Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government has shown priority in the funding it has allocated to the health area for 2017 which, as the Deputy is aware is, €14.5 billion. The Government allocated €20 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund for 2017, rising to €55 million in 2018. Last December the Minister, Deputy Harris, granted approval to the National Treatment Purchase Fund to dedicate €5 million of its funding to a day case waiting list initiative with the aim of ensuring that no patient would be waiting for more than 18 months for a day case procedure by 30 June 2017. In excess of 2,000 cases will be managed through the process and those patients are already receiving appointments.

In order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, the HSE was asked to develop the waiting list action plans for 2017 in the areas of inpatient, day case, scoliosis, and outpatient services. Those plans have now been finalised and will be acted on shortly. The HSE and the INMO both agree that the time patients spend on trolleys waiting for beds has decreased. I acknowledge the work front-line staff have put into that initiative. Notwithstanding those improvements, the figures are too high and the Department continues to work with the HSE to identify further measures that can be taken.

In respect of Deputy Micheál Martin's comment about nursing and midwifery. Management has committed to increasing the nursing and midwifery workforce in 2017 with 1,208 additional permanent posts; the conversion of agency-employed staff into HSE direct employees; maternity leave cover; offering all graduating nurses and midwives full-time contracts; a career break scheme; 130 additional undergraduate places this year and offering nurses and midwives improved educational opportunities and career pathways.

The HSE has developed an inpatient day case waiting list action plan with engagement from the Department and the NTPF. The plan focuses on reducing the number of patients. It is estimated that there are 39,000 patients to be treated by the end of October 2017 and the plan sets a target to remove approximately 75% of those patients from the waiting list, that is, 29,000 patients, through a combination of normal hospital national service plan-funded activity, as well as resourcing and outsourcing initiatives utilising the remaining €10 million of budget 2017 funding. That represents a 30% increase in activity, which demonstrates the priority attached to it.

Our hospitals are now carrying out four times more procedures on patients aged 65 and over, and twice as many in the under-65 age group since 2000.

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