Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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1304. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he will take to ensure that children suffering from arthritis and rheumatological illnesses are dealt with in view of the waiting lists that in some cases can be up to eighteen months [37062/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Improving access to day, inpatient and outpatient services is a key priority for the Government. Immediately following my appointment, I established the Special Delivery Unit (SDU), the aim of which is to unblock access to acute services by improving the flow of patients through the system. For this year, the target maximum waiting times as set out in the HSE Service Plan are eight months for adults awaiting an inpatient or daycase procedure, 20 weeks for children awaiting an inpatient or daycase procedure, 13 weeks for routine GI endoscopy and 12 months for a first-time outpatient appointment. The Special Delivery Unit, together with the National Treatment Purchase Fund, is working closely with hospitals towards achievement of these maximum waiting times across all specialties; this involves analysing performance, agreeing action plans and extra support as necessary, and ensuring hospital capacity is being optimised.