Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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On 24th July 2023, I established an Expert Taskforce to support the expansion of the role of Pharmacy in Ireland. The Taskforce has considered specific objectives with the intent of aligning those services delivered by pharmacists with the healthcare needs of patients. The Expert Taskforce is finalising its report which will also contain recommendations around empowering pharmacists to prescribe within their scope of practice. This will allow for the delivery of an appropriately scoped pharmacy led common conditions service.

Once the Taskforce has completed its work, focus will turn to the implementation of the recommendations made, including the common conditions service. Potential costings for providing this service will depend on the scope of the service as envisioned and implemented. Therefore, it is not possible to provide such a costing at this stage. However, there will be substantial engagement with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that all necessary operational issues, including contract enablers, are in place.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Community Ophthalmic Services Scheme (COSS) is a national fee-per-item scheme which was introduced in 1979. Under the COSS, medical card holders aged over 16 years can be seen by ophthalmologists, community ophthalmic physicians, optometrists or dispensing opticians.

Eligible patients can receive an eye examination and be provided with prescribed optical appliances in accordance with a national schedule of approved optical appliances.

All children, including those not covered by a medical card, receive a vision screen while in national school from a Public Health Nurse. The Health Service Executive (HSE) provides optical services free of charge to preschool children and national school children referred from child health service and school health service examinations who are discovered to have sight problems. These children are referred to the appropriate consultant for treatment. In such circumstances, these services will continue to be provided until the child has reached the age of 16.

The HSE Primary Care Eye Services Review Group Report, published in June 2017, highlighted the limitations of the current model of service delivery and set out the way forward for a significant amount of eye services to be delivered in a primary care setting. The Report estimated that 60% of existing outpatient activity could be moved to primary care thus enabling hospital services to focus on patients who require more specialist diagnostics or treatments.

The National Clinical Programme for Ophthalmology developed a model of care, also published in 2017, detailing how the realignment of eye services from the acute hospitals to the community will be undertaken.

Included in current priorities is transferring the care of children aged 8+ years to the care of local private optometrists. A project team with a wide-ranging membership was established in late 2019 / early 2020 to progress this initiative. The work of the team was paused due to the requirement to focus resources on the COVID 19 pandemic. However, the project team has been reconvened and is progressing matters in relation to this initiative. My Department has recently received a detailed implementation plan from the HSE and my officials are considering it.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.