Following a meeting with concerned families from the Donegal Diabetes Parent Support Group, Marian Harkin MEP called on Minister Reilly and the HSE to immediately ensure a Paediatric Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist in Letterkenny.

She said:- “There are 143 children with diabetes in Co. Donegal and the Diabetes Expert Advisory Group’s recommendations state that there should be 1 nurse to every 100 children/adolescents with diabetes.  This means that Donegal has the numbers to have 1.5 nurses working exclusively in paediatric services.  Yet the current proposal is a loss of the full time staff nurse working in children’s diabetes care and this post will be replaced by a Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist with responsibility for adults and children.  This situation is totally unacceptable and is compromising the current and future health and life chances of children/adolescents with diabetes.

“Diabetes is a chronic disease whose prevalence is increasing.  Management of diabetes is absolutely crucial to ensure better outcomes for patients.  The current situation is a denial of basic access to healthcare services for young people with diabetes in Co. Donegal and must be reversed immediately”, Marian Harkin MEP concluded.