Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Aylward for raising this matter. I am pleased to take this opportunity to update the House on scoliosis services. Long waiting times for scoliosis surgery are not acceptable, and the Department is working closely with the Health Service Executive, HSE, to address services pressures, particularly in Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin, which is the largest provider of scoliosis surgery for children and young people.

Additional funding of €1.042 million was allocated under the 2015 service plan to increase capacity at Crumlin, and further resources of €0.987 million were allocated under the 2016 service plan for orthopaedics and trauma to address service needs in Crumlin. The HSE is actively working with the hospital to advance the development of orthopaedic services, including spinal surgery services, which will have a positive effect on access for scoliosis patients. All patients on the waiting list are clinically triaged by a consultant as to their acuity and surgeries are carried out in order of clinical priority and waiting time, in order to provide an equitable service.

The number of consultant orthopaedic surgeons at Crumlin has increased by 1.5 whole time equivalents. The construction of a new orthopaedic theatre in Crumlin has been completed. This new facility will provide capacity for additional scoliosis activity in 2017. However, the use of this theatre is dependent on the recruitment of additional theatre nurses. While the hospital continues to successfully recruit nursing staff, balancing this with attrition rates, maternity leave and sick leave continues to present a challenge. The Children's Hospital Group is exhausting every recruitment and retention avenue available to it, including international recruitment, and is proactively working on nurse recruitment to support the opening of the new theatre.

In order to improve access in the short term, the HSE winter initiative 2016-17 includes €2 million provided specifically for surgery for scoliosis patients. To date under this initiative, 54 patients have been treated, have received appointments for treatment or been removed from the waiting list through clinical validation. This includes nine additional patients who have had their surgery at Crumlin and eight who have been given treatment dates. In addition, 23 patients have had surgery, or are scheduled for surgery, at Blackrock Clinic. Crumlin is continuing to work through a capacity plan to schedule patients that do not meet the age and clinical criteria for surgery in another hospital.

In an effort to address inpatient and outpatient spinal orthopaedic waiting lists at Tallaght hospital, an additional half-time consultant was appointed in late 2014. In 2015, some €1 million was provided by the HSE to fund 100 degenerate spinal surgeries at Tallaght. An additional consultant is due to also start work at the hospital in July 2017.

The Department will continue to work with the HSE and the relevant hospitals to ensure improvements in access to spinal surgery. The Children's Hospital Group is engaging with the scoliosis advocacy groups on developing a partnership approach to the design and planning of services for children with scoliosis. This provides an opportunity for them to work with hospitals and consultants in the design and planning of paediatric scoliosis services.

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