Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Covid has caused unprecedented interruption to normal healthcare activity, with both community and acute settings affected. It also created extra pressures on the provision of cancer services, not only in Ireland but globally, because of the additional demands that treating patients with Covid has imposed on the health services and also the wider impact of Covid. The Government has asked the HSE to implement new pathways of care where services can be delivered in line with demand and in parallel with Covid care. Cancer services, for example, have continued throughout the pandemic in line with the national action plan on Covid-19 and the national cancer control programme is continuing to address backlogs and provide information to cancer patients on Covid-19. This year, overall GP referrals for weeks 1 to 10 amount to 110% of 2020 activity; breast referrals are very high at 122% of 2020 activity; lung is 64%; and prostate, 56%. Despite the Covid challenges, the number of Covid patients with symptomatic breast disease seen at clinics amounted to 88% of the 2019 figure. Surgery numbers to the end of November last are at 77% of the 2019 level. The number of patients receiving chemotherapy is at 88% of 2019 levels and radiotherapy is more than 90% of 2019 levels. Additional funding has been allocated, close to €500 million, to permanently fund 2,600 beds in acute and community settings and another €52 million for critical care beds, which will help to deal with waiting lists into the future.

During the second and third Covid-19 surges, more services remained open than in the first wave, demonstrating how we have adapted as a health service. The HSE is implementing a plan for the prioritisation and restoration of services. It is informed by data modelling undertaken by the HSE integrated national operations hub and is in continued alignment with guidance provided by NPHET. Phase 1 is March to June, phase 2 is July to September and phase 3, October to December. We provided an additional €240 million for an access to care fund, €210 million of which has been allocated to the HSE and €30 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF. That allows for treatment in both private and public hospitals to address capacity issues in acute hospitals and waiting lists. The NTPF is working with public hospitals to arrange treatment for clinically suitable patients and as of the end of February, more than 4,000 day case and in excess of 2,000 GI scope offers of treatment have been accepted. For outpatients, the NTPF had arranged 3,464 appointments by the end of February.

The safety net arrangement with all 18 private hospitals will continue and will be used to deal with the backlog and outpatient appointments.

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