Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 12, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet committee on health last met on 7 December 2023 and is currently scheduled to next meet on 12 February of this year. The committee oversees the programme for Government commitments relating to health and receives detailed reports on identified policy areas. It considers the progress of health reforms, including Sláintecare and the reform of disability services. The committee also maintains an overview of public health. In addition to the meetings of the full Cabinet and Cabinet committees, I meet Ministers from time to time on an individual basis to focus on different issues. I meet regularly with the Minister for Health to discuss progress and challenges in health, including the Sláintecare reform programme.

Sláintecare, which is happening with the support and oversight of the Department of the Taoiseach through the Cabinet committee on health, is about four main issues: making healthcare more affordable; making it more accessible; ensuring better outcomes for patients; and reforming our health service. We are committed to expanding the core capacity of our acute hospitals, with more health professionals and more acute hospital beds.

We have added more than 1,000 permanent beds in our acute hospitals since 2020 and 1,000 more consultants. We have increased the total public health sector workforce by more than 26,000 since the start of 2020. That includes an extra 8,000 nurses and midwives, an extra 4,000 social care professionals and almost 3,000 extra doctors and dentists.

There is a strong pipeline of capital projects, including several new hospital projects and significant new facilities for existing hospitals. Our multi-annual approach to waiting lists resulted in an overall reduction in the number of patients waiting more than ten to 12 weeks by 27% since the numbers peaked after the pandemic. Waiting lists fell last year for the second year in a row. We are determined to make sure they fall for the third year in a row this year. The figures that matter most are the number of patients waiting the longest, that is, those waiting longer than the ten to 12 weeks recommended by the Sláintecare report. The target of achieving a 10% reduction in patients waiting longer than ten to 12 weeks was met, with an 11% reduction achieved. This covers inpatients, day cases, outpatients and patients undergoing gastrointestinal, GI, scopes, and equates to 57,000 fewer people waiting more than ten to 12 weeks.

The enhanced community care programme continues to improve healthcare at a more local level and to alleviate pressure on major hospitals. The majority of community healthcare networks, community intervention teams and community support teams are now in place and providing care closer to home. Work is ongoing on the reconfiguration of the HSE organisational structures into six new health regions and the establishment of elective care centres in Dublin, Cork and Galway, as well as surgical hubs in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford in the interim.

At a time when the cost-of-living crisis is affecting everyone, we are making healthcare more affordable through the removal of hospital charges, widened eligibility for the GP card and a reduced drug payment scheme threshold, among other measures. We have allocated more than €22.8 billion for health services in 2024. That will facilitate the continued provision and expansion of quality, affordable healthcare services. Separately, significant funding is also being invested in disability services. Budget 2024 will provide for the further expansion of free contraception provision to include women aged 31; just under €3 million for the development of child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, with the creation of 68 new posts; the first full-year programme of publicly funded assisted human reproduction services, including IVF; more than €20 million for residential placements for children and adults; €15 million for respite services, €18.2 million for day services; and €8.5 million for developments in children's services, including new therapy assistant positions.

Our health service has its challenges but it is responding and it has expanded dramatically in recent years. We are treating more people with better outcomes than ever before. Our life expectancy is continuing to increase and is now well above international averages, being in the top five in the European Union. We continue to reduce mortality rates for stroke and certain cancers and to report ever-increasing positive trends in preventative health.

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