Written answers

Wednesday, 15 February 2012

Department of Health

Hospital Waiting Lists

9:00 pm

Photo of Michael McGrathMichael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 27: To ask the Minister for Health the role of the special delivery unit; the way that it plans to spend the €85 million in its 2012 allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8378/12]

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Building on the achievements of 2011 the SDU will work with the NTPF, the HSE Clinical Programmes and hospitals to minimise patient waiting times in emergency departments and reduce waiting periods for in patient and day case elective surgical care. The improvements already won have to be secured and continually improved upon. There is a specific SDU liaison process in place for all of these hospitals with varying degrees of intensity commensurate with the issues on the ground in each location. Some of the key developments planned by the SDU for 2012 are as follows:

· February 2012 will begin to see the focus in ED turn to patient journey time monitoring (along with trolley waits) as part of the new national score card for measuring performance.

· Unscheduled Care Target to be introduced in 2012. The target stipulates that 95% of all attendees at EDs are discharged or admitted within 6 hours of registration, and that those who need to be admitted through ED wait no more than 9 hours from registration.

· Scheduled Care Targets to be introduced in 2012. These include the reduction of maximum waiting time for elective surgery to 9 months or less, a waiting time of 20 weeks or less for elective paediatric procedures and a waiting time of 13 weeks maximum for endoscopy procedures.

In addition, targets are to be set for improved access to outpatient (OPD) services in the first quarter of 2012. Finally the introduction of hospital groups will provide further opportunities for inter site cooperation. Although achieving these targets will be challenging given the difficult budgetary position the health services are facing, I am encouraged by the response of the system to the SDU initiative and the successes to date.

In relation to the 2012 allocation to the NTPF, the funds will continue to be used to treat patients. Prior to the issuing of the letter of determination by my Department I will be carefully considering how funds are best targeted in light of the next phase of work for the SDU.

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