Peter Burke
Ceist:622. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) will be considered for the National Treatment Purchase Fund. [12793/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 26 March 2019
Ceisteanna (622)
Freagraí scríofa
Reducing waiting time for patients for hospital operations and procedures is a key priority for the Government.
Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
The National Waiting List Management Policy, a standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, since January 2014, has been developed 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 policy, which has been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In terms of treatment offers, the NTPF authorises public hospitals to offer outsourced treatment to clinically suitable long-waiting patients who are on an inpatient/day case waiting list for surgery, having been referred on to such a list following clinical assessment by a consultant/specialist at an outpatient clinic. NTPF authorisations are made in respect of the longest-waiting patients first.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.