Reducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. Consequently, Budget 2017 allocated €20 million to the NTPF, rising to €55 million in 2018. In December, I granted approval to the NTPF for a €5m initiative focusing on daycase procedures which will aim to ensure that no patient is waiting more than 18 months for a daycase procedure, including in gynaecology, by 30 June.
I have asked the HSE to submit a Waiting List Action Plan for 2017 in respect of both the Inpatient/Daycase and the Outpatient Waiting Lists. The focus of these plans will be to ensure that no patient is waiting more than 15 months by the end of October 2017. As part of these plans the HSE has been asked to target specialties, services and hospitals with highest numbers of long waiters as well as improving in-sourcing in public sector, within and across Hospital Groups. In addition, on 23 January, I wrote to the HSE requesting that, in developing these Action Plans, a particular focus be given to reducing waiting times in gynaecology.
I am aware that there are difficulties in relation to waiting times for gynaecology services in Cork University Hospital. On 12 January, I visited the hospital to meet with hospital management, South/South West Hospital Group management and a number of consultant obstetricians/gynaecologists, to learn at first-hand about these problems, which are in part due to staff resource challenges including those associated with recruiting Theatre Staff Nurses. I have asked my officials to work closely with the HSE and the Hospital Group to ensure that the waiting list for gynaecology procedures is addressed as a priority.
The hospital has advised that the provision of additional gynaecology operating capacity is a priority for the Executive Management Board, as is the optimisation of output from those theatres sessions already in place. In that regard, the Board is working with the Gynaecology Department and the Hospital Group to maximise capacity in the theatre sessions already in place, recruit additional Theatre Staff Nurses to provide additional theatre time and to progress the introduction of pre-admission assessment for these patients to improve efficiencies and patient flow.
I would also like to draw the attention of the Deputy to the newly established National Women & Infants Health Programme (NWIHP). The NWIHP will lead the management, organisation and delivery of maternity, gynaecological and neonatal services, ensure the consistent delivery of high quality care in these services and oversee the development of maternity networks. Governance arrangements for the networks will be agreed between the NWIHP and the hospital group CEOs. It will facilitate greater oversight and support for service providers.
I am hopeful that the new maternity network which is currently being established in the South/South West Hospital Group (SSWHG) will ensure better coordination and utilisation of maternity and gynaecological resources across the group. In that regard, I am pleased to note the very recent appointment of Professor John Higgins as Clinical Director Women and Children Services for the SSWHG. I am advised that Prof. Higgins will assume clinical and executive responsibility for maternity services in the Group's four maternity hospitals viz Cork University Maternity Hospital, University Hospital Kerry, University Hospital Waterford and South Tipperary General Hospital on the 28 of February next.
I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly on the specific questions raised concerning the assessment of patients on the Cork University Hospital gynaecology waiting lists.
