Written answers

Wednesday, 18 September 2013

Department of Health

Hospital Waiting Lists

Photo of Sandra McLellanSandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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1366. To ask the Minister for Health if he will ensure that more funding is provided to the Health Service Executive to enable surgeons to carry out more surgeries for scoliosis patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37578/13]

Photo of Sandra McLellanSandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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1381. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the waiting times here and particularly in Cork for pre-adolescents suffering from scoliosis; if he will endeavour to improve these waiting times as the condition can deteriorate quickly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37635/13]

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1366 and 1381 together.

The funding pressures now being experienced in the health services mean that the acute sector must reduce its costs in order to deliver the agreed level of activity within the resources available to it. This means that we must concentrate on maximising efficiency and getting the best possible services for patients from the budgets available to us.

The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2013, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.

In relation to this particular queries raised by the Deputy, I have asked the Health Service Executive to investigate the situation and respond directly to the Deputy in these matters.

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