Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health if he will instruct all hospitals to abolish catchment areas, publish the waiting time for all consultants and publish the efficiency measurements of all hospitals in view of the fact that this will allow general practitioners to refer to the most efficient hospitals and drive the concept of money follows the patient; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57359/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy has raised a number of issues with regard to hospitals.

In relation to the collection of waiting time data, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) collects information on (a) hospital in-patients and day case waiting times and (b) outpatient waiting times. In relation to in-patient and daycases, information on the median (average) waiting time in each hospital for the top surgical procedures on the waiting list is published on the NTPF website. In regard to outpatients, the numbers of patients waiting for a first appointment at a consultant-led clinic, by hospital, by time band are published and available on the NTPF website and through the HSE Performance Reports. HIQA's Tallaght Hospital Investigation Report 2012 recommended the benchmarking and publication of outpatient department (OPD) appointment wait times across all hospitals at a national, regional, local and consultant level. National, regional and local wait times are now available and I am advised by the NTPF that it is the intention to publish consultant level waiting time during the course of 2013/14. In relation to the efficiency of hospitals, the HSE currently publishes two separate monthly reports addressing the efficiency of all hospitals. The Performance Report is a monthly report published on the HSE website and it details performance against the HSE Service Plan and contains some hospital level information. HealthStat is a comprehensive databank of performance information which provides detailed monthly results from hospitals and from Local Health Offices responsible for providing health and social care services in the community. The results are also published on the HSE website.

In 2013, HealthStat will be replaced by CompStat, which is a performance management and reporting system which will operate on a monthly cycle. It is built around a balanced accountability framework of Quality, Access and Resources wherein each HSE Region will be the locus of control. It supports the migration towards autonomous hospital groups and incorporates a score-card performance report on a suite of relevant metrics. CompStat will focus on Acute Hospitals metrics from an In-patient, Out-patient and Day-case perspective and on Community metrics from a Local Health Office representative of all care groups perspective. CompStat will deliver higher quality efficiency measurements for all hospitals and community services.

The Programme for Government commits to introducing a prospective-based "Money Follows the Patient" (MFTP) funding system to replace the current block grant allocation system. Under MFTP, hospitals will be encouraged to provide services more efficiently and will be paid on a fair and transparent basis for the needs they address, the quantity and quality of the services they provide and the outcomes they deliver. They will be liberated, subject to overall budgetary ceilings, to pursue the most cost-effective means of achieving this standard of performance. A Hospital Financing Subgroup, established under the auspices of the Universal Health Insurance Implementation Group, has prepared draft policy and implementation proposals, and these are currently being considered by the Minister.

With regard to catchment areas, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.