Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Callaghan for this important question on outpatient times in St. Vincent's University Hospital specifically. I am absolutely committed to reducing waiting times for patients, both for patients waiting for inpatient or day case procedures and for outpatient appointments. During 2016, there has been evidence of a considerable increase in demand for health services as our population grows and ages. In order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, the HSE is developing waiting list action plans in the area of inpatient, day case, scoliosis and outpatient services, which is the issue the Deputy has raised. Draft waiting list action plans for outpatients, inpatient, day case and scoliosis are with my Department, and it is reviewing these plans. Engagement is ongoing with the HSE and I expect to be able to publish them in the coming weeks.

In November 2016, the HSE launched the Strategy for the Design of Integrated Outpatient Services 2016-2020. The strategy seeks to improve waiting times for outpatient services in the long term by restructuring referral pathways and utilising technology to improve service delivery. The HSE has significantly progressed the development of a draft outpatient waiting list action plan. In the plan, the HSE will identify proposals to reduce the number of patients waiting long periods of time for outpatient appointments across all hospitals, including St. Vincent's University Hospital. A number of initiatives are in place in St. Vincent's hospital to address waiting times, including the introduction of virtual clinics and pooling of referrals, which means people are not referred to a specific consultant. The target is that no patient will wait longer than 15 months by the end of October. While it is still too long, it would constitute significant progress on current waiting times. I expect to make known the details of the outpatient waiting list action plan in the coming weeks.

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