chronic conditions included in the Programme are Type 2 Diabetes; Asthma; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Cardiovascular Disease (including Heart Failure, Ischaemic Heart Disease, Cerebrovascular Disease (Stroke/Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), Atrial Fibrillation).
The CDM programme is an entirely new healthcare service in Ireland that has brought the care for chronic disease further into the community and it aims to reduce hospital attendance by patients with one or more of these specified conditions.
Further expansion of the programme, to include additional conditions or to include non-GMS patients heart failure patients, would require rigorous clinical assessment and engagement with stakeholders, including the GPs delivering the service. The cost of extending the service to those not currently eligible would depend on the outcome of those considerations.
With respect to the current number of heart failure patients on the programme, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
