Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
1522. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the amount of funding that has been allocated to the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund to source additional outpatient, endoscopy, diagnostics and inpatient day case activity in each of the years 2021, 2022 and 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17052/23]
View answerThe Government recognises that acute hospital scheduled care waiting lists are far too long, and that many patients are waiting an unacceptably long time for care. However, progress is being made through our new multi-annual approach to reduce and reform hospital waiting lists and times. The amount of funding that has been allocated to the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to source additional acute scheduled care activity in 2021, 2022 and 2023 through these multi-annual plans is as follows:
2021 – including Short-term Waiting List Action Plan (September – December 2021)
€240 million was allocated in non-recurrent funding for 2021 to the HSE and the NTPF mitigate the impact of the pandemic and cyberattack on scheduled care activity. This funding was divided as follows:
- €210 million to the HSE for commissioning additional activity in the public and private sector
- €30 million to the NTPF for a combination of additional activity and reform measures
This funding was provided to source the following additional activity in 2021:
- An additional 105,000 new outpatient appointments/waiting list removals
- An additional 31,000 inpatient or day case procedures/waiting list removals
- An additional 13,600 GI scopes/waiting list removals
- An additional 24,000 diagnostics
The short-term Waiting List Action Plan (September–December 2021) was published on the 7 October 2021 to expedite and prioritise the remaining additional activity by the HSE and NTPF during Q4 2021 and to provide the platform for a new multi-annual approach to reducing and reforming waiting lists and waiting times.
2022 Waiting List Action Plan
The 2022 Waiting List Action Plan was launched with €350 million of funding on 25 February 2022 for the HSE and NTPF to provide additional public and private activity to reduce waiting list backlogs that were exacerbated during the pandemic, but also to lay the foundations for important multi-annual reforms that will deliver sustained reductions in waiting lists. This funding was divided as follows:
- €150 million for the NTPF to commission 273,000 appointments/waiting list removals and 65,000 additional diagnostics (increased during 2022 from the initial target of 30,000) in the public and private sector.
- €200 million for the HSE for reform measures, and for additional activity to deliver 196,000 appointments/waiting list removals.
2023 Waiting List Action Plan
The 2023 Waiting List Action Plan was published on the 7th March 2023. It allocates €363 million in funding to the HSE and the NTPF to reduce acute scheduled care waiting lists by 10% this year, to continue implementing reforms, and to continue to significantly reduce waiting times towards the Sláintecare maximum waiting time targets. This funding breaks down as follows:
- €150 million to the NTPF to procure additional capacity and commission 316,100 additional appointments/waiting list removals to reduce waiting list backlogs.
- €90 million to the HSE and NTPF to implement additional short-term measures to address backlogs through some 97,000 additional appointments/waiting list removals, and 77,700 additional diagnostics (HSE – 12,700, NTPF – 65,000).
- €123 million allocated to the HSE on a recurring basis to progress longer-term reforms including to streamline and reconfigure care pathways and sustainably enhance capacity, in particular for the priority areas of Obesity/Bariatrics, Paediatric Orthopaedics (Spina Bifida/Scoliosis) and Gynaecology.
The HSE is currently finalising projected activity volumes for these longer-term reform initiatives, which will be informed by lessons learned from implementation throughout the year.
