John Lyons (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 942: To ask the Minister for Health if he will require hospital consultants to provide data to him regarding the number of public patients they see each year; the number of scheduled days in a year they see public patients; if he will provide a breakdown of the number of persons on each priority waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1201/12]

John Lyons (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 943: To ask the Minister for Health the maximum amount of time a public patient should have to wait for a routine appointment in the public health system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1202/12]

John Lyons (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 944: To ask the Minister for Health the steps he has taken to identify those hospital consultants who best manage their public waiting lists for routine appointments; if he will highlight these examples of best practice, to lower waiting times for routine appointments across the public health system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1203/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 942 to 944, inclusive, together.

Immediately following my appointment I set about establishing the Special Delivery Unit to unblock access to acute services by improving the flow of patients through the system. The SDU is focusing initially on emergency departments and will be working to support hospitals in addressing excessive waiting times for admission to hospital. The Special Delivery Unit (SDU) is working closely with key teams in the HSE and the NTPF. The SDU will also be working with hospitals to conduct a performance diagnostic analysis of the unscheduled care system in the acute hospital sector over the coming months.

My view is we need to embed performance management in the system to sustain shorter waiting times. As the Deputy knows, this Government has an ambitious programme of reform which includes institutional reforms and economic incentives which will make health care providers truly accountable for delivering patient centred care. I can assure the Deputy that I have the commitment and determination to deliver this agenda. I am very impressed with the work already begun by the Special Delivery Unit. Our problems did not arise overnight and they will take time to resolve but they are being tackled in a systematic and relentless fashion through the SDU. I do not minimise the scale of the task before us but I am very confident that the Special Delivery Unit will provide a real performance management function for the Irish hospital system and will drive down waiting times.

With regard to changes to consultants work practices, an immediate priority is to achieve more effective implementation of Consultant Contract 2008. I believe there is plenty of scope under the 2008 Contract, that provides for an extended working day, an increase in the length of the working week and structured weekend work, with consultants working as part of a team delivering the Clinical Directorate Service Plan, and the Croke Park agreement to achieve greater productivity from consultants. For example, increased consultant participation in patient discharges at weekends would more quickly free up beds for emergency admissions.