Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy McDonald. The Minister, Deputy Harris, welcomed the report published by the Ombudsman for Children which highlighted the need for significant improvements to be achieved in waiting times for scoliosis procedures for children and teenagers in this country. Nobody can justify a child having to go through these difficulties and challenges and this pain. I understand the children's hospital group board and the Office of the Ombudsman for Children have developed a joint initiative based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to listen to the voices of children and young people using services in three hospitals in Dublin which will be rolled out this year. Improvement in scoliosis services is absolutely a priority for the Minister, the Government and the HSE in 2017.

I welcome the fact the HSE has committed that no child such as Jane or others will wait longer than four months for such a procedure by the end of this year. This will bring Ireland into line with NHS waiting times in the United Kingdom. As requested by the Minister for Health, the paediatric scoliosis waiting list action plan for 2017 has been jointly developed by the HSE and the children's hospital group. Engagement continues between the Department and the HSE towards finalising this plan. As part of the new proposal to address the scoliosis waiting list a number of children have been identified as clinically appropriate to have their scoliosis surgery in other hospitals, such as the Mater, Cappagh and Temple Street.

The Minister will meet again with the scoliosis advocacy group in the coming weeks to update them on that progress.

An additional €2 million in additional resources was allocated for scoliosis and other orthopaedic service developments this year. A further €5 million of capital funding was provided to develop a new laminar flow orthopaedic theatre and there were difficulties in recruiting staff for this additional theatre. The service development funding was used to outsource patients with scoliosis for their surgery there during the 2015 to 2016 period. Additional funding provided in 2015 facilitated 105 patients to have their treatment provided in an alternative public or private hospital. Some 15 paediatric scoliosis patients who were waiting 18 months and over for treatment were facilitated to have their surgery in the Blackrock Clinic as part of the winter initiative in 2016. In addition, the Department of Health provided another €350,000 directly to the children's hospital group for a further nine patients from Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin to have surgery in the Blackrock Clinic. Further, 34 adolescent or young adult patients from Tallaght were clinically reviewed, treated, and planned care was put in place for them at the Mater hospital.

Our Lady's Children's Hospital has also advised that the additional funding received in 2016 will facilitate a further 30 spinal fusion surgeries to be carried out there in 2017, which will be a total of 88 spinal fusions by the end of this year compared to 58 carried out in 2016. As well as an increase in the numbers of scoliosis surgeries being carried out at Our Lady's Children's Hospital and the Mater, Cappagh and Temple Street, they are all working together to develop immediate and sustainable solutions to increase capacity to address the current waiting list at Crumlin. This will include transition of children over 15 years of age to the Mater hospital and under 15 years of age as appropriate to either Temple Street or Cappagh hospital to have their scoliosis surgery in 2017. These things and the ombudsman's report have led to a significant improvement in dealing with children and young adults who have this enormous challenge and the frustration and pain that they have had to put up with.

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