Ms Fiona Brady:

No, I do not believe that is true because the management of the waiting list lies with the acute hospitals. The management in the acute hospitals need to manage the wait times and volumes on their waiting lists. The NTPF only steps in at a certain stage. There is an expectation there for every manager within the hospital to have their own waiting list action plan. There is a national one, but each hospital have its own. I had one myself in Drogheda as well. If someone felt that a waiting list was falling behind a little, it is up to the manager to call in the consultants or the speciality team and have a word with them in relation to that. The NTPF steps in to assist, but the hospitals have to do their bit first.