Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this timely and important question. A key challenge for our health system is to ensure that patients have timely access to health services, in light of significantly increased demand. The overall demand for hospital treatment is increasing year on year in line with a growing and ageing population and the expanded range of treatments thankfully made possible by new technology. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, estimated an increase of almost 1% in the total population between April 2015 and April 2016, with the number of people in older age groups increasing at a faster rate. For example, the number of people over 85 years of age is currently increasing by 3.3% per annum. Thank God for that, but it puts extra pressure on our health service.

Every year there are over 3 million outpatient attendances at our hospitals and in the first half of 2016 there was an increase of over 4% in the number of outpatient attendances compared with the same period last year.

My Department works closely with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, to implement measures to try to improve waiting times. At my request in August, the HSE developed an action plan to reduce, by year end, the number of patients currently waiting 18 months or more for an inpatient-day case procedure. I expect it to deliver on that plan.

In addition, within current resources, the NTPF is currently implementing an endoscopy initiative which aims to ensure that by year end no patient will be waiting 12 months or more for an endoscopy procedure. We all know the importance of driving down that waiting time, and it has reduced in the last two months in a row.

Furthermore, €7 million of the winter initiative funding is to be utilised to fund a targeted waiting list programme - the Deputy is correct that targeting particular areas is important - to provide treatment for patients waiting for orthopaedic, spinal and scoliosis procedures.

Finally, budget 2017 provides for the treatment of our longest waiting patients. A sum of €20 million is being allocated to the NTPF. It is the first ring-fenced allocation to drive down waiting lists for a number of years. That will increase to €55 million in 2018. That is a total of €75 million for 2017 and 2018 specifically to use all the resources across the health service, public and private, to drive down waiting lists. Planning of this initiative is at an advanced stage by the NTPF, my Department and the HSE. I expect to receive proposals on this shortly, but the target will be those waiting the longest and areas of acuity where there is particular difficulty.

See this speech in context