Press release
Minister for Health welcomes efforts towards improving access to our gynaecology services
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, acknowledges the progress being made to improve both the access to and the sustainability of our gynaecology services.
The Department of Health is working with the HSE’s National Women & Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) to develop ambulatory gynaecology “see and treat” clinics across the country, which will help to alleviate significant demand in this service area.
Minister Donnelly said:
"Promoting Women’s Health is a central pillar of the broader health agenda under the Programme for Government. The investment and developments we are seeing in gynaecology services ensures that this specific area of women’s health finally gets the attention and support it needs, to provide timely and effective services to the women of this country."
The development of ambulatory gynaecology clinics will bring a number of benefits as they become operational. These include helping to:
The ambulatory gynaecology clinics will have a direct impact on gynaecology waiting lists at local and national level, as women will be identified, triaged, and directed to have their treatment in an ambulatory setting. It is estimated that approximately 70% of general gynaecology referrals are suitable for management in the ambulatory setting.
Eight of these clinics are functioning, work is underway to operationalise 6 more clinics that were funded last year, and funding provided in Budget 2022 will enable the final 6 clinics to be established. This will complete the implementation of Ambulatory Gynaecology Model of Care and bring the total number of these clinics to 20 nationally.
Minister Donnelly concluded by saying:
"These initiatives will help to improve access and ensure a more sustainable and integrated gynaecology service. Indeed, through the continued implementation of the Ambulatory Gynaecology Model of Care as well as the establishment of specialist clinics in women’s health, gynaecological care will be fundamentally reformed in the coming years."
To improve access to services and ensure a more sustainable gynaecology service, the HSE’s National Women & Infants Health Programme has developed an Ambulatory Gynaecology Model of Care which centres on the establishment of one-stop “see and treat” ambulatory gynaecology clinics.
The development of ambulatory gynaecology clinics will help to improve access to gynaecology services; reduce the requirement for multiple gynaecology appointments; ensure sustainability of service provision into the future given the very significant waiting lists for this specialty; and importantly, will help improve clinical outcomes.
Developing ambulatory clinics is integral to help reduce the need for women to have multiple gynaecology appointments for a single episode of care, i.e., in line with the traditional model of care following GP referral. Investigations available include pelvic ultrasound, diagnostic hysteroscopy, and endometrial biopsy.
The roll out of the Ambulatory Gynaecology Model of Care began in 2020. At present, the clinics in Cork, Galway, Rotunda, Letterkenny, and Waterford are operational. In addition, the pre-existing clinics at the Coombe, National Maternity Hospital, and Mayo are being expanded.
Work is underway in relation to recruitment, refurbishment and equipping of the remaining ambulatory gynaecology clinics funded in 2021. This includes the clinics at the following hospitals: Kerry, Drogheda, Wexford, and Sligo, as well as the two community-based clinics at Tallaght Hospital and Nenagh Hospital (which is under the governance of University Maternity Hospital Limerick), which were funded through the Women’s Health Taskforce.
Budget 2022 provided €5.3 million to continue the work underway to enhance and improve gynaecology services, including for endometriosis and specialist menopause clinics. A proportion of this €5.3 million funding will be used to establish ambulatory gynaecology clinics at the last six hospital sites, thereby completing the implementation of the Ambulatory Gynaecology Model of Care. This will bring the total number of these ambulatory gynaecology clinics to 20 nationally.