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

The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and I are acutely aware of the distress and inconvenience caused to patients and their families when urgent care is delayed. Improving waiting times for hospital appointments and procedures remains a key commitment of the Government. It is acknowledged, however, that the challenges faced by the health system in 2020 are unlike anything we have faced before. We are very aware of the impact Covid-19 has had on our health service and the delivery of scheduled care. The Minister and I welcome the progression of University Hospital Galway's modular theatre facility, which will provide important additional capacity for the hospital's orthopaedic service. We also recognise the work that has been done not only by Galway but by the wider HSE to identify alternative pathways to facilitate patient appointments and procedures.

As for broader service planning for the year ahead, my Department continues to engage with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund on the development of the access to care plan 2021 which will set out measures to improve care for patients waiting for scheduled care in 2021. As the Deputy will be aware, an additional €240 million has been provided in budget 2021 for the access to care fund, €210 million of which will be allocated as required to the HSE and €30 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund for the provision of treatment in both private and public hospitals to address capacity issues in acute hospitals and waiting lists. Officials from my Department continue to engage with representatives from the HSE to monitor access to services, waiting lists and activity levels.

The Deputy is right that from September 2017 to today is a long time. I have seen this before. Projects in the public sector can sometimes take far too long. I appreciate her concern in that regard. If she has a copy of the letter to which she referred, I would be only too delighted to take it and follow it up within the Department.

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