Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 June 2017
191. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health if his Department will consider tendering patient testing in the areas of respiratory, neurology, gastroenterology, vascular and cardiology to the private sector in order to cut the waiting times in hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30310/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI acknowledge that waiting times are often unacceptably long and I am conscious of the burden that this places on patients and their families.
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 order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, I asked the HSE to develop Waiting List Action Plans for 2017 in the areas of Inpatient/Daycase, Scoliosis and Outpatient Services. The Inpatient/Daycase and Outpatient Plans which have now been published and are currently being implemented, focus on reducing as much as possible within existing resources the number of patients waiting 15 months or more for inpatient and daycase treatment or outpatient appointment by the end of October. The Scoliosis Action Plan aims to ensure that no patient who requires scoliosis surgery will be waiting more than four months for surgery by the end of 2017.
Under these Plans, since early February, over 14,700 patients have come off the Inpatient/Daycase Waiting List, nearly 52,000 patients have come off the Outpatient Waiting List and 136 scoliosis surgeries have taken place.
In addition, the NTPF has advised that under the ongoing Daycase Waiting List Initiative over 2,700 patients files have been transferred to private hospitals under this Initiative, over 750 patients have accepted an offer of treatment in a private hospital and that 230 patients have received their procedure.
In addition, in November 2016, the HSE launched the Strategy for the Design of Integrated Outpatient Services 2016-2020. This strategy seeks to improve waiting times for outpatient services in the long term by restructuring referral pathways and utilising technology to improve service delivery.
