Written answers

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Department of Health

Hospital Waiting Lists

Photo of John BrowneJohn Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Health if he will arrange to have a person (details supplied) in County Wexford treated as urgent by the Health Service Executive in respect of an appointment sought to deal with mobility requirements. [4414/13]

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Improving access to outpatient services is a key priority for the Government. Building on work already undertaken by the HSE, the NTPF has now taken over the reporting of outpatient waiting time data. The collation and analysis of outpatient waiting time data in a standardised format will reveal the distribution of long waiters across all hospitals. In the first instance, this will allow the SDU and NTPF to target their resources towards those patients who are waiting longest and ensure that they are seen and assessed. A maximum waiting time target has now been set of 12 months for a first time outpatient appointment by 30 November 2013.

In parallel with reducing the numbers of longest waiters, the SDU will also work with the HSE clinical programmes to reform the structure, organisation and delivery of outpatient services to ensure that the right patient is seen and assessed by the right health professional at the right time. 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. On the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

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