Written Answers Nos. 314-329
314. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the progress to date in the determination of an application for medical card in the case of a person (details supplied); the documentation outstanding; when the application will be concluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31132/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
315. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the progress to date in the determination of a medical card review in the case of a person (details supplied); when the review will be concluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31133/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
316. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the progress to date in the determination of an application for a medical card in the case of a person (details supplied); when the application will be concluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31138/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
317. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the recruitment of an ophthalmologist in County Laois. [31151/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
318. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in counties Laois and Offaly who are waiting to access the ophthalmology services for more than six months and in excess of one and two years. [31152/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraImproving waiting times for hospital procedures is a key commitment in the Programme for Government and in 2018 €50 million was allocated to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to provide treatment for patients.
The Inpatient/Day Case Action Plan, launched in April, outlines the combined impact of Health Service Executive (HSE) and NTPF activity in 2018.
In 2018 the NTPF will outsource 22,000 inpatient day cases, while the HSE will deliver 1.14 million hospital operations or procedures. The Action Plan places a particular focus on cataract surgery. The plan commits to offering treatment to all cataract patients who are clinically suitable for outsourcing and who have been waiting more than 9 months for treatment.
In terms of the waiting times in the locations outlined by the Deputy, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
319. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health the number of orthodontists employed by the HSE in counties Laois and Offaly; and the number of those below 18 years of age awaiting the service for more than one, two, three and four years, respectively. [31153/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
320. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health the number of dentists employed by the HSE in counties Laois and Offaly to provide a service to school children; and his plans to improve the service. [31154/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
321. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in counties Laois and Offaly who are awaiting audiology services in the HSE system; and the number waiting one, two, three and four years, respectively. [31155/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
322. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health the number of children waiting for CAMHS services in counties Laois and Offaly; and the number waiting more than six months, one year and more than two years. [31156/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
323. Deputy Frank O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the way in which a person (details supplied) can access a referral to a registered dietitian in north County Kildare in view of the fact that no such post exists; if the person will be referred to an alternative service; if so, the location and timeline for access to the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31165/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
324. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health the status of an application by a person (details supplied); and if it will be expedited. [31175/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
325. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which an audit has been carried out to identify the extent to which elective patients can access their required procedures through the course of shorter waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31192/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra326. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if a structure can be arranged whereby a general practitioner on referring a patient to a consultant can expect a more readily accessible treatment within a shorter timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31193/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra327. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the degree to which a referral by a general practitioner of a patient to a consultant for an elective procedure can be streamlined with a view to a dramatic reduction in delays on waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31194/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 325 to 327, inclusive, together.
Improving waiting times for hospital procedures is a key commitment in the Programme for Government.
There are a number of waiting list initiatives currently underway to improve access this year, in particular, the Inpatient and Day Case Action Plan which was launched in April 2018 and the allocation of €50 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) in Budget 2018 to secure treatment for patients and reduce waiting times.
The Action Plan targets a reduction in the waiting list for inpatient and day case treatment to below 70,000 by the end of 2018. Under the Plan, the HSE will deliver 1.14 million hospital procedures. The NTPF will deliver additionality to the health system with the provision of 22,000 Inpatient Day Case treatments through both outsourcing and HSE insourcing.
In addition my Department will continue to work with the HSE and the NTPF to identify sustainable initiatives to improve waiting times. Last year funding was allocated to provide additional capacity at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital as a result of such initiatives and a cataract theatre is now operational three days per week. This year, in line with the Action Plan, the HSE is planning to open a dedicated Cataract theatre in Nenagh Hospital later this month.
The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) is responsible for collecting and validating all waiting lists for public hospitals. As part of its statutory responsibilities the NTPF has also developed the National Waiting List Management Protocol, a standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This Protocol, which has been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists. Furthermore, the NTPF also undertakes an annual audit programme of public hospitals to ensure compliance with the waiting list protocol.
Last month I approved the establishment of a central validation function in the National Treatment Purchase Fund in order to centralise the validation of all waiting lists across the HSE. The NTPF envisages being in a position to commence validation of patient files from September of this year.
More broadly, my Department has placed a particular priority on performance improvement in scheduled and unscheduled care in order to improve access for patients. At the end of 2017, a new Unit was established in my Department with a remit to work with colleagues, HSE and NTPF to provide strategic direction and drive a whole-of-Department approach to performance oversight and innovation in this area. The monitoring of waiting lists is a key activity of this Unit.
In addition, work on the development of an integrated waiting list solution, tailored specifically to meet the needs of the Irish health system, is being advanced this year. The NTPF has examined the feasibility to progressing to an integrated system. This report is being reviewed by my unit with a view to establishing a high-level governance structure at system level to lead on implementation.
328. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the most commonly identified causes for delays on long waiting lists for elective patients referred by general practitioners to consultants; the extent to which the most readily identified causes have been discovered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31195/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraImproving waiting times for hospital procedures is a key commitment in the Programme for Government. Investing in additional capacity, including beds and theatre space; the progression of recruitment and retention of staff; the delivery of the NDP project including dedicated elective only hospitals and the ambitious reform agenda in the SláinteCare Report will improve waiting times and access for patients.
As Minister for Health, I am committed to continuing the efforts to address the capacity of the hospital system and in particular its ability to respond during periods of peak demand. In this context, I have asked my Department to work with the HSE to identify the location and mix of beds across the hospital system, which can be opened and staffed this year and into 2019 in order to improve preparedness for Winter 2018/2019.
In recent years, public acute hospital inpatient/daycase activity has increased on a year-on-year basis. In 2016, there was a 2% increase in inpatient/day-case activity over 2015, with almost 1.14 million patients receiving treatment in public hospitals, an increase of almost 40,000 on the previous year. This year, the HSE will deliver 1.14 million hospital operations or procedures and treat 3.3 million outpatients and the NTPF will fund 22,000 Inpatient/Daycase treatments.
Waiting list data for the past three years shows that the highest waiting lists have been across the specialties of orthopaedics, ophthalmology and Otolaryngology (ENT). In this context, the Inpatient/Day Case Action Plan 2018 outlines the combined impact of HSE and NTPF activity in 2018 and includes a particular focus on those specialties with high waiting lists. Under the Plan, the NTPF has committed to providing 5,000 cataracts, 800 hip/knee replacements, 1,200 tonsillectomies.
In addition my Department will continue to work with the HSE and the NTPF to identify sustainable initiatives to improve waiting times. Last year funding was allocated to provide additional capacity at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital as a result of such initiatives and a cataract theatre is now operational three days per week. This year, in line with the Action Plan, the HSE is planning to open a dedicated Cataract theatre in Nenagh Hospital later this month.
More broadly, my Department has placed a particular priority on performance improvement in scheduled and unscheduled care in order to improve access for patients. At the end of 2017, a new Unit was established in my Department with a remit to work with colleagues, HSE and NTPF to provide strategic direction and drive a whole-of-Department approach to performance oversight and innovation in this area. The monitoring of waiting lists is a key activity of this Unit. While the development of an integrated waiting list solution, tailored specifically to meet the needs of our health system, is also being advanced this year.
329. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the reason for long hospital waiting lists in respect of the most acutely affected procedures; if bed shortages, theatre availability, staff availability, delays in accessing various tests or other contributory factors have been identified as central to the accumulation of waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31196/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraImproving waiting times for hospital procedures is a key commitment in the Programme for Government. Investing in additional capacity, including beds and theatre space; the progression of recruitment and retention of staff; the delivery of the NDP project including dedicated elective only hospitals and the ambitious reform agenda in the SláinteCare Report will improve waiting times and access for patients.
As Minister for Health, I am committed to continuing the efforts to address the capacity of the hospital system and in particular its ability to respond during periods of peak demand. In this context, I have asked my Department to work with the HSE to identify the location and mix of beds across the hospital system, which can be opened and staffed this year and into 2019 in order to improve preparedness for Winter 2018/2019.
A submission received from the HSE in this regard is currently under consideration by my Department. I can confirm that this proposal includes both new beds which incur capital costs and new beds within existing space which have little or no capital cost requirement.
There are also a number of waiting list initiatives currently underway to improve access this year. In particular, the Inpatient and Day Case Action Plan which was launched in April 2018 and the allocation of €50 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) in Budget 2018 to secure treatment for patients and reduce waiting times.
The Action Plan targets a reduction in the waiting list for inpatient and day case treatment to below 70,000 by the end of 2018. Under the Plan, the HSE will deliver 1.14 million hospital procedures. The NTPF will deliver additionality to the health system with the provision of 22,000 Inpatient Day Case treatments through both outsourcing and HSE insourcing.
Under the Plan, the NTPF, working closely with the HSE, has invited all hospital groups to develop proposals to maximise the use of existing facilities and capacity. The NTPF advises it has received 70 different proposals across all hospital groups. Arising from this, from January to June this year, 3,500 offers for treatment in a public hospital have been accepted and 2,400 patients have been treated.
In addition my Department will continue to work with the HSE and the NTPF to identify sustainable initiatives to improve waiting times. Last year funding was allocated to provide additional capacity at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital as a result of such initiatives and a cataract theatre is now operational three days per week. This year, in line with the Action Plan, the HSE is planning to open a dedicated Cataract theatre in Nenagh Hospital later this month.
