It is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted in the last year as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The HSE is currently recommending that only critical time dependent elective procedures are undertaken at this time due to the on-going and significant increased demand for bed capacity related to Covid-19.
This decision was made arising from the rapid increase in Covid-19 admissions and to ensure patient safety and that all appropriate resources were made available for Covid-19 related activity and time-critical essential work.
Patient safety remains at the centre of all hospital activity and elective care scheduling. To ensure services are provided in a safe, clinically-aligned and prioritised way, hospitals are following HSE clinical guidelines and protocols.
The HSE continues to optimise productivity through alternative work practices such as the use of alternative settings including private hospitals, community facilities and alternative outpatient settings.
In addition the National Treatment Purchas Fund (NTPF) is currently reviewing strategies to maximise activity and benefit for patients, to include, increased use of private hospitals , funding weekend and evening work in public hospitals, funding “ see and treat” services where minor procedures are provided at the same time outpatient consultations, funding hybrid services where public and private hospitals contribute to the treatment of patients, virtual clinics, and clinical validation.
€240 million has been provided in Budget 2021 for an access to care fund, €210m of which has been allocated to the HSE and a further €30m to the National Treatment Purchase Fund. This will be used to fund additional capacity to address the shortfall arising as a result of measures taken in the context of Covid-19, as well as to address waiting lists.
The National Waiting List Management Policy is a standardised approach used by the HSE to manage scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures. It sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists and was developed in 2014 to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care.
The data requested by the Deputy has been provided to my Department by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and is outlined in the attached document. This document provides a breakdown of the Outpatient waiting lists for children, by Specialty and the numbers waiting in each time-band as of the end of January 2021.
Child OP Waiting List Per Speciality at 28/01/2021
-
|
0-3 Months
|
3-6 Months
|
6-9 Months
|
9-12 Months
|
12-15 Months
|
15-18 Months
|
18 Months +
|
Grand Total
|
Breast Surgery
|
7
|
5
|
|
7
|
|
|
|
19
|
Cardiology
|
36
|
20
|
19
|
25
|
9
|
7
|
12
|
128
|
Cardio-Thoracic Surgery
|
53
|
27
|
19
|
12
|
8
|
|
7
|
126
|
Child/Adolescent Psychiatry
|
27
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
32
|
Clinical (Medical) Genetics
|
204
|
194
|
135
|
177
|
195
|
168
|
828
|
1,901
|
Clinical Immunology
|
171
|
88
|
45
|
78
|
128
|
119
|
1,062
|
1,691
|
Clinical Neurophysiology
|
|
|
11
|
11
|
5
|
|
|
27
|
Dental Surgery
|
65
|
43
|
29
|
72
|
70
|
41
|
155
|
475
|
Dermatology
|
671
|
463
|
297
|
321
|
274
|
250
|
937
|
3,213
|
Developmental Paediatrics
|
93
|
63
|
33
|
78
|
55
|
97
|
476
|
895
|
Endocrinology
|
6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6
|
Gastro-Enterology
|
6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6
|
General Medicine
|
18
|
9
|
|
|
|
|
|
27
|
General Surgery
|
515
|
405
|
225
|
207
|
128
|
126
|
198
|
1,804
|
Gynaecology
|
197
|
116
|
57
|
51
|
29
|
12
|
14
|
476
|
Haematology
|
37
|
27
|
10
|
7
|
|
|
|
81
|
Immunology
|
63
|
40
|
13
|
33
|
36
|
53
|
300
|
538
|
Maxillo-Facial
|
56
|
36
|
17
|
26
|
29
|
23
|
130
|
317
|
Neonatology
|
9
|
5
|
|
|
|
|
|
14
|
Neurology
|
15
|
9
|
|
7
|
|
|
|
31
|
Neurosurgery
|
8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8
|
Ophthalmology
|
1,381
|
844
|
457
|
620
|
562
|
435
|
2,853
|
7,152
|
Oral Surgery
|
45
|
20
|
8
|
18
|
21
|
27
|
61
|
200
|
Orthopaedics
|
662
|
505
|
274
|
287
|
239
|
187
|
440
|
2,594
|
Otolaryngology (ENT)
|
1,191
|
875
|
544
|
1,143
|
1,174
|
874
|
6,728
|
12,529
|
Paed Cardiology
|
913
|
709
|
470
|
380
|
215
|
190
|
268
|
3,145
|
Paed Endocrinology
|
241
|
150
|
69
|
82
|
103
|
83
|
71
|
799
|
Paed Gastro-Enterol
|
268
|
154
|
62
|
79
|
64
|
70
|
549
|
1,246
|
Paed Haematology
|
71
|
57
|
31
|
36
|
13
|
5
|
19
|
232
|
Paed Metabolic Medicine
|
32
|
24
|
5
|
|
|
|
|
61
|
Paed Nephrology
|
173
|
112
|
61
|
51
|
27
|
31
|
48
|
503
|
Paed Orthopaedic
|
685
|
635
|
410
|
445
|
423
|
404
|
1,288
|
4,290
|
Paediatric Anaesthetics
|
13
|
5
|
7
|
|
|
8
|
48
|
81
|
Paediatric Dermatology
|
716
|
517
|
343
|
327
|
319
|
360
|
2,426
|
5,008
|
Paediatric ENT
|
728
|
559
|
334
|
714
|
820
|
674
|
2,164
|
5,993
|
Paediatric Infectious Diseases
|
31
|
18
|
30
|
14
|
27
|
6
|
6
|
132
|
Paediatric Neurology
|
416
|
172
|
55
|
77
|
107
|
58
|
252
|
1,137
|
Paediatric Neurosurgery
|
26
|
|
|
|
|
|
7
|
33
|
Paediatric Respiratory Medicine
|
230
|
164
|
136
|
255
|
236
|
199
|
854
|
2,074
|
Paediatric Surgery
|
1,068
|
879
|
558
|
431
|
352
|
333
|
467
|
4,088
|
Paediatric Urology
|
207
|
172
|
106
|
114
|
151
|
81
|
364
|
1,195
|
Paediatrics
|
5,248
|
2,835
|
1,348
|
1,113
|
754
|
331
|
613
|
12,242
|
Pain Relief
|
9
|
9
|
5
|
|
7
|
|
|
30
|
Plastic Surgery
|
380
|
280
|
213
|
229
|
289
|
222
|
470
|
2,083
|
Respiratory Medicine
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7
|
7
|
Rheumatology
|
129
|
97
|
58
|
83
|
81
|
72
|
756
|
1,276
|
Small Vol Specialties
|
11
|
24
|
35
|
19
|
20
|
15
|
18
|
142
|
Urology
|
424
|
349
|
252
|
250
|
252
|
236
|
691
|
2,454
|
Vascular Surgery
|
9
|
5
|
|
|
|
|
|
14
|
Grand Total
|
17,564
|
11,720
|
6,781
|
7,879
|
7,227
|
5,797
|
25,587
|
82,555
|
*Due to the small volume of patients waiting in certain specialties, to preserve patient confidentiality, when the number of patients is <5, these have been included within broader timebands or aggregated into a 'Small Volume Specialties' cohort.