Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 600: To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form, by each hospital, the number of patients who have had their operations cancelled or rescheduled since March 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24840/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Set out in the table are the numbers of cancelled operations for 2011. There is no data for 2012 available at this time. The information has been supplied by the Health Service Executive. The SDU has commenced work with the elective surgery Clinical Programme including the proposal that hospitals ring fence beds for elective surgery. This development will take place against the backdrop of capacity enhancing measures such as increased surgical activity, increases in daycase activity and better use of resources in general in the hospital system.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 601: To ask the Minister for Health the basis on which waiting list category definitions have been changed; the definition of each category in terms of recommended operation time before and after the change, the number of patients in each category before the change; the number in each category after the change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24841/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm that to date there have been no changes to the waiting list data capture categorisation since the patient treatment register (PTR) was established in 2005.

As you are aware a new target of 9 month maximum waiting time for daycase and inpatient surgery has been implemented. The challenge for 2012 is firstly to maintain the 12 month maximum waiting time target for in patient and day case procedures and then to continually improve and move to a 9 month maximum waiting time target.

At present the categorisation of patients within the scheduled care system is neither defined with sufficient clarity nor enacted for each patient with sufficient consistency. The lack of clarity is contributed to by some ambiguity and vagueness within the existing definitions; and the lack of consistency by insufficiently rigorous attributions within hospital data sets, and inadequate audit and review processes. Unless we succeed in introducing much higher levels of clarity and consistency, effective systems management will be impossible.

In that context it is the intention later in 2012 to request clinicians to categorise their referrals as either 'urgent' or 'routine'. It is important to emphasise that determining urgency will always rest with clinicians.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 602: To ask the Minister for Health inclusive of in-patient and elective treatment, the mean average length of time in terms of days for patients on waiting lists in March 2011; the same figure for July 2011, and the figure now; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24842/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The NTPF uses the 'median' in months when reporting wait time. Below are the figures the Deputy requested.

March 2011 3.0 months

July 2011 3.0 months

February 2012 3.1 months

March 2012 (TBC) 2.9 months

While there are minor and statistically insignificant fluctuations in the median waiting time - overall the main pattern is of sustained reduction in longer waiters - ie those waiting over 12 months and 9 months.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 603: To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form, the number of patients who have been transferred to another hospital waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24843/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Under the provisions of the Health Act 1970, eligibility for public health services in Ireland is based primarily on residency and means. All persons normally resident in the state are eligible for in-patient and outpatient public hospital services including consultant services. It is unacceptable for a patient to be informed at short notice that a hospital will not treat them because they are in the 'wrong' catchment area and my Department has been working with the HSE to clarify its policy in this area. Currently the HSE does not collect information in relation to the numbers of patients transferred to other hospital waiting lists, however I can confirm to the Deputy that a letter has issued from the National Directors of the HSE and the Chief Operating Officer of the SDU setting out the position in relation to catchment areas.

With immediate affect all hospitals will be requested to:-

§ Refrain from any further limiting of historic catchment areas i.e. No further refusals of referrals from areas which such referrals have been accepted since 2009

§ This will be retrospective to the start of this year in most cases subject to discussion

§ This will apply to both "new referrals" and also to existing patients in long-term care / treatment.

I am confident that working with the RDOs and the hospitals that this particular issue will be quickly resolved. The SDU will continue to work with the HSE to embed improved GP referral systems which will enhance patient access to the health services.