Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 November 2021
560. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health the plans that are in place in terms of additional staff or resources to deal with the fact that 336 patients waiting for an initial diabetes outpatient clinic appointment have been waiting between two to six years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54034/21]
View answerIt is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted in the last nineteen months as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently as a result of the ransomware attack.
On the 7th October I published the Acute Waiting List Action Plan. This plan, to run until December 2021, has a series of targeted measures that are designed to address the growth in waiting lists caused by Covid-19 and the cyber-attack.
In addition, my Department, the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) are also working on a Multi Annual Waiting List Plan to bring waiting lists in line with Sláintecare targets over the coming years. This process will be overseen by a Ministerial Taskforce, chaired by the Secretary General of my Department and includes representatives from the HSE and NTPF. The plan will be informed by the lessons learned from the successful Vaccine Taskforce.
