Vol. 519 No. 6
17 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the numbers on hospital waiting lists at the latest date for which figures are available; the steps being taken to reduce the numbers on the lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14586/00]
The number on in-patient hospital waiting lists as at 31 March 2000, the latest date for which figures are available, is 34,370. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the numbers on waiting lists have fallen by 2,485 or 6.75% on the end of December quarter. This welcome reduction has been achieved in a period of high levels of medical admissions due to flu-like illnesses and is a reflection of the priority being attached to addressing high waiting lists.
It is my intention to pursue continual reductions in waiting lists and waiting times for hospital treatment. In this context, following a series of discussions with the chief executive officers of the health boards, I announced yesterday a £10 million initiative aimed at maximising available capacity in the system to enable an additional 7,600 waiting list procedures to be performed before the end of the year. This funding will be allocated on the basis of the performance of each agency in reaching the activity targets they have agreed. The proposals to be funded are based on a series of innovative measures, including use of facilities during the traditional summer closures period, cross-contracting arrangements between agencies and from the private sector, extended theatre and ward opening times, extended weekend work and the contracting of activity from hospitals in Northern Ireland.
These short-term measures are being taken in tandem with longer-term measures associated with the £2 billion investment under the national development plan, the ongoing implementation of the recommendations of the Expert Review Group on the Waiting List Initiative and the national bed capacity review now under way. It is my intention to continue to take all available steps to address the short, medium and longer term issues associated with lengthy waiting lists and waiting times.
I thank the Minister for his reply. Does he accept that after three years in office, the Government has singularly failed to make any real impact on the waiting lists? Does he agree the Government has not even succeeded in bringing waiting lists down to the level at which they were when he and his Government took office? Does he also accept that the numbers waiting in practically all the major Dublin hospitals are higher than they were 12 months ago? Is this not a matter of concern to him? How does he intend to deal with this problem in the major – most of the tertiary – hospitals in Dublin?
How will the Minister restructure health provision to ensure those who have the greatest need to access procedures and operations, as opposed to those who have the ability to pay, access them as that is part of a commitment under the health strategy and by the ERHA? The Minister has not outlined this in any statement he has made.
In regard to staffing, the Minister has not mentioned consultants. I am sure he is aware that in the past year fewer consultant posts have been filled compared to the previous two years. How does he intend to increase staffing levels to provide for this extra work to which he is committed under the latest announcement?
I do not accept the Deputy's verdict on the Government's performance in relation to the health services.
It is a fact.
It is not a fact; it is how one presents the facts and the position. It is not surprising that the Deputy, given her political perspective, offered the view she has. I would offer a counter view. There has been a significant increase in activity in the health services since this Government came to office. There has been a dramatic increase in the numbers attending on both an in-patient and out patient basis and in day cases. The numbers attending on a day case basis is up 10% this year. The level of activity has increased dramatically and more people are being treated in our hospitals this year than in the previous two years.
One must look at the waiting list issue in the context of the overall volume of activity in the health services. We have invested significantly in the waiting list initiative and have made inroads in a number of areas and will continue to do so, particularly on the cardiac front. Making significant inroads on the cardiac front will require additional capacity in terms of theatre capacity, investment and availability of beds and so on. That is ongoing.
In terms of those most in need, there are two categories. There are those who cannot afford private health care. That is the basis of yesterday's initiative, on top of the £22 million we made available at the beginning of the year. The purpose is to increase the number of procedures that will be carried out at the end of the year and to give people in that situation the opportunity to access them. The clinicians have a key role in identifying and prioritising those who are most in need from a clinical perspective.
The proposals before us yesterday arose from consultations we have had with the health boards' chief executive officers, beginning almost eight weeks ago. We asked them to make proposals on what additional procedures they could undertake, taking on board human resource constraints, strengths and weaknesses in terms of physical capacity, and so on. The plans they produced, which we have endorsed and funded, have taken on board issues pertaining to consultants, staff availability, nursing availability, and so forth.
Would the Minister accept that he is losing the battle, especially in terms of waiting times, an issue raised by him and his predecessor? Some 72% of cardiac patients are waiting more than 12 months for treatment. In terms of waiting times the problem is getting worse. Will he confirm that some patients are waiting seven years for treatment? It is an issue that has been raised in the newspapers and the media.
With regard to the issue raised yesterday, my office contacted the Western Health Board for clarification. It said it was unaware of any person in its area waiting seven years for an operation in neurology. It went on to say it was engaged in a major exercise in terms of computerisation of the information and that it required the co-operation of all consultants to make their lists and information available to it. Regrettably, in a number of instances that has not happened. I call on all involved in compiling statistics to play a constructive role and to work together in terms of compiling and validating them.
