Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am answering this matter on behalf of the Minister who is unavoidably absent. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of waiting lists for ear, nose and throat specialist consultations.

As the Deputy is aware, improving access to outpatient services is a key priority for the Government. Tackling outpatient waiting lists is the next priority for the special delivery unit established by the Minister for Health in 2011 to unblock access to our acute hospitals.

In 2012, building on work already undertaken by the Health Service Executive and the National Treatment Purchase Fund a national project was initiated to compile, for the first time, an outpatient waiting list database based on patient-level information from individual hospitals.

For the first time, clear data on the OPD waiting list is now being reported. The waiting list for outpatients is updated monthly and is available on www.ntpt.ie. The data show numbers waiting over the various time bands for a first appointment at a consultant-led clinic. In a further enhancement of the reporting, future updates will, for the first time, include numbers reported by specialty, including ENT, in addition to the breakdown by hospital. However, that data is not yet available.

The outpatient waiting list number currently reported, as of 28 March 2013, is 384,632 - slightly lower than the January figure. The data also show that more than half of people on the list are waiting less than six months and almost 75% are waiting less than 12 months.

For 2013, a maximum waiting time target has been set of 12 months for a first-time outpatient appointment and this is reflected in the HSE service plan. This will apply to all patients, including those waiting for ear, nose and throat consultations.

The collation and analysis of outpatient waiting time data in a standardised format, allow resources to be targeted towards those patients who are waiting longest and ensure that they are seen and assessed. Currently, the focus is on hospitals continuing the validation of waiting lists. All hospitals have been engaged in this process which is anticipated to be complete by mid-May 2013. At that point, the SDU will have a better view of the profile of long waiters in terms of their numbers, geographical and specialty distribution.

In parallel with reducing the numbers of longest waiters, an outpatient reform programme is under way with the special delivery unit, the HSE outpatient reform team and the HSE clinical programmes. This overarching programme is examining the structure and operation of outpatient clinics to ensure the right patient is seen and assessed by the right health professional at the right time. Implementation of this programme will ensure a sustainable low-wait environment for outpatient services and prevent the build-up of long waiters. As stated in the strategic framework document, Future Health, one of the key goals of hospital reform is to deliver more responsive and equitable access to vital services for all patients and a key action is the reduction of waiting times. The Government is determined to deliver on this goal.

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