Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Lahart for this question. As I already said to his colleagues, Deputies MacSharry and Curran, reducing the outpatient waiting list and reducing waiting times in general is a priority and must remain a priority for Government, for all of us in this House and for the health service. That is why we have in working with the Deputy's party increased the level of funding for the NTPF from €55 million in 2018 to €75 million in 2019, of which there will be ringfenced funding of probably €6 million, although I am finalising that figure for outpatient activity.

To date in 2018, the NTPF has approved almost 12,700 additional first-time outpatient appointments and this is projected to increase to 40,000 appointments next year. I recently met with the chief executive officers, CEOs, of all hospital groups and the CEO of Tallaght University Hospital to invite them to bring forward new and innovative proposals to address the number of long waiters on outpatient lists in 2019. We now have the funding for this and I want to receive as many ideas as possible.

To date this year the NTPF has approved proposals to treat more than 2,200 outpatients across a range of specialties at Tallaght University Hospital, through the provision of an additional 177 outpatient clinics.

Tallaght University Hospital advises it has a waiting list decision support system in place which plans and forecasts outpatient demand, allowing the hospital to ensure planned improvements are delivered. Tallaght University Hospital has also recently recruited new consultants in orthopaedics, neurology, and ENT, additional advanced nurse practitioners in rheumatology, and has additional physio-led clinics in specialties such as gynaecology. This is very important as an innovative approach. I thank Tallaght University Hospital for the work it has done.

The longest waiting periods for outpatients are particularly in ENT, dermatology, urology, neurology, gynaecology and orthopaedics. I will consider this specifically in the context of the NTPF's outpatient plan for 2019 and I look forward to receiving proposals from the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group.

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