Diabetes Ireland

Lobbying Organisation Diabetes Ireland

Date published 06 Jan, 2023

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Health

Period 1 Sep, 2022 to 31 Dec, 2022

Specific Details To seek sustained investment in supporting people living with diabetes and promote a more strategic approach to addressing longterm improvements making huge government cost savings, increase Oireachtas members awareness about the scale and severity of diabetes and its impact on society and to work together to seek ongoing government commitment to a long-term innovative strategic framework for managing diabetes with committed annual funding.

Intended results To work with the Cross Party Parliamentary Diabetes Committee to develop a work stream to include the development of a strategic framework to improve quality of life for people with diabetes and reduce long term costs to the health service of diabetes complications. To highlight the need for a national diabetes patient registry and the need to develop a national clinical audit for paediatric diabetes public services which would eventually be extended to all diabetes services so that we can audit access and standard of diabetes care nationally and patient outcomes. To ensure access and reimbursement of medicines and technology including Flash Glucose Monitoring, Automated insulin pump technologies as well as Continuous Glucose monitoring systems to be available based on clinical need. To ensure access to ongoing diabetes education in order to empower people with diabetes & their families to manage their condition on a daily basis and prevent the very costly treatment of acute & long term complications To improve staffing levels for diabetes services in Letterkenny Hospital. To highlight the increasing incidence and cost of diabetes related lower limb amputations and foot ulceration in patient treatment in Ireland and the need for more podiatry staffing in each HSE CHO area

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Kieran O'Leary, CEO, Diabetes Ireland

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? Yes

What is the directive you gave to the grassroots campaigners? To contact local politicians to seek support for Diabetes Ireland Pre-budget submission 2023 requests

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Mass communications

Email All Oireachtas Members Pre-budget submission 2023 document sent to all members with a list of specific requests for funding of various diabetes service initiatives.

Email All Oireachtas Members Invitation sent to all members to attend a meeting in Leinster House on the need for a National Diabetes Strategy and the need for funding to implement the Pre-budget submission 2023 initiatives.

Email All TDs Email sent to TDs highlighting national and county data for 2021 on the incidence of diabetes related lower limb amputations and/or inpatient diabetes related foot ulceration treatment data and the need for more podiatry staffing in HSE CHO areas.

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Submission (1)

Met with Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly to seek funding for Diabetes Ireland Pre-budget Submission 2023 requests and to develop a National Diabetes Strategy to improve quality of life for people with diabetes and reduce long term costs to the health service of diabetes complications.

Submission (1)

Met with Senator Maria Byrne on need to develop a National Diabetes Strategy to improve quality of life for people with diabetes and reduce long term costs to the health service of diabetes complications and on becoming a member of the Cross Parliamentary Diabetes Committee.

Submission (1)

Met with Colm Burke TD on need to develop a National Diabetes Strategy to improve quality of life for people with diabetes and reduce long term costs to the health service of diabetes complications.

Submission (1)

Met with Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD and Charlie McConologue TD on the need to improve staffing levels for diabetes services in Letterkenny Hospital and HSE CHO Area 1 and to seek funding for Diabetes Ireland Pre-budget Submission 2023 requests

Submission (1)

Met with Violet Anne Wynne TD on becoming a member of the Cross Parliamentary Diabetes Committee.

Submission (1)

Met with Cathal Crowe TD on becoming a member of the Cross Parliamentary Diabetes Committee.

Submission (1)

Email sent to all Donegal TDs on the need to improve staffing levels for diabetes services in Letterkenny Hospital.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Violet Anne Wynne TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Stephen Donnelly Minister (Department of Health)

Cathal Crowe TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Maria Byrne Senator (Seanad)

Cormac Devlin TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Charlie McConalogue TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Pearse Doherty TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Padráig Mac Lochlainn TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Joe McHugh TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Thomas Pringle TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Colm Burke TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)