John McGuinness
Ceist:844. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if a procedure will be expedited for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25589/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 22 September 2020
Ceisteanna (844)
Freagraí scríofa
The National Treatment Purchase Fund works with public hospitals to offer and provide the funding for 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. The key criteria of the NTPF is the prioritisation of the longest waiting patients first. While the NTPF identifies patients eligible for NTPF treatment, it is solely on the basis of their time spent on the Inpatient/Daycase Waiting List. The clinical suitability of the patient to avail of NTPF funded treatment is determined by the public hospital.
It is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Scheduled care activity was significantly impacted by the necessary decision to defer most elective care appointments and procedures in March, April, and May. The resumption of services from June onwards has allowed for increased activity, and the National Treatment Purchase Fund has recommenced arranging treatment in both private and public hospitals for clinically suitable patients who have been waiting for long periods on public hospital waiting lists.
The monitoring of scheduled care activity and waiting list figures is a key function of the Department of Health. Weekly meetings between Departmental officials, the NTPF and HSE ensure that governance and performance issues are continually monitored. This includes weekly analysis of commissioning activity undertaken by the NTPF, associated HSE insourcing activity, and the review of any issues raised by either the HSE and NTPF in respect of waiting list management and scheduled care activity.
As part of the governance arrangements for the management of NTPF funded outsourced patient treatment, public patients remain on the waiting list of the referring hospital until treatment is completed through the NTPF and the patient is discharged. As a result, in relation to the particular query raised, I have asked the Health Service Executive to raise the issue and respond to the Deputy directly.
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 is a standardised approach used by the HSE to manage scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures. It sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists and was developed in 2014 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.