Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, to provide an update to the House on waiting times for paediatric operations, including those for children with spina bifida. The Minister and I sincerely regret that children can experience a long waiting time for appointments and treatment. I am conscious of the burden this places on them and their families. The Government's priority is to improve waiting times for all patients accessing hospital treatment across all specialties, including children with a diagnosis of spina bifida.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Children's Health Ireland, CHI, had to take measures to defer most scheduled care activity between March and May this year. That decision was in line with the advice issued by the National Public Health Emergency Team, in accordance with the advice of the World Health Organization. Since June, CHI has continued to re-establish services, following HSE clinical guidelines and protocols to ensure they are provided in a safe, clinically assigned and prioritised way. CHI has advised my Department that orthopaedic surgery, and spinal surgery in particular, continues to be identified as a service priority. It is of note that key social distancing measures and infection prevention and control requirements, such as the 2 m distancing rule, have a material impact on the available physical space to deliver all hospital services, including scoliosis procedures. This has had a significant impact on both available capacity and operational activity levels.

In terms of support for children with spina bifida and their families, under section 39 of the Health Act 2004 the HSE has provided funding of €781,469 to SBHI this year. In addition, also under section 39, the HSE has provided funding of €127,000 to the Mid-West Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association this year. A service level agreement between the HSE and SBHI is in place. The role of the HSE is to provide a multidisciplinary team approach which includes provision of health and personal supports required by people with spina bifida and incorporates hospital, primary care and community services. My Department recognises the great work done by SBHI in providing information, support and advice to people with spina bifida and-or hydrocephalus and their parents and carers, and in promoting social inclusion and equality for people with spina bifida and-or hydrocephalus in Irish society. The SBHI represents more than 8,000 people nationwide, consisting of those with spina bifida and their parents, siblings, friends and carers.

In regard to accessing scheduled care, officials in my Department remain in regular contact with both the HSE and CHI on waiting times for appointments and procedures across a wide range of specialties. The boy in question, Oisín, has been waiting for surgery since March 2018, as the Deputy outlined, and it has been scheduled and rescheduled. I hope we will be able to get a review into his case and those of people in similar situations. I will follow that up in the Department today. The Minister is committed to ensuring transparency around the waiting times that children experience. To that end, we welcome the work being undertaken by the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, to publish paediatric waiting lists for the first time. The NTPF has advised my Department that it plans to have that information publicly available in the first quarter of 2021.

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