Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to raise this issue to the Chamber again and discuss it with the Minister of State. I discussed a similar issue with her last week. It is important that we make progress on these issues. The length of time that patients wait for adult spinal surgery and orthopaedic surgery is unacceptable. Each time we raise this issue in the Chamber we are given a commitment that it will be dealt with comprehensively and that waiting lists will be reduced, but since I raised this issue previously the waiting lists have gone in the other direction. The issues I will deal with specifically relate to Tallaght hospital and the statistics refer to one particular senior surgeon. The figures are not for a multiple of surgeons, and if they were they would be dramatically worse. These are accurate statistics for the outpatient list of one particular surgeon working directly with Tallaght hospital. At present, he has 500 patients on an outpatient list at Tallaght hospital. Of these, 170 need surgery. In addition to this, he deals with referrals from a hospital in my constituency, Naas General Hospital, which deals with north Kildare in particular. He also deals with referrals coming from other hospitals in Dublin and the midlands. If we were to combine all of these other referrals and the other surgeons, we can appreciate the extent of the list, how long it is and the length of time people wait, which is completely unacceptable.

When I raised this in October last year and again in May this year, and looked for the required and requested investment, I was given a somewhat positive response that it would happen but, unfortunately, I am raising the matter again this evening because no progress is being made.

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We want to acknowledge the management, surgeons and front-line staff in Tallaght hospital, who are working tirelessly with restricted and limited resources to try to deal with this issue. Its impact on people's lives is very significant, in a negative way. It is affecting their well-being and mental health. The pain and suffering they are experiencing is quite extensive, as the Minister of State can appreciate. It is affecting their ability to deal with everyday life. It is clearly very difficult and it is impinging on them in a very negative way. When people are suffering like this, it results not only in trauma for them and their families but it also has a negative effect on their contribution to society generally. Owing to waiting, they can do only what they are able to do rather than what they want to do.

Currently, the routine waiting time is 38 months. If one is on a routine waiting list seeking to go to Tallaght hospital to have adult spinal surgery, the waiting time is 38 months. The target is from three to six months. If one's case is urgent, the waiting period is 23 months, and the target is one to two months. At present, Tallaght hospital is hiring or renting theatre space from the Beacon Clinic for one day per week. That confirms the lack of resources, theatre space and infrastructure required in Tallaght hospital. It is an admission that it is not geared up to do what is required. It does not have the theatre space or necessary infrastructure. The crux of the problem is that the required facilities are not in place. I have been asking the Minister for some time to invest in this theatre to deal with the waiting lists and get them under control. There is a lack of central funding. This funding is urgently needed in Tallaght Hospital so these waiting lists can be got under control and so people can have control and regain quality of life, which they certainly do not have at present.

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