Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 July 2018
360. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health to outline the new initiatives and proposals taken to reduce the number of children waiting over a year for an outpatient appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31773/18]
View answerImproving waiting times for hospital procedures and outpatient appointments is a key commitment in the Programme for Government.
My Department is working with the HSE and the NTPF to finalise an Outpatient Action Plan for 2018. This plan will support the HSE’s compliance with their National Service Plan targets, reduce the growth in the number of patients waiting for outpatient services, improve the accuracy of the waiting list, and trial a number of NTPF funded interventions, including weekend and out of hours clinics.
More broadly and in order to tackle long waiting times for patients, the NTPF and the HSE are currently reviewing proposals from hospitals for outpatient initiatives and I would encourage all Hospitals to submit proposals.
In Budget 2018, CHG was allocated an additional €9 million for paediatric orthopaedics, including scoliosis services, to further reduce waiting times for paediatric orthopaedic services and support the development of a sustainable paediatric orthopaedic service. In addition, the Children's Hospital Group (CHG) continues to work with the NTPF to manage long waiting lists for clinically appropriate groups.
