Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Coffey for raising this important issue this morning. I also convey the apologies of the Minister, Deputy Harris, who is personally unable to attend this morning.

The Minister, Deputy Harris, visited University Hospital Waterford recently and is aware that there are waiting lists for cardiology procedures at the hospital, which is managed by the Health Service Executive, as the Senator knows. The Minister is keenly aware of waiting lists in cardiology and other specialties in hospitals around the country and I assure the House that the Government is committed to improving waiting times for patients. For that reason, last August, the Minister, Deputy Harris, requested the HSE to develop an action plan on waiting lists, focused on those patients waiting longest. Since then, under the waiting list action plan, over 8,000 patients have been removed from the inpatient and day case waiting list, either through the provision of treatment, clinical validation or because the patient has been given a date for the procedure.

The Senator may wish to note that €11.25 million in funding from the winter initiative contingency funding has recently been allocated to progress treatment for patients on inpatient and day case waiting lists. Of course, supporting waiting list measures under the winter initiative contributes to ensuring that people receive timely treatment and consequently do not end up requiring emergency care. I am glad to advise the Senator that the HSE has put in place process improvement plans in all hospitals in order to drive improvements in waiting list management at hospital level.

In that context, University Hospital Waterford is arranging to outsource 90 patients from the cardiology waiting list to undergo cardiac diagnostic procedures in public and private facilities. These 90 patients, referred to by the Senator, have been on the waiting list for over a year and because of this outsourcing initiative, these patients will, I hope, receive their procedure by year-end. All of these procedures will be undertaken in the Munster area, with the majority being undertaken in Cork University Hospital. The House will be aware that both Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Waterford are members of the South/South West Hospital Group.I am pleased that this hospital group is operating to maximise capacity to diagnostics across the group and that spare capacity in the Cork University Hospital's catheterisation laboratory is being used to address the Waterford waiting list.

Budget 2017 provides for our longest-waiting patients. Some €20 million will be allocated to the National Treatment Purchase Fund in 2017 and this will increase to €55 million in 2018. It is important to note that additional funding will be provided to University Hospital Waterford in 2017 to implement the recommendations of the Herity review, which has been mentioned by Senator Coffey. In his review of the need for a second catheterisation laboratory at University Hospital Waterford, Dr. Herity recommended that investment be made to enhance cardiology services at the hospital. Funding will, therefore, be provided to increase the number of weekly catheterisation laboratory sessions currently provided. This will help to address waiting times and provide improved access for patients. Details of this investment will be set out in the HSE's national service plan for 2017, which will be brought to the Government shortly. I have not yet had sight of the plan, but I am looking forward to reading it.