Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for the opportunity to address the House on this issue. The Minster for Health and I are sorry that any child and his or her family experience a long waiting time for treatment for scoliosis. Improving access for these patients is a key priority for this Government and specific plans have been developed and funded in 2017 and 2018. However, I fully accept there is room for further improvement in patients accessing timely scoliosis treatment. The Minister has prioritised the development of a sustainable scoliosis service in Ireland and an additional €9 million has been provided to the HSE in 2018 specifically to develop paediatric orthopaedic services, including further increasing access to scoliosis services.

Last Monday, the Minister met the deputy director general of the HSE and the chief executive officer, CEO, of the Children’s Hospital Group to discuss their short-term and long-term plans to provide a better service for patients and their families. The Minister sought assurance from the CEO regarding the management of children with complex needs, as a great deal of concern has been expressed by parents of children with such needs. The CEO advised that there are a number of complex and difficult cases at present and that the hospital has provided all support and services required to children and their parents, and will continue to do so.

Where a child has multiple clinical complexities and medical conditions, consultation between parents and a multidisciplinary team of specialist consultants is required to develop and manage a treatment plan. Given the complex nature of the care required, this often requires extensive discussions and planning so that appropriate surgery can be scheduled in a timely manner, if clinically safe. Notwithstanding that, the Children’s Hospital Group has made progress towards the development of a sustainable scoliosis service this year. It published the scoliosis co-design ten-point action plan in July and an orthopaedic implementation group has been established to oversee its implementation. The action plan was developed through the participation of professionals,

families and advocates. Importantly, this has ensured that the voice of the child has been incorporated.

This year, the group aims to deliver 447 procedures. This equates to a near doubling of 2016 activity. By the end of last week, 314 surgeries, of which 151 were spinal fusions, had been delivered. Overall activity is slightly ahead of surgical targets. Waiting list figures for 21 September show that there are 77 active patients waiting for scoliosis treatment, of which 35 have been waiting for more than four months, which is a reduction of 21 since the start of this year.

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