Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Tá brón orm nach bhfuil mórán Gaeilge agam, so I will respond in English. I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to address the House on this issue. I again apologise for the mix-up yesterday. I am taking this debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Harris, who sends his apologies; he is elsewhere on Government business.

Tackling waiting lists has been a challenge for hospitals this year to date, particularly due to increased demand for emergency care, which increased by 5.6% over last year. Waiting lists for specialties such as rheumatology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, urology, plastics and ENT are challenging nationally. However, the 2016 HSE service plan undertakes to maintain 2015 levels of service in respect of scheduled care.

The HSE oversees and supports hospital groups in meeting the waiting list targets and has established a scheduled care governance group to co-ordinate key actions to reduce waiting times.University Hospital Galway, UHG, as part of the Saolta University Health Care Group, continues to monitor and act on outpatient, inpatient and day-case targets in line with the HSE national service plan. The hospital provides tertiary level services and accepts referrals from a large catchment area, contributing to waiting list length.

The HSE has advised that specific measures have been taken to reduce the length of current waiting lists. Additional outpatient clinics are taking place within UHG, while some activity is being transferred to Mayo, Roscommon and Portiuncula University Hospitals. UHG is developing the elements required to support specialties with the longest waiting times regarding inpatient beds, high-end equipment, access to theatre and staffing, all of which are required to support greater elective surgery throughput. Initiative clinics are running in some specialties to reduce particularly challenging waiting lists, some led by allied health professionals, such as physiotherapists and nurses.

The HSE has further advised that IT solutions are being deployed to validate current waiting lists and streamline outpatient appointment scheduling, as well as minimising those do-not-attend cases. The shortage of radiographers, causing recent issues with the MRI and DXA scanning facilities, is being addressed by ongoing recruitment. Extended hours of operation are being implemented for the MRI facility. UHG has recently protected the surgical day ward for elective activity as demand for emergency care decreases. Construction work is ongoing on a new 75-bed ward block, as well as a new UHG acute mental health department.

The Minister is confident the Saolta group, in conjunction with the HSE, is working to address waiting lists at UHG in the best interests of patients. The programme for a partnership Government emphasises the need for sustained commitment to improving waiting times for patients, with a particular focus on those waiting longest. It commits to €15 million funding to the National Treatment Purchase Fund in 2017 for an initiative targeted at those waiting longest as part of continued investment of €50 million per year to reduce waiting lists. The Department of Health is engaging with the NTPF, while the HSE in planning a dedicated 2016 waiting list initiative focussed on endoscopy. It has also commenced engagement with the NTPF and the HSE to deliver on the programme for a partnership Government waiting list commitments. The fact a high number are waiting over 12 months needs to be a priority for the Minister. I will bring it to his attention. We have been successful in many areas but we still have much work to do in this regard.