Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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206. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which provision is being made to ensure that patients awaiting for access to surgical procedures can have their waiting period minimised thereby reducing the level of pain and suffering which can be considerable in cases where such patients have to wait for a long period before gaining access to the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21784/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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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 Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.

Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and hospital involved.