Liz McManus
Question:900 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount of the treatment purchase fund which is being allocated to the East Coast Area Health Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15416/02]
Written Answers. - Treatment Purchase Fund.
Arising from the health strategy, Quality and Fairness – A Health System For You, one of the key actions for dealing with the public hospital waiting lists was the establishment of the national treatment purchase fund. The NTPF was set up in April and referred its first patients for treatment at the end of June. Health boards and hospitals have been asked to identify public hospital patients waiting longest on in-patient lists, so that they can be offered treatment under this initiative. The NTPF is initially concentrating on adults who have been waiting on in-patient lists over 12 months and children waiting over six months. The patients' consent to being treated under this scheme is also sought. Capacity is sourced by the NTPF and patients are referred for treatment.
To date, capacity has been sourced in private hospitals in Ireland, Northern Ireland and in England. In the current year, the NTPF expects to treat up to 2,000 patients and from January 2003 it expects to refer 600 patients per month for treatment. The funding arrangements for treatment under the NTPF differ from the waiting list initiative. The NTPF does not make allocations of funding to the individual health boards. Hospitals who treat patients are paid directly by the NTPF, having regard to the number and type of procedures carried out. Payment is made post-operatively to the treating hospital.