John Lahart
Question:477. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health if he will outline changes in the patient waiting lists across all disciplines for Tallaght University Hospital. [45441/22]
View answerTuesday, 20 September 2022
Questions (477)
Written answers
It is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. While significant work continues to positively impact on waiting times and improve pathways to elective care, acute hospitals are still impacted by operational challenges arising from the pandemic.
The HSE has confirmed to the Department that 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 Department of Health continues to work with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to identify ways to improve access to care, including through increased use of private hospitals, funding weekend and evening work in public hospitals, funding “see and treat” services, providing virtual clinics, and increasing capacity in the public hospital system.
The 2022 Waiting List Action Plan allocates €350 million to the HSE and NTPF to reduce waiting lists. Under this plan the Department, HSE, and NTPF will deliver urgent additional capacity for the treatment of patients, as well as investing in longer term reforms to bring sustained reductions in waiting lists.
This is the first stage of an ambitious multi-annual waiting list programme, which is currently under development in the Department of Health. Between them, these plans will work to support short, medium, and long term initiatives to reduce waiting times and provide the activity needed in years to come.
In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, the attached document, provided to my Department by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), outlines the number of persons waiting on the Inpatient-Daycase (IPDC) and Outpatient (OPD) waiting lists at Tallaght University Hospital at end of December 2021 and end of August 2022.
The NTPF provides a breakdown of the IPDC and OPD waiting list figures by adult and child, nationally, by hospital, and by specialty. Current and past waiting list data from 2014 is available on the NTPF website, with open data source information also available for public analysis. The NTPF collates and publishes Inpatient/Daycase and Outpatient waiting list data monthly on the NTPF website – www.ntpf.ie/home/nwld.htm.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/debates/questions/supportingDocumentation//2022-09-20_pq-447-20092022_en.xlsx">Patient waiting lists</a>