Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 January 2016
685. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on waiting lists for inpatient and day case treatment at Letterkenny University Hospital, County Donegal, per specialty, who have been waiting for six, nine, 12, 15 months and 15 plus months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1405/16]
View answerThe latest NTPF Waiting List data, which was published on Friday 8 January, shows that clear progress has been made to reduce the numbers of patients on waiting lists by end December 2015. For In-patient and Day Case waiting lists, overall performance equates to 95% achievement of the 15 month maximum permissible wait time. For outpatient waiting lists, overall performance equates to 93% achievement of the 15 month maximum permissible wait time. It should also be noted that a number of patients who have not yet had appointments have been scheduled for treatments or appointments in the coming weeks.
My Department and the HSE recognise that there are personnel and structural challenges which impact on individual specialties and hospital sites. Therefore, it is vital to effectively manage waiting lists so that those patients waiting longest are scheduled within the available capacity, once emergency and urgent cases have been dealt with. The HSE has been addressing the maximum waiting times with Hospital Groups as part of the regular performance and accountability process.
The specific information requested by the Deputy is included in the material published by the NTPF on 8 January 2016 and may be found at: http://www.ntpf.ie/home/pdf//2015/12/hospitals/in-patient/0500.pdf.
