Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The NTPF was established on a statutory basis in 2004. Since its establishment, the NTPF has carried out a range of functions, including arranging the provision of hospital treatment, maintaining and validating waiting list data, and making arrangements in respect of the price for long-term residential care services under the nursing homes support scheme. The NTPF's annual funding allocation was at its highest between 2004 and 2012 when it was involved in arranging the direct provision of hospital treatment to patients.

Since 2012, the NTPF's role has focused on the maintenance, audit and quality assurance of waiting lists, pricing under the nursing homes support scheme, and supporting the HSE in the delivery of a number of waiting list initiatives, most commonly initiatives regarding endoscopy. During this time, the NTPF has also directly delivered a number of smaller waiting list initiatives such as the endoscopy initiative in 2016. Its annual budget allocation has been aligned with these functions. I propose to circulate with the Official Report a tabular statement setting out details of the annual budget of the NTPF and the number of patients treated per annum. The Deputy asked for information on the procedures. I do not have that in my file but I will get the Deputy a detailed note of what was done in each of the years.

The 2017 budget provides for the treatment of the longest waiting patients. The budget allocates €20 million to the NTPF for 2017, rising to €55 million in 2018, giving a total of approximately €77 million for dedicated waiting list initiatives between 2017 and 2018. Planning of this initiative is at an advanced stage by the NTPF, my Department and the HSE. I expect to receive proposals from them very shortly. I will focus on the longest waiters. While, the NTPF was very effective in getting treatments done, it did not always focus on the longest waiters. There cannot be self-selection. We must focus on those waiting the longest. We must also focus on particular specialties where there are specific delays, such as orthopaedics and scoliosis which were identified in the winter initiative. We also have waiting problems in ear, nose and throat, ENT, and some general surgery. I have asked for the longest waiting, the areas of acuity and the areas in which we have particular difficulty and I will have plans for it very shortly.

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