Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Minister of State, Deputy O’Sullivan, is very welcome to the Seanad. If I had known it was going to be him, I would have a completely different Commencement matter. I appreciate that he is here representing the Minister for Health. It is always important that we have a Minister present. It can be frustrating from our end, and I appreciate it is frustrating for Ministers too when they have to fill in for a different Department. As per the conversation we had the last time the Minister of State was here, I still look forward to welcoming him to the Curragh. We look forward to putting the date in.

The issue I raise is in relation to the problem with getting appropriate time-bound appointments for cardiology in Naas hospital. Naas hospital is excellent. The staff are second to none. I know of so many people who have attended the hospital, both inpatients and outpatients, and they speak very highly of the staff. I want to start with that because, unfortunately, sometimes when we stand up here, we talk about the negative stories, but I know of so many positive situations. Only last night I was speaking to somebody on the phone who had come through Naas for their care and was very happy with it.

What I am about to talk about is not a good news story. A number of people have been in touch in relation to the delays in cardiology appointments, but I was very concerned to hear about one case that came across my desk this week. An 81-year-old lady who had a stroke last year was told by her team that she needed to a cardiology checkup. In July, the request was made. When she contacted Naas hospital last week, she was told it would take another 12 months. For an 81-year-old who is vulnerable and has had health issues to have to wait 18 months for an appointment is simply not good enough. It is not giving appropriate care to the person. In one contact with me over the past few days, her words were that she assumed it did not matter because she was an older woman. That absolutely is not what we want to see within our health service. It is not acceptable. This is not elective care. It is a really important cardiovascular follow-up, and such a delay puts this patient and other patients at real clinical risk. It is very distressing for this lady and her family. It was distressing for me to hear that, and I am sure it is distressing for the Minister of State as well.

We have to ask why cardiology waiting times in Naas are stretching to 18 months. It is simply not acceptable that high-risk patients are left waiting for an appointment that could be critical to their health and, indeed, life-saving. When older patients with a history of TIAs or high blood pressure are placed on waiting lists of this length, it is potentially dangerous. It is not just inconvenient; it really adds to the stress. Timely access to specialist care should be a fundamental part of our health service. It is not something people should have to wait over a year for.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank the Senator. I absolutely promise I will visit the Curragh. There is no doubt about that whatsoever.We will get it into the diary. I am looking forward to it because it is such a gem of a place.

Clearly Senator O'Loughlin is passionate about Naas hospital. She started by saying what a wonderful hospital it is, and I am sure it is a bustling hospital. It has a large population to cater for and we can imagine how important it is. The response I am about to read out will talk about how much we have reduced waiting times but what it probably will not cover is Senator O'Loughlin's knowledge on the ground of instances where people wait too long. I am not speaking out of turn by saying the Government accepts that, as it stands, waiting lists are too long and too many people are waiting too long on waiting lists. This is something we acknowledge.

The Government is committed to improving access to hospital care and reforming and reducing waiting times for patients through a range of measures, including those to increase capacity such as the establishment of surgical hubs. Since 2021, this commitment has been reflected in a series of multi-annual waiting list action plans aimed at sustainably reducing both the number of people waiting and the length of time that they wait. The ultimate aim is to achieve the maximum wait times as set out in the 2017 Sláintecare report of ten weeks for a first outpatient appointment and 12 weeks for an inpatient or day case procedure. The situations outlined by Senator O'Loughlin are far beyond this. In February of this year, the Minister for Health published the waiting list action plan for 2025, representing this Government’s continued commitment to reducing waiting times for patients and improving access to hospital care. With the 2025 plan, the Government is continuing to build upon the progress delivered to date under the multi-annual action plan approach.

In relation to Naas specifically, the most recent National Treatment Purchase Fund waiting list figures are for October and they were published on 14 November. They show that 465 patients are waiting for an outpatient cardiology appointment in Naas hospital. Of these, 406, or 87%, are waiting six months or less and 454, or 98%, are waiting 12 months or less. Twelve patients, just 2% of the total waiting list, are waiting over 12 months. The total number of patients waiting has also shown significant improvement compared to the same period last year and in the year to date. The waiting list has decreased by 55% since October 2024 and by 36% in the year to date.

The number of patients waiting, and the time they are waiting, have also shown substantial improvement since the adoption of the multi-annual waiting list action plan approach in September 2021. Since then, the total waiting list has decreased by 74% and the number waiting over 12 months has decreased by 99%, that is 982 patients. As we progress towards the ultimate Sláintecare targets, the 2025 waiting list action plan has a target of 50% of outpatient appointments to be undertaken within ten weeks. I am very pleased to be able to say that currently Naas is significantly exceeding this target, with 63% of patients waiting no longer than the Sláintecare ten-week target time.

As I said earlier, we all acknowledge that many patients are waiting too long for hospital appointments and treatments. Since 2021, the Government has adopted a multi-annual approach to addressing the problem, and while no patient should have to wait 12 months for an appointment, the figures for Naas show that considerable improvements have been made. It is fair to say improvements have been made, and this is down to pressure from the likes of Senator O'Loughlin, working with the previous Government and the previous Minister for Health, to ensure the waiting list action plans were rolled out. Waiting times have reduced and there are some good figures but Senator O'Loughlin is on the ground meeting people and dealing with constituents who are having a different experience. We can get bogged down in statistics and patting ourselves on the back. There have been improvements but we have to take seriously serious incidents involving older people in particular, as Senator O'Loughlin has highlighted, because it can be dangerous if they are left waiting too long for an appointment. I appreciate Senator O'Loughlin raising the issue.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate that the numbers are moving in the right way. The former Minister, Stephen Donnelly, did exceptional work on this. We had many conversations about Naas hospital. It is still unacceptable that people are waiting more than 12 months. In this case there are 2%, which is 12 patients. This in itself is shocking. Our older people deserve dignity and urgency. They deserve proper access to care. I appreciate the Minister of State taking an interest in this. For me, the lived experience is always the most important experience and the despondent tone of this lady upset me. She felt that nobody cared. I would appreciate if I could give these personal details to the office of the Minister of State so he may bring them back to the Department of Health, which asked him to take this issue, to look into this particular situation, particularly because this lady had a TIA last year and has been waiting seven months to this point. I would appreciate the Minister of State doing this. We need to have better outcomes, particularly for those who are older and vulnerable.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank Senator O'Loughlin. If she passes on the details to my office, I absolutely commit that they will make their way to the Department and the Minister and ensure it is prioritised. Despite all of the great improvements in the reduction of waiting lists, the fact that 12 people have been waiting over 12 months cannot just be a footnote. These are 12 individuals with stories, families and loved ones. We cannot just put it to the bottom of a page as a footnote. It is very important and they are the ones we really need to get to and improve. I thank Senator O'Loughlin for raising the issue. We will get the details to the Department and I hope we will have a good outcome on it.

Shane Curley (Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank the Minister of State for taking all four Commencement matters this morning.