Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. The National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh is Ireland's major centre for elective orthopaedic surgery and through the wonderful Cappagh Kids initiative, the national orthopaedic hospital provides additional capacity for the treatment of some of the more routine paediatric orthopaedic patients, including some routine scoliosis procedures. Using the capacity provided by Cappagh first and foremost means children are treated there, but it also means that Children's Health Ireland, CHI, is freeing up space so that the more complex orthopaedic procedures, including spinal fusion, can be carried out centrally at the CHI sites. Total funding of €1.65 million was provided to Cappagh last year. Funding for this year will be encompassed within the waiting list action plan. Cappagh estimates it can do approximately 640 non-complex surgeries and can treat another 340 inpatient and day cases. There is an awful lot of opportunity there.

Additional theatre capacity in Cappagh commenced in April last year for day case surgery. CHI has advised that this should result in the positive impact of a reduction in the waiting times for general paediatric orthopaedics which, quite frankly, are too long. This year, CHI is planning to undertake a range of inpatient, day case and outpatient orthopaedic appointments in Cappagh. Last week, I convened a meeting with the clinical teams from Crumlin, Temple Street and Cappagh, along with senior management from the three hospitals and the HSE. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss this draft paediatric orthopaedic waiting list plan to make sure it is sufficiently ambitious and that it does what we all need it to do, which is to provide care to these children who have been waiting for too long.

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