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

-----and it will be done. However, what I have just stated shows the great progress that can be made by means of reform.

The Deputies opposite were involved in a Government which had access to unprecedented amounts of money. However, that Administration did not take advantage of this and institute the reforms that were so badly required. From 1997 to 2007, health spending quadrupled but accident and emergency departments became increasingly crowded and outpatient lists became longer and longer. We have also reduced the target for inpatient treatment from nine months to eight. Some 99.99% of the 41,287 adult patients on the elective waiting list were seen within eight months. That is also a very positive achievement, particularly in light of the downward revision of the target. A total of 95% of children awaiting inpatient or day-case surgery are waiting for under 20 weeks and 99% of patients awaiting routine endoscopy procedures are waiting for fewer than 13 weeks. This means that some targets have not been met and we have a plan to deal with that. We will deal with it.

I wish to bring to the attention of the House the significant service developments that are provided for in the 2014 service plan. In line with the commitment in the programme for Government in respect of universal health insurance, a GP service without fees at the point of use will be provided to an estimated 240,000 children aged five and under in 2014. Additional funding of €37 million was provided in the budget to meet the cost of this measure. This is critically important as a building block on the road to universal health insurance. A further €20 million has been earmarked to meet the commitment in the programme for Government in respect of mental health services. This funding will allow for continued strengthening of community teams, increased suicide prevention resources and clinical programme development and implementation and will support an extra 250 to 280 posts. These posts are in addition to the approximately 900 posts approved to date under the programme for Government commitment to mental health service development.

The 2014 HSE service plan includes provision of an additional €178 million for vital service developments, including €35 million for new medical cards and €30 million to meet increased demand across the acute service areas to which I referred earlier. Other priority service areas addressed in the plan at my specific request include additional funding of €4.5 million for the continued roll-out of diabetic retinopathy screening and treatment - thus ensuring that many people who would otherwise have gone blind will not do so - and €3.2 million to provide a service to undertake bilateral cochlear implants, with particular focus on five and six year olds in order that no one will pass his or her seventh birthday without having such implants inserted, if necessary, and thus miss out on the opportunity for near normal hearing.

A total of €10 million is being provided for young people with disabilities leaving school and training and requiring emergency and residential needs placements so that their parents are not forced to spend the summer worrying about where their children will find a place in the autumn.

Almost €3 million is being provided for additional organ donation and transplantation resources to benefit patients and their families, in particular to allow for more live kidney donations. A total of €1.2 million will allow the discharge from hospital and required care in the community for special care children who have undergone tracheotomies in order to allow such children to grow up at home and not in hospital.

The primary focus of the HSE throughout this year will be to deliver the same level of front-line services with a reduced budget while ensuring that quality and safety are paramount. In this regard, the director general has highlighted that the Haddington Road agreement provides an important mechanism for delivering the service plan. I fully endorse those comments.

Speakers referred to the fair deal scheme. There has been a transfer of €23 million which will mean 700 fewer people in long-term care and not 900 fewer as stated. This will allow more than 1,000 extra people to stay at home as a result of the introduction of new supports. More people will be availing of free GP care with more than 2.2 million entitled to and in a position to access free GP care during the course of this year.

The refrain from the other side of the House is that the health service is in chaos and that it will collapse. Chaos is 569 people on trolleys on a day in January 2011; chaos is not even knowing the extent of an outpatient waiting list; chaos is having no idea how long a patient must wait to have an operation, a wait which could run to one, two or four years. Despite the constraints, the system can now look after patients in a far better way. There has been a massive, 95% reduction in the numbers waiting longer than one year for an outpatient appointment, a reduction of 34% in the numbers enduring long waits on trolleys and all adult patients are being treated within the eight-month period set down for inpatient procedures once seen by a consultant.

See this speech in context