Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 July 2023
776. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health the number of people awaiting colonoscopy in counties Cavan and Monaghan; the number of these that have been waiting up to 30 days; 30 – 60 days; 60 – 90 days and more than 90 days broken down in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35194/23]
View answer777. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health the number of people awaiting endoscopy in the counties Cavan and Monaghan; the number of these that have been waiting up to 30 days; 30 – 60 days; 60 – 90 days and more than 90 days, broken down in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35195/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 776 and 777 together.
It is recognised that waiting times for many scheduled appointments and procedures were too long before and have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. 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. On the 7th March, I published the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, which is the next stage of a new multi-annual approach to sustainably reduce and reform hospital waiting lists, and builds on the foundational work done through the short-term Waiting List Action Plan between September and December 2021, which was followed by the first full year Waiting List Action Plan for 2022, both having reversed the annual trend of rising waiting lists.
The 2023 Plan sets out the priorities to continue to address waiting lists this year. The 30 actions in the Plan, which are governed by the Waiting List Task Force, focus on delivering capacity, reforming scheduled care and enabling scheduled care reform.
For 2023, funding totalling €443 million is being allocated to tackle Waiting Lists with €363 million of this being allocated to the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, to implement longer term reforms and provide additional public and private activity to clear backlogs exacerbated during the pandemic. This will reduce hospital waiting lists by 10% in 2023 as well as continuing to significantly reduce waiting times in line with Sláintecare recommendations. The remaining €80 million of the €443 million is being targeted at various measures to alleviate community/primary care waiting lists.
With this ambitious 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, my Department, the HSE and the NTPF are taking the next steps in the multi-annual approach towards achieving our vision of a world-class public healthcare system in which everyone has timely and transparent access to high-quality scheduled care, where and when they need it, in line with Sláintecare reforms.
In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, the tabular information, provided to my Department by the NTPF, sets out the number of patients awaiting colonoscopy and endoscopy procedures in counties Cavan and Monaghan in the time-bands requested.
Endoscopy by area of residence for Cavan and Monaghan
|
Up to 30 days |
8 |
8 |
|
61 to 90 |
5 |
5 |
|
90+ days |
19 |
19 |
|
Small Volume Time Band |
4 |
4 |
|
Grand Total |
36 |
36 |
Colonoscopy area of residence Cavan and Monaghan
|
Up to 30 days |
11 |
11 |
|
31 to 60 |
11 |
11 |
|
61 to 90 |
11 |
11 |
|
90+ days |
27 |
27 |
|
Grand Total |
60 |
60 |
