James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Data on inpatient and day case waiting lists are collected by the National Treatment Purchase Fund. There are currently 136 adults on the in-patient and day case waiting list for ear, nose and throat services at Waterford regional hospital. A total of 73 adults are waiting for an inpatient procedure and 63 adults are waiting for a day case procedure. One patient is waiting longer than nine months but I am pleased to say that the nine month waiting time target set in the HSE service plan will be met. Overall, the numbers now waiting are down more than 28% on the numbers waiting in January this year.

There are currently 88 children waiting. A total of 21 children are waiting for inpatient treatment and 67 for day case treatment, with one child waiting longer than three months. I welcome the fact that the hospital is on course to meet the 20- week waiting time target set in the HSE service plan and that the numbers waiting are down by more than half on the January 2012 position. At that time, 197 children were waiting, of whom 115 had been waiting longer than three months.

These significant improvements in waiting times are evidence that the approach taken by the special delivery unit and the clinical programmes to address access to in-patient and day case procedures is having an effect.

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