The new orthopaedic theatre in Crumlin will provide for additional scoliosis activity in 2017 dependent on the recruitment of additional theatre nurses. While the hospital continues to recruit nursing staff successfully, balancing this with attrition rates, maternity leave and sick leave continues to present a challenge. However, the Children’s Hospital Group is exhausting every recruitment and retention avenue available to it, including international recruitment, and is proactively working on nurse recruitment to support the opening of the new theatre.
Long waiting times for scoliosis surgery are not acceptable and my Department has been working closely with the HSE to address service pressures, with most recently additional funding of €2 million provided under the HSE winter initiative specifically for scoliosis patients. The Department will continue to work with the HSE and the relevant hospitals to ensure improvements in access to spinal surgery are achieved. I recently met with a number of scoliosis advocacy groups to discuss their concerns, following which the Children’s Hospital Group has begun a process of engagement with the advocacy groups on developing a partnership approach with the hospitals and consultants to the design and planning of services for children with scoliosis.