Improving waiting times for hospital procedures is a key commitment in the Programme for Government and in 2017 €20 million was allocated to the NTPF to provide treatment for patients. Budget 2018 announced a total 2018 allocation of €55m which more than doubled it’s 2017 total allocation. Budget 2019 announced that the Government has further increased investment in tackling waiting lists, with funding to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) increasing from €55 million in 2018 to €75 million in 2019.
The joint Department of Health/HSE/National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) Scheduled Care Access Plan 2019 was published in March and sets out measures to improve care for patients waiting for scheduled care in 2019 by reducing waiting times for inpatient/day case treatment and outpatient appointments. The plan places a strong focus on ten high-volume Inpatient/Day Case procedures. When combined with HSE activity, it is projected that the NTPF will be in a position to offer treatment to all clinically suitable patients waiting more than 6 months for one of these high-volume procedures.
In addition, the NTPF will arrange 8,000 procedures across an expanded range of over 65 other procedures in 2019.
In relation to the particular question raised by the Deputy, the attached tables provide details of the number of procedures procured by the NTPF since 2017.
The NTPF has provided the following additional information:
With regard to Inpatient / Day case (IP / DC), the following procedures are provided in Private Hospitals, funded through the NTPF:
Adenoidectomy
Angiogram
Arthoscopy of Ankle DC
Arthoscopy of Ankle IP
Arthoscopy of Shoulder DC
Arthoscopy of Shoulder IP
Arthroscopy of knee DC
Arthroscopy of shoulder, diagnostic with or without synovial biopsy
Arthroscopy of shoulder, surgical, with removal of loose body or foreign body, synovectomy debridement
Bilateral hernia repair
Cardioversion
Carpal Tunnel
Cataracts
Cervical Discectomy IP
Circumcision DC Adults
Circumcision IP Adults
Circumcision DC Paeds
Circumcision IP Paeds
Colonoscopy
Correction of Protruding ears (Bilateral)
Cystoscopy Day case
Endoscopy / Gastroscopy
Excision Lesion General
Excision Lesion Plastics
Excision of hydrocele, bilateral
Excision of hydrocele, unilateral
Grommets
Hip Replacement
Hysteroscopy with dilatation and curettage (diagnostic or therapeutic)
Interruption of sapheno-femoral junction varicose veins
Knee Replacement
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy daycase and inpatient
Laparoscopy with/without D&C and with/without biopsy
Lumbar Discectomy IP
Myringoplasty
Myringotomy bilateral and Grommets Paeds DC
Myringotomy bilateral paeds DC
Nasal / Sinus Endoscopy DC
Nasal / Sinus Endoscopy IP
Protoscopy / Sigmoidoscopy DC
Repair of incisional hernia
Repair of umbilical hernia
Resection Ingrown Toenail DC
Rhinoplasty DC
Removal of Pin Screw Wire DC
Removal of Pin Screw Wire IP
Removal of Plate Rod Nail DC
Removal of Plate Rod Nail IP
Septoplasty DC
Septoplasty IP
Septorhinoplasty - ENT
Septorhinoplasty - Plastics
Strabismus procedure involving 1 or 2 muscles, one eye
Surgical removal of unspecified number of teeth requiring removal of bone - to be performed by a maxillofacial surgeon
Tonsils Adult
Tonsils Paeds
Transurethral resection of prostate [TURP]
Tympanoplasty IP Adult
Tympanoplasty DC Adult
Tympanoplasty IP Paeds
Tympanoplasty DC Paeds
Ureteroscop
Urethroscopy, diagnostic, with or without biopsy
Varicose Veins
The above is not an exhaustive list but covers most of the current procedures. There are also a broader range of procedures that are provided through public hospitals.
In addition the NTPF has tendered for the following procedures:
Excision of chalazions, papillomas, dermoids or other cysts or lesions, one or both eyelids, involving skin, lid margin, tarsus and or palpebral conjuctiva
Excision of pterygium
Excision of pterygium and conjunctival graft
Reconstruction of eyelid
Syringing and / or probing of lacrimal passages, unilateral or bilateral
Hallux valgus, bilateral
Hallux valgus, unilateral
Reconstruction of eyelid
Excision of epididymal cyst, bilateral
Excision of epididymal cyst, unilateral
Orchidectomy, bilateral
Orchidectomy, unilateral
Orchidopexy for undescended testis, bilateral, with or without inguinal hernia repair
Orchidopexy for undescended testis, unilateral, with or without inguinal hernia repair
Repair of Variocele
Vasectomy, bilateral
Cardiac electrophysiological study with radiofrequency ablation
Anorectal examination
Excision of anal skin tag
Haemorrhoidectomy, external, multiple
Cauterisation of ectropion
Cauterisation of entropion
Dacryocystorhinostomy [DCR]
Repair of epigastric hernia
Fundoplasty, laparoscopic approach
Orchidopexy for undescended testis, bilateral, with or without inguinal hernia repair
Orchidopexy for undescended testis, unilateral, with or without inguinal hernia repair
The NTPF will take a targeted approach in 2019 and further procedures will be tendered for, depending on inter alia what procedures there are long waiters for and their suitability for outsourcing next year. In addition the NTPF will continue many of the procedures listed above next year and also continue to fund insourcing of long waiting patients within the Public hospitals.
NTPF Funded Treatments 2017 to 2019
Procedures
|
Actual Treated 2017
|
Actual Treated 2018
|
Actual Treated YTD May 2019
|
Cataracts
|
2,983
|
6,707
|
2,787
|
Joints
|
231
|
1,432
|
533
|
Veins
|
236
|
1,124
|
232
|
Angiograms
|
390
|
1,142
|
377
|
Tonsillectomies
|
535
|
1,142
|
393
|
Cystoscopies
|
550
|
2,418
|
688
|
Lesions
|
157
|
724
|
439
|
Other IPDC
|
835
|
3,224
|
1,676
|
G.I. Scopes
|
700
|
3,221
|
1,164
|
Totals
|
6,617
|
21,134
|
8,289
|