Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Reilly for the question and for the opportunity to update the House on the progress we are making on the scoliosis waiting list and, more importantly, what we will do next. The long-term strategy to develop sustainable scoliosis services has been prioritised by my Department and the HSE in the 2018 HSE national service plan. The Deputy is correct that the country was appalled by what it saw on RTÉ, and it should not have been necessary to see it on RTÉ to respond to it. It is clearly an issue that had been ongoing for many years. The country made progress on it from time to time but never fully got on top of it. That is why we have taken it very seriously. An additional €9 million has been provided to the HSE this year specifically to develop paediatric orthopaedic services, including further increasing access to scoliosis services. 

The Children's hospital group committed to a two-year service development plan to implement an orthopaedic service that provides timely access for outpatient and inpatient services. The HSE has confirmed that as part of this plan, the four-month target for all patients who are clinically deemed - the phrase "clinically deemed" is important - to require surgery will be maintained.

The Children's hospital group has advised that at the end of May, there were 166 active patients on the group's spinal waiting list, of whom 88 were waiting in excess of four months.  However, the hospital group advises that it is confident the four-month target will be met as activity levels are predicted to increase with the expected appointment this year of two new paediatric orthopaedic consultants. While it is not good that anybody is waiting a long time there are 88 now and there were 182 last September. We have made significant progress in reducing the number of people waiting and the length of time they are waiting.

The increased investment in the service in 2018 will stabilise and expand the current capacity. Consultants in the group clinically prioritise patients for surgery. Up to the end of May, 177 surgeries have taken place across the Children's hospital group.  The scheduling of spinal surgery for patients in this age group is frequently dependent on the timetabling of examinations and other school commitments, which is logical. As a result, activity is set to increase significantly during the summer months and I met the CEO of the Children's hospital group about this last week.

In addition, from April this year, additional theatre capacity for Temple Street Hospital is being facilitated in Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital. I received correspondence from the Scoliosis Awareness and Support Ireland advocacy group. It is holding an event at the hospital on Saturday to highlight the fact that Cappagh is open for business and that there is capacity to do more there.

Funding for two additional consultant posts for paediatric orthopaedics has been provided and it is expected the consultants will be appointed in the fourth quarter of this year. As an interim step, Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin commenced an outpatient department spinal review clinic in May. The aim of this clinic is to reduce the wait for the first outpatient appointment to six months by September. Importantly, we will be launching the scoliosis co-design plan in July. This plan is not written by me but by the clinicians, the hospital group and, crucially, the advocacy groups. All three advocacy groups have been part of that. I have recently written to the Scoliosis Advocacy Network to inform it of this publication date.

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