The waiting lists issue has been comprehensively addressed in the health strategy Quality and Fairness: A Health System for You. The strategy placed waiting times in focus and outlined the need for immediate action. One of the actions for dealing with the waiting list issue was the establishment of the national treatment purchase fund. The NTPF was set up in April 2002 and referred its first patients for treatment at the end of June 2002.
The work of the NTPF is patient-centred with the aim of taking public patients who have waited the longest off waiting lists by providing them with the highest standard and quality of care. The NTPF purchases procedures for public patients predominantly from private hospitals in Ireland. Where it is not possible to treat patients within a reasonable period in Ireland, either in public or private hospitals, health boards are making arrangements under the NTPF to refer public patients for treatment abroad, having regard to quality, availability and cost. However, only a small number of patients have travelled to Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom to have their treatment.
To date more than 7,200 patients have received treatment under the NTPF. The fund has identified capacity to treat up to 800 patients per month predominantly in Ireland and in four hospitals in the UK. The NTPF will continue to identify capacity to treat those public patients who have been waiting longest for treatment in order to reduce the waiting time for patients. In relation to costings, the fund has not released individual procedure prices on the grounds of commercial sensitivity. However, I understand from the fund that the price paid per procedure compares favourably with the rates charged by private insurers.
