Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 February 2012
9Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the reason waiting times for adults waiting for elective treatments increased by 55% from 15,728 to 24,394 in the period April to November 2011; the reason waiting times for adults and children waiting for elective treatment increased by 47% from 18,319 to 26,910; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8376/12]
View answerIt is very important to clarify immediately the correct information with regard to numbers waiting for procedures and the average waiting times. Waiting times have certainly not increased by 55%. I think the Deputy may have got confused between the increase in numbers waiting and the length of time patients are waiting. Between the end of December 2010 and 2012 the numbers waiting over 12 months fell by 80% for adults and 98% for children.
The correct figures for adults and children waiting for treatment in April 2011 was 24,179 and in November 2011 the figure was 26,832. This is an increase of 11% not 47%. The number of adults waiting for treatment was 21,851 in April 2011 and 24,403 in November 2011, an increase of 12% not 55%.
I have been absolutely clear that my priority for inpatient treatment is to deliver an equitable service within the resources available. For that reason, other than for cases of clinical urgency and cancer cases, I have introduced a strict policy of chronological management of inpatient waiting lists so those waiting longest are treated first. In July, I announced that no patient would wait longer than 12 months for treatment and that it was the responsibility of individual hospitals to meet this target. I am happy to say that all hospitals, bar two in Galway city, achieved this. We will now move to a nine months target by the end of this year.
I have also acknowledged from the outset that targeting those waiting longest would inevitably mean a modest increase in waiting times for some patients. This is inevitable because resources and capacity are limited. The median waiting times for April 2011 was 2.6 months, in November 2011 it was 2.7 months and in December 2011 it was 2.8 months. I would prefer if this could be avoided, but the average increase is a matter of days for many people, as opposed to years for some people.
I welcome the Minister's statement that the figures may be a divergent view of his opinion of the correct figures. This is the kernel of the issue because there seems to be some difference of opinion between the HSE and the Department with regard to the method and calculation process, particularly in the context of the special delivery unit. This question was asked of the special delivery unit and when asked to explain the figure for people waiting 12 months, which seemed inordinately high, the Department said the figure of 14,000 was set by the special delivery unit in July and was based on the number on the list in December 2010 who, if they had remained on the list, would have been waiting for 12 months for care at the end of the year. That is just a mathematical fact. If these people had been on the list for 12 months or longer, they would have been waiting for 12 months or longer. Nobody stated they would definitely be on the list after 12 months and some of them would have been taken off the list if the special delivery unit had never been established. We will give time to the special delivery unit and we welcome any intervention in ensuring that we can drive down waiting lists. May we get absolute clarity on the basis of the figures? There seems to be a difference of opinions, at the very least.
I will be very clear. The special delivery unit was formed in June and became operational in September 2011. At that time the number of patients waiting longer than 12 months if they had not been treated by the end of December 2011 would have been 14,000. I have no doubt that had the special delivery unit not taken the action it had, we would have many thousands of people waiting longer than a year for treatment. That is unacceptable and it is inequitable. It is not nice for anybody to wait but it is far fairer that many people wait a few extra days as opposed to some people having to wait several months or years.
I will relate something I did not have to hand last night. Since the beginning of January this year there have been, on average, 50 fewer people on trolleys every day. That is six weeks of ongoing, consistent and measurable improvement in the number of people on trolleys. There are still far too many people on trolleys but we are making progress despite a reducing budget. I do not believe any other health service in the Western world has improved quality of service - as shown by the stroke units coming on stream and the improvements they have already brought about - against a backdrop of reducing budgets. I congratulate all those involved.
The special delivery unit should not be taking credit for the massive reduction in the waiting lists. Many of those people would have been treated anyway, regardless of whether the special delivery unit was running. The idea that the special delivery unit decreased the number of people waiting from 14,000 to just short of 500 is not right. Many of those people would have received treatment anyway. If we are to have a serious benchmark of productivity in a unit we welcome and hope will succeed, we would want to start on a proper basis rather than trying to massage figures to show productivity is better than it is in reality.
Nobody is attempting to pretend that activity is any better than it is. This is measurable and real. I hope the Deputy is not disputing the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation trolley count, which is also very real.
I never mentioned that.
Earlier, with sotto voce, the Deputy mentioned the word “could” and left out the word “if” from a gentleman’s statement. I put it to the Deputy that many of the 14,000 patients may have been treated anyway but I am not so certain that would have been the case.
