Questions

36. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health if she will report on the 24-hour mental health triage supports in emergency departments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4897/26]

963. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the steps the HSE is taking to restore and strengthen level 2 palliative and end-of-life nursing services in County Louth, particularly outside normal working hours, given long-standing concerns about the depletion of this service in the county. [3944/26]

964. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the assessment that has been carried out of the impact that limited out-of-hours community nursing provision in County Louth has on emergency department attendances and hospital deaths at end of life. [3945/26]

965. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the way in which the HSE intends to respond, in the context of County Louth, to the finding by an organisation (details supplied) that the greatest gaps in end-of-life care nationally are in level 2 community-based services rather than specialist services. [3946/26]

966. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health whether she will provide interim funding or commissioning arrangements to ensure that people in County Louth can access timely, nurse-led end-of-life care in the community, pending the development of longer term service plans. [3947/26]

590. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the expected completion date for the new hospice facility in Drogheda; whether an interim community palliative care model will be funded and operational in the Ardee–Drogheda–Dundalk corridor pending its opening; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3280/26]

591. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health to provide a regional breakdown of palliative care service availability, staffing levels, and operating hours showing Ardee, Dundalk, and the Drogheda catchment areas, including comparison with national averages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3281/26]

592. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the current level of out-of-hours and weekend community palliative nursing provision available in counties Louth, Meath, Cavan and Monaghan; how this compares with national standards and other regions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3282/26]

593. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the number of emergency department attendances and unplanned hospital admissions in the northeast, in the past three years, that were clinically attributable to the absence of out-of-hours community palliative care, broken down by county; and the steps being taken to reduce these admissions. [3283/26]

594. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the way in which the continued absence of out-of-hours community palliative care in the northeast is consistent with commitments under Sláintecare, the National Adult Palliative Care Policy, and the Programme for Government to shift care from hospitals into the community. [3284/26]

2151. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the HSE’s plans for the expansion of the Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV) schools programme in 2026; the measures that will be taken to increase uptake and encourage schools at primary and secondary level to opt in; whether the HSE has considered deploying school-based HSE vaccination teams to deliver the programme; and if she w…

2306. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide an update on the development of a business case for the purchase of the software required for scoliosis surgery at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh (details supplied); if she will confirm that the HSE does not currently hold the equipment required; and if she will acknowledge that the absence of this software is resulting in the ca…

2483. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the reason for the current pause in recruitment of physician associates within the HSE; when the review of the profession will be concluded; and when recruitment is expected to resume. [2142/26]

2484. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the number of physician associate graduates affected by the current recruitment pause; whether the HSE intends to honour its undertaking to employ graduates whose training was fully funded by the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2143/26]

2485. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health how the role of physician associates fits within current and future healthcare workforce planning, particularly in acute hospitals experiencing staff shortages and long waiting lists. [2144/26]

1152. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the arrangements that are in place to ensure every GP in Ireland is trained in the latest understanding and teachings on Menopause; the number of GPs licensed to practice in Ireland, by county; and the number of GPs who have completed menopause training in the past 12 months, by county, in tabular form. [72572/25]

822. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health if she will report on cross-Departmental engagement regarding child and youth health promotion in relation to UV exposure and skin-cancer prevention; and if HSE will commit to supporting the integration of sun-safety education as a standard element of wellbeing policy for children and young people. [69382/25]

918. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide updated data on annual melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer incidence; the HSE’s current and projected expenditure on treatment for skin cancer; and whether her Department has assessed the potential cost-savings associated with early, curriculum-based prevention interventions in schools. [69379/25]

919. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the actions being taken by the HSE national cancer control programme to expand public awareness of sun-safety and UV risks; the level of funding allocated to these campaigns in each of the past three years; and whether additional resources will be provided to support increased national visibility. [69380/25]

920. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health if she will consider introducing enhanced regulatory measures regarding sunbed use, particularly for minors; if her Department has evaluated current enforcement activity; and whether further protections are being examined to reduce preventable skin cancer cases. [69381/25]

921. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the reason endometriosis diagnostics and surgical treatments are not eligible for referral under the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), given the extensive waiting lists experienced by patients; if the NTPF has assessed the feasibility of including endometriosis procedures; and if not, whether she will direct the NTPF to begin collecting the necessary dat…

922. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the reason the exclusion of endometriosis treatment from the National Treatment Purchase Fund aligns with commitments in the National Endometriosis Framework to reduce diagnostic delays and waiting times [69385/25]

923. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the reason the NTPF has not been tasked with collecting procedure-level data for endometriosis surgery, despite the condition’s prevalence and the complexity of access pathways; and the steps her Department will take to ensure transparent waiting list reporting for endometriosis treatment across the health service. [69386/25]

924. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide an assessment of whether the reliance on the endometriosis surgery abroad interim scheme (ESAIS), combined with the exclusion of endometriosis treatment from the NTPF, risks creating unequal access to timely surgical care; and her plans to ensure equitable access for patients unable to travel abroad. [69387/25]

925. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the expected timeline for domestic service capacity at the supra-regional endometriosis centres in Tallaght and Cork to meet demand without the need for interim overseas pathways; and whether her Department has considered using the NTPF as an interim mechanism to relieve pressure on these centres. [69388/25]