Written answers

Tuesday, 23 May 2023

Department of Health

Hospital Waiting Lists

Photo of Holly CairnsHolly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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931. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to address the long waiting lists for endometriosis clinics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25012/23]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In relation to endometriosis care in Ireland, the HSE’s National Women & Infants Programme has commenced the development of National Endometriosis Framework, which will be rolled out in a phased basis and published in 2023. This Framework will identify how care for women in this area needs to be delivered, with this care spanning primary care to local hospital care to specialist complex care.

Investment in this area commenced over the course of 2021 and 2022 with two supra-regional complex endometriosis services in the process of being established in Tallaght and Cork. The complex services in Tallaght and Cork will be supported by a network of 5 regional endometriosis hub services, which are being developed, and that will co-ordinate care within their respective Hospital Groups.

In terms of the waiting times for endometriosis services, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Photo of Holly CairnsHolly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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932. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to address the long waiting lists for pain specialists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25013/23]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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It is recognised that waiting times for many scheduled appointments and procedures were too long before and have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Department of Health continues to work with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to identify ways to improve access to care. On the 7th March, I published the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, which is the next stage of a new multi-annual approach to sustainably reduce and reform hospital waiting lists, and builds on the foundational work done through the short-term Waiting List Action Plan between September and December 2021, which was followed by the first full year Waiting List Action Plan for 2022, both having reversed the annual trend of rising waiting lists.

The 2023 Plan sets out the priorities to continue to address waiting lists this year. The 30 actions in the Plan, which are governed by the Waiting List Task Force, focus on delivering capacity, reforming scheduled care and enabling scheduled care reform.

For 2023, funding totalling €443 million is being allocated to tackle Waiting Lists with €363 million of this being allocated to the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, to implement longer term reforms and provide additional public and private activity to clear backlogs exacerbated during the pandemic. This will reduce hospital waiting lists by 10% in 2023 as well as continuing to significantly reduce waiting times in line with Sláintecare recommendations. The remaining €80 million of the €443 million is being targeted at various measures to alleviate community/primary care waiting lists.

With this ambitious 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, my Department, the HSE and the NTPF are taking the next steps in the multi-annual approach towards achieving our vision of a world-class public healthcare system in which everyone has timely and transparent access to high-quality scheduled care, where and when they need it, in line with Sláintecare reforms.

The NTPF has advised my Department, that they have approved 7 pain management outpatient insourcing initiatives for funding so far in 2023, which will facilitate over 3,900 appointments for patients on OPD pain management waiting lists.

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