Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge Deputy Buckley's track record in pursuing mental health issues and being a strong advocate in this area. If he sends me details of the first matter he raised, I will have it examined. I am not aware of the issue he raised in regard to the ambulance service but will have it checked out by my officials and revert back to the Deputy. We need to expand our ambulance fleet significantly, both the number of vehicles and the number of staff. Additional funding has been allocated to the National Ambulance Service this year to advance that objective. I will get back to the Deputy on both those issues.

I am not familiar with the case Deputy Scanlon outlined but I join him in extending my sympathy to the family concerned on what seems to have been a very tragic incident. The investigative function in such matters does not lie with me but if the Deputy wishes to write to me on the matter, I will make sure it is looked into and that somebody reverts to him with an outline of the situation.

Deputy Neville highlighted a very important issue which I expect, from following the work of the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare, is likely to be very much at the core of our priorities. The need to invest in ICT within the health service is undeniable. The Deputy is right that in the past, as a result of projects that went wrong, many people shied away from taking the necessary steps. We cannot run a health service with large paper files filling room after room. There is an ambitious programme of work already under way by the e-health section of the HSE. The staff are a very dynamic and innovative group of people with whom I have had a lot of contact. The new e-referral system allows GPs to refer patients for hospital appointments electronically. The GP can see while the patient is in the room that the appointment is in the system and there is no need for the collection of letters of referral. We also have introduced an e-prescribing system in some hospitals. This year, every citizen will be assigned an individual health identifier which will be recognised by the HSE's computer system. These are the building blocks. Since December, Cork University Maternity Hospital is the first hospital in the country to have electronic records for every baby born there, which will stay with them throughout their lives. It seems appropriate that this initiative should commence in the maternity service, the plan being to roll it out to Kerry, the Rotunda and Holles Street this year.

Deputy Neville also asked about targets. I have outlined the targets we are setting, namely, that by the end of June, nobody will wait longer than 18 months for a day case procedure and, by the end of October, no person will wait longer than 15 months for an outpatient appointment, impatient procedure or day case procedure. I realise these are still lengthy waiting times, but we have to start somewhere. Given the appalling situation facing children with scoliosis, I have asked the HSE to produce an action plan on scoliosis, which I will have by the end of this month. In addition, the director general has committed that by the end of this year, no child will wait longer than four months for a paediatric scoliosis procedure. It is an ambitious and bold target considering where we are, but it sends a strong message that we will ensure the provision of scoliosis procedures and treatments for children in this country is in line with what is done in other jurisdictions, including in the NHS.

On the issues relating to University Hospital Limerick, I will arrange for an update to be sent to the Deputy.

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