Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Health if he will address the waiting lists for ear nose and throat services at Kerry General Hospital where currently 739 adults and 427 children are on the waiting list; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that following a validation exercise the figures for County Kerry have increased significantly; if he will ensure that the County Kerry public receive the service they deserve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53990/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Immediately following his appointment, the Minister for Health established the Special Delivery Unit, as set out in the Programme for Government. The aim of the SDU is to unblock access to acute services by improving the flow of patients through the system. The initial focus for the SDU's Scheduled Care Team has been on waiting times for in-patient and daycase elective surgery.

For adults, the target is that no-one should be waiting more than nine months for inpatient and day case treatments. Overall, by the end of September progress towards the target is strong – the number waiting more than nine months has fallen by more than 90% on the figure at the start of the year (4678 in Jan down to 415 in September). For children, the target is that by the end of 2012 no child should be waiting for inpatient or daycase treatment for more than 20 weeks. Again, huge progress has been made towards this target – by the end of September the number of children waiting longer than 20 weeks nationally was down to 276 from 1,844 at the start of the year.

Improving access to outpatient services is the next priority. A maximum waiting time target has now been set of 12 months for a first time outpatient appointment by 30 November 2013. In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a person (details supplied), who is extremely ill, has to wait nine months for an operation in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin [54001/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The management of inpatient and daycase waiting lists for patients awaiting public health care is based on the principle that after urgent and cancer patients are treated, then clinically assessed routine patients should be seen in chronological order (i.e. longest waiter first). Should the patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he/she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and hospital involved. In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.