Parliamentary questions

636. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse posts currently funded and filled, by HSE region; and the number of vacancies currently existing within the service. [36145/26]

637. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any independent evaluation has been undertaken of the national rollout of the Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse service since the publication of the National Clinical Programme for Self-Harm and Suicide-Related Ideation in 2022; and if so, to provide details. [36146/26]

638. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department or HSE tracked referral outcomes, repeat presentations, emergency department diversion rates, or adverse incidents associated with the Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse service prior to the establishment of the national dataset in 2025. [36147/26]

639. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she accepts that the absence of a unified national SCAN dataset between 2022 and 2025 limited the State's ability to evaluate consistency of service delivery and patient outcomes across regions. [36148/26]

640. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the estimated date on which the first national SCAN KPI report will be published; and whether this report will be published annually thereafter. [36149/26]

641. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any external governance or audit review was undertaken regarding the delay between the 2022 national rollout of SCAN services and the commencement of national data collection in 2025. [36150/26]

642. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health when the decision was taken to expand the SCAN service nationally under the National Clinical Programme for Self-Harm and Suicide-Related Ideation; and whether a national key performance indicator framework was in place at the time that decision was made. [36151/26]

643. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any independent evaluation, external audit, or formal service review of the SCAN service has been undertaken since its integration into the National Clinical Programme in 2022; and if not, whether such a review is planned. [36152/26]

644. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide the key performance indicators currently used by the HSE in monitoring the SCAN service nationally, including any indicators relating to waiting times, repeat presentations, onward referrals, patient outcomes, or service accessibility. [36153/26]

645. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of referrals received by the SCAN service in each CHO area in 2025 to date and 2026 to date; and to provide the corresponding staffing levels assigned to the service in each area. [36154/26]

646. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has identified any regional disparities in access to the SCAN service, including differences in waiting times, referral thresholds, staffing levels, or service availability; and if so, the measures being taken to address same. [36155/26]

647. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE records the number of individuals referred onward from the SCAN service to emergency departments, community mental health teams, CAMHS, or inpatient mental health services; and if so, to provide the figures for 2025 and 2026 to date. [36156/26]

648. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any adverse incidents, serious incidents, or clinical risk events associated with the SCAN service have been recorded since 2022; and if so, the number recorded in each year. [36157/26]

649. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has conducted any service-user feedback surveys or GP satisfaction evaluations in relation to the SCAN service since 2022; and if so, to provide details and findings. [36158/26]

650. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has established a national governance structure for oversight of the SCAN service, including audit, performance monitoring, and clinical accountability arrangements; and to provide details of same. [36159/26]

651. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the projected cost of the continued national expansion of the SCAN service under Budget 2026; the additional areas due to receive coverage; and the estimated staffing increases associated with this expansion. [36160/26]

652. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse service sites that were operational nationally in each year from 2020 to 2025, broken down by CHO area, HSE Health Region, and hospital group; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36161/26]

653. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any standardised national dataset existed for Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse services prior to 2025; and if not, the reason such a dataset was not established at the commencement of the national rollout of the service following publication of the National Clinical Programme for Self-Harm and Suicide-Related Ideation Model of Care in 20…

654. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE retains historical local, regional, or site-specific activity data for Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse services prior to the implementation of the national SCAN dataset in 2025; whether such data will be consolidated nationally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36163/26]

655. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any national key performance indicators applied to Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse services prior to 2025; if so, to provide details of those indicators; and if not, the reason no national KPI framework was in place. [36164/26]

656. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE can currently measure repeat presentations, onward referral outcomes, emergency department diversion rates, waiting times, or follow-up engagement within the Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse service; and if so, to provide details of the metrics currently collected [36165/26]

657. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any internal audit, governance review, clinical review, service evaluation, or external assessment has been undertaken regarding the operation of Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse services since 2022; and if so, to provide the dates, findings, and recommendations of each review.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36166/26]

658. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE identified the absence of a nationally standardised Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse dataset as a governance, operational, or patient-safety risk prior to 2025; whether the matter appeared on any risk register, governance report, or internal review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36167/26]

659. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the date on which the national Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse data collection system formally went live; the procurement process used for the associated data platform or software system; the total cost associated with its development and implementation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36168/26]

660. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether all Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse services nationally currently use the same referral criteria, assessment framework, clinical protocols, and data-reporting standards; and if not, to provide details of regional or local variations that remain in operation. [36169/26]