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

I have been advised by the HSE that Tallaght hospital has entered into a service level agreement with the Mater Private Hospital, approved by the HSE, for the provision of spinal surgery. Under this agreement, 630 patients who had been awaiting an outpatient spinal appointment for more than 12 months were transferred to the Mater Private and will be reviewed by specialist surgeons there. In addition, 31 non-complex deformity spinal patients who were waiting longer than eight months for surgery have had their procedure carried out in the Mater Private under this agreement and a further 42 complex deformity spinal patients are being reviewed by the Mater Private to assess their surgical requirements. I am advised that the cost of this as approved by the HSE is €346,500.

With regard to the two patients referred to by the Deputy, the HSE has advised that outpatient appointments with the treating clinician at Tallaght hospital were scheduled for these patients on 6 February and 10 February, and that both patients attended and are being actively managed. These patients had not been waiting longer than the target time of 12 months. The hospital in Tallaght has recently appointed a second consultant orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in pelvic acetabular trauma. In addition, a new upper limb orthopaedic surgeon has been recruited and is due to take up post in a number of weeks. Tallaght hospital is also working with the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and the HSE to explore solutions that can address spinal service needs across both hospitals and this process will be informed by the ongoing work of the national clinical care programme for orthopaedics in developing a national model of care for spinal patients.

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