Diabetes Ireland

Lobbying Organisation Diabetes Ireland

Date published 09 May, 2022

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Health

Period 1 Jan, 2022 to 30 Apr, 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 register in Ireland. To highlight the increasing incidence and cost of diabetes related lower limb amputations and foot ulceration in patient treatment in Ireland for 2020 and the need for more podiatry staffing in each CHO area. To ensure access to Flash Glucose Monitoring in Ireland for all people with diabetes based on clinical need and removal of the current age restriction on the Freestyle Libre.

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? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Mass communications

Email All Oireachtas Members Invite issued to join a Cross Party Parliamentary Diabetes meetings to hear from Diabetes Ireland and Healthcare Professionals on the need for a national diabetes patient register in Ireland.

Email All Oireachtas Members Circulated a report on the incidence of diabetes related lower limb amputations and foot ulceration in patient treatment in Ireland for 2020 and asked all members to make representations to the Minister for Health on the need for podiatry staffing in each CHO area.

Virtual Meeting All Oireachtas Members Cross Party Parliamentary Diabetes virtual meeting held to hear from Diabetes Ireland and Healthcare Professionals on the need for a national diabetes patient register in Ireland.

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Email (1)

Sent a Diabetes Ireland Report on Accessing Flash Glucose Monitoring in Ireland to Cross Party Parliamentary Diabetes sub-committee members asking them to make representations to the Minister for Health for removal of the age restriction on the Freestyle Libre.

Phone call (2-5)

Asked Cormac Devlin TD, as chairperson of the Cross Party Parliamentary Diabetes Group to help launch a Type 2 Diabetes White Paper Report.

Email (2-5)

Liaised with Roisin Shortall on the Type 2 Diabetes Cycle of Care initiative, national adult and paediatric diabetes staffing resources, paediatric staffing resources in CHI (Temple Street Hospital) and the need for electronic health records for diabetes services.

Phone call (1)

Liaised with Fergus O'Dowd on the podiatry staffing levels and on the ongoing recruitment process for podiatrists for the local HSE chronic disease management community hub and hospitals in County Louth.

Email (2-5)

Liaised with Charlie McConalogue on plans for the chronic disease management Hub and diabetes service in Donegal.

Email (6-10)

Liaised with Thomas Pringle on the podiatry staffing levels and on the ongoing recruitment process for podiatrists for the local HSE chronic disease management community hub and Letterkenny Hospital.

Letter (1)

Sent a letter from Diabetes Ireland Chairperson and Cormac Devlin TD to the CEO of the HSE with the Diabetes Ireland Report on Accessing Flash Glucose Monitoring in Ireland to Cross Party Parliamentary Diabetes sub-committee members asking him to remove the age restriction on the Freestyle Libre.

Letter (1)

Sent a letter from Diabetes Ireland Chairperson and Cormac Devlin TD to Ossian Smyth with the Diabetes Ireland Report on Accessing Flash Glucose Monitoring in Ireland to Cross Party Parliamentary Diabetes sub-committee members asking him to remove the age restriction on the Freestyle Libre.

Email (2-5)

Liaised with Aenghus O Snodaigh on the urgent need for more acute and community based podiatrists to help tackle diabetes in communities and to reduce the number of persons having limbs amputated and being hospitalised with foot ulcers as a result of diabetes.

Email (1)

Liaised with Sean Canney on the severe lack of podiatrists available to care for persons with diabetes .

Email (1)

Liaised with Bernard Durkan in the progress made to date in the ongoing recruitment process for podiatrists for the HSE chronic disease management community hubs; when the number will be increased; the plan underway to improve podiatry services in County Kildare for persons with diabetes

Email (1)

Liaised with Marion Harkin on local plans following the recently launched HSE model of care for the diabetic foot to address the shortage of podiatry specialists in CHO1 acute and community services; the status of plans for improving podiatry services for persons with diabetes in counties Sligo and Leitrim and nationally and on the Freestyle Libre.

Email (2-5)

Liaised with Martin Kenny on the number of vacancies in podiatry services in local HSE acute and community services in CHO1 and when these vacancies will be filled and on the Freestyle Libre.

Email (2-5)

Liaised with Paul Murphy on the status of plans for improving podiatry services for persons in south-west Dublin and nationally in relation to the HSE model of care for the diabetic foot.

Phone call (1)

Liaised with Frank Feighan on the Freestyle Libre.

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.

Cormac Devlin TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Matt Shanahan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Aisling Dolan Senator (Seanad)

Alan Dillon TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Réada Cronin TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Richard Boyd Barrett TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Pat Buckley TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Róisín Shorthall TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Fergus O'Dowd TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Stephen Donnelly Minister (Department of Health)

Ossian Smyth Minister of State (Department of Public Expenditure and Reform)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Seán Canney TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Bernard Durkan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Marian Harkin TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Martin Kenny TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Ruairí Ó Murchú TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Paul Murphy TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Frank Feighan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)