Jack Wall
Question:131 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will be admitted for heart surgery in view of the fact he is on the waiting list for the past three years. [20716/98]
Written Answers. - Hospital Waiting Lists.
The provision of surgery in this case is the responsibility, in the first instance, of St. James's Hospital. I have, therefore, asked the chief executive officer of the hospital to investigate the position in relation to the case and to reply to the Deputy directly.
Brian O'Shea
Question:132 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps, if any, he will take to reduce the waiting list of 1,617 for procedures in all specialties at Waterford Regional Hospital (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20717/98]
I have provided a total of £12 million to address hospital waiting lists in 1998 which represents a 50 per cent increase over the funding made available by the previous Government in 1997. This funding was made available in January with the allocation to health agencies thus enabling them to co-ordinate their waiting list initiative activity with their normal activity over the full year. This brings to £70 million the total resources committed to the reduction of hospital waiting lists since the current initiative commenced in 1993. In addition in December 1997, my Department issued a policy circular which put in place the following arrangements relating to the waiting list initiative: agencies were notified in their determination of net expenditure of the level of funding available to them — this gave agencies early notice of the money available and enabled them to plan their activity accordingly; agencies were asked to specify targets for waiting list activity in their service plans during the year — it is the responsibility of the chief executive officer — hospital manager to ensure targets are achieved and to take corrective action as necessary; there will be an increased focus on waiting times as well as on waiting lists, with the objective of ensuring children do not have to wait longer than six months and adults no longer than 12 months in the specialities targeted for attention; and agencies were requested to designate an individual to act as a co-ordinator of waiting list work and as a contact point with the funding agency.
In order to maximise the effectiveness of the waiting list initiative, I established a review group consisting of clinicians and managers to consider: the net effect of the current waiting list initiative on waiting lists and waiting times; any incentive effects of the waiting list initiative on participating hospitals in relation to their activity and treatment schedules; the extent to which hospitals can consistently and accurately validate their waiting lists; and the adequacy of existing information systems to permit routine evaluation of the waiting list initiative.
The review group on the waiting list initiative has submitted its report to me. I have accepted its recommendations and I am now preparing a plan for their implementation designed to deal with the underlying causes of waiting lists and waiting times in the longer term.
It is a matter for the South-Eastern Health Board to deal with the reduction of waiting lists and waiting times at Waterford Regional Hospital in the first instance. In this regard the South-Eastern Health Board received funding of £697,000 under the waiting list initiative in 1998 which represents an increase of 44 per cent compared with the funding of £482,909 approved by the previous Government in 1997.