Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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336. To ask the Minister for Health his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37830/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Health Service Executive is continuing to experience a significant increase in demand for its services which is reflected in an upward trend reported in recent waiting list figures. The success of the outpatient initiative run by the HSE at the end of 2013 which reduced those waiting over 12 months from over 100,000 in March 2013 to fewer than 5,000 in December 2013 and further validation work in 2014 resulted in facilitation of 33,000 additional outpatient appointments in 2013 and an additional 55,883 outpatient appointments thus far in 2014. However this had the consequence of driving up in-patient and day case waiting lists as patients are referred for appropriate treatment. In addition, other pressures such as almost 30,000 new cancer diagnoses each year place increasing demands of the order of 3000 – 6000 additional referral requirements on the system each month.

Improvements in chronological scheduling, consistent validation of waiting lists and active engagement with patients to reduce ‘DNA’ or Did Not Attend rates are underway to address outpatient waiting lists; similar measures, as well as optimisation of theatre capacity and day of surgery admission where possible are being employed to improve management of in-patient and day case waiting lists.

In relation to the particular patient query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to him directly.