Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on this extremely important issue. The Minister for Health sends his apologies. I and the Government acknowledge that waiting times for many hospital procedures and appointments are unacceptably long and we are acutely aware of the great distress this causes patients and their families. Our waiting lists were far too long before the pandemic but have worsened as a direct result of Covid-19. The Government has adopted a twin track approach of investment and reform to deal with the issue.

On 7 March, the Minister for Health published the 2023 waiting list action plan which is the next stage of a new multi-annual approach to sustainably reduce and reform hospital waiting lists. For 2023, funding totalling €443 million is being allocated to tackle waiting lists with €363 million of this being allocated to the 2023 waiting list action plan, to implement longer term reforms and provide additional public and private activity to clear backlogs exacerbated during the pandemic. The remaining €80 million of the €443 million is being targeted at various measures to alleviate community and primary care waiting lists.

Through this plan, we are fast-tracking the development of new elective surgical hubs in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. Based on the successful Reeves Centre at Tallaght University Hospital, these will have a short-term impact on waiting times. For longer term investment, last December the Government approved the preliminary business cases, and preferred sites for elective hospitals in Cork and Galway. The HSE expects to be able to submit business cases with a recommendation to Government to go to tender by the final quarter of this year.

The Saolta University Health Care Group’s six hospitals serve a significant portion of the population, covering more than 830,000 people. The Government’s commitment to the group can be seen in the increase in the combined budget of the hospitals and group to €999 million in 2022, up €194 million since 2018. Budgets 2021 and 2022 in particular have provided significant amounts of funding for a large-scale permanent expansion of the health service workforce and investment in capital projects. For example, staffing in Sligo University Hospital at the end of December 2022 was at 1,907 whole-time equivalents, an increase of 70 from the end of 2021. For Letterkenny University Hospital, Saolta has advised staff numbers have increased by 323.94 whole-time equivalents from 1,768.68 to 2,092.62 whole-time equivalents by the end of 2022. For Galway University Hospitals, comprising both the Merlin Park and University Hospital Galway campuses, by end of February 2023, there were 4,286 whole-time equivalents, an increase of 13% since December 2020. In the past five years to March 2023 overall consultant numbers have increased by 104.

Resources have been also allocated to provide increases in bed capacity, with Saolta reporting 11 beds opened in Sligo University Hospital since 2020, 32 beds opened in University Hospital Galway and 28 beds opened in Letterkenny. A range of strategically important capital projects are in train across the region. Some projects have been recently delivered, such as the €56 million radiation oncology facility at Galway, and treatment of patients commenced on 19 April 2023.

Other major developments are at various earlier stages in the capital process, with projects to deliver extra capacity and services advancing at a number of hospitals. For example, a new 50-bed ward at Portiuncula University Hospital is currently under construction. These investments show the commitment of the Department and HSE in improving service delivery and meeting the needs of patients and the population in the west and north west region.

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