Written answers

Wednesday, 18 December 2013

Department of Health

Hospital Waiting Lists

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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261. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which hospital waiting lists have been reduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54696/13]

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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For 2013, as set out in the HSE Service Plan, the target maximum wait times for inpatient and day case treatment are: Adults 8 months, Children 20 weeks and Routine GI endoscopy 13 weeks. In July 2011, when the Special Delivery Unit was set up a total of 6,277 patients were waiting more than nine months for inpatient or daycase treatment. By the end of 2012, that number had been reduced by 98% for adults waiting over nine months for inpatient or daycase treatment and 95% for children waiting over 20 weeks for such treatment.

The early months of 2013, as anticipated, brought higher levels of Emergency Department admissions which, in turn, had a knock-on effect on scheduled care. However, the SDU in the HSE, together with the NTPF undertook a range of measures to address this, working closely with hospitals to analyse performance, to agree action plans and extra support as necessary and to ensure hospital capacity is being optimised. Since August we have reduced the numbers of adults waiting over 8 months by 78% from 6,800 on 22 August to 1,485 on 12 December. Similarly, we have reduced the numbers of children waiting over 20 weeks by 35% from 883 to 576 in the same period. GI Endoscopy procedures waiting over 13 weeks have fallen 72% from 1,405 at the end of August to 392 on 12 December.

With regard to outpatients, material provided by the HSE indicates that between 28.03.13 and 13.12.13 there has been a 10% reduction in total numbers waiting from 146,268 to 132,199, a 55% reduction in numbers waiting over12 months from 103,433 to 46,761, a 49% reduction in numbers waiting 12-24 months from 64,955 to 32,839, a 54% reduction in numbers waiting 24-36 months from 23,038 to 10,601, a 66% reduction in numbers waiting 36-48 months from 7,745 to 2,649 and 91% reduction in numbers waiting 48+ months from 7,695 to 672.

Finally it is also worth noting that in relation to unscheduled care year to date, the INMO have reported 13.1% fewer trolleys than in 2012. This equates to a reduction of 8,446 patients on trolleys year on year. Compared to the base year 2011, the year to date improvement is 34%, equivalent to a reduction of 28,913 fewer patients waiting on trolleys.

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