Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The HSE is continuing to experience a significant increase in demand for its services, which is reflected in an upward trend reported in waiting lists for July 2014. The success of the outpatient initiative run by the HSE at the end of 2013, and further validation work in 2014, resulted in the facilitation of 33,000 extra outpatient appointments in 2013 and an additional 55,883 such appointments thus far in 2014. As the Deputy can see, there has been an increase in capacity. The success of the outpatient waiting list initiative last year in reducing the waiting list from over 100,000 in March 2013 to fewer than 5,000 in December 2013 has had the consequence of driving up inpatient and day-case waiting lists as patients are referred for appropriate treatment. In addition, other pressures such as almost 30,000 new cancer diagnoses each year are placing increasing demands - of the order of 3,000-6,000 additional referral requirements - on the system each month.

Almost half of the 7,727 patients waiting over eight months for inpatient and day-case treatment are accounted for by three hospitals, namely, Beaumont, the Mater and Galway. There are several potential strategies hospitals can use when planning their resources most effectively around the delivery of the national access targets for their patients. For example, improvements in chronological scheduling, consistent validation of waiting lists and active engagement with patients to reduce "did not attend", or DNA, rates are under way in order to address outpatient waiting list. Similar measures, as well as optimisation of theatre capacity and day of surgery admission, where possible, are being employed to improve management of inpatient and day-case waiting lists. All hospitals have been asked to provide action plans to address all waiting lists by the HSE's national director of acute hospital services. These individual hospital plans will be monitored by the special delivery unit's scheduled care team.

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