Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the clarity about scoliosis. I presumed that was what the question was about and I thank her for raising this issue. The inpatient and day case waiting list action plan 2017, developed by the HSE in conjunction with the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, focused on reducing the number of patients who will be waiting the longest by the end of October 2017. As a result of this plan, 27,981 patients came off the waiting list. We are now developing a plan for 2018. Considering I know we are tight on time and that the question specifically refers to scoliosis, I will say that in May 2017 the HSE published the scoliosis waiting list update and service development plan which aimed to deliver on its commitment that no patient who required surgery for scoliosis would be waiting more than four months by the end of the year. As a result of the action plan, 321 surgeries took place in 2017, compared to 220 in 2016, which represents a 46% increase in activity, a very large increase. The HSE has confirmed that it will maintain the four month target in 2018 and beyond, which is international best practice, for all patients who are clinically deemed to require surgery now. I make the point, as I think the Deputy is familiar with, that there is a co-design group of clinicians who carry out the surgeries and advocacy groups that have been doing much good work with an independent chair. They are due to publish their proposals about how the scoliosis model of care should work in the next couple of weeks. Once a person is clinically deemed appropriate for surgery, four months is still the target.

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