Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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153. To ask the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding a confidential internal Health Service Executive document; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38766/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The HSE has stated clearly that it has no knowledge of any "confidential internal memo" that allegedly "urged employees to manipulate waiting lists to meet health service targets".

The policy of the HSE on this matter is clear. All hospital managers are expected to efficiently manage waiting lists in chronological order, except where clinical need dictates that a patient needs to be prioritised. The HSE does not condone the manipulation of waiting lists and will take appropriate disciplinary action if this can be proved.

In late 2013, a number of patients waiting for a first outpatient appointment were outsourced to the private sector for assessment and were then referred back to the public system for surgical procedures. The HSE has advised that this practice has now ceased.

Patients can be removed from waiting lists as part of the HSE waiting lists validation protocol but GPs and consultants concerned are informed if a patient is being removed from the list and if the GP or consultant considers the patient should be reinstated on the list this is done as part of the protocol.

The HSE continues to implement further measures to tackle waiting lists. These include: increasing the throughput of patients in public outpatient clinic, reducing the number of patients who do not turn up for their appointment, and increasing the number of new patients in the clinic rather than just reviewing previous patients who are often better returned to their GP.

It is important for the Deputy to note that there is no policy to manipulate waiting lists. The only waiting lists that I‘m interested in are accurate ones. Accurate waiting lists allows us to plan services. When it comes to negotiating a good budget for health, waiting list figures that make the situation look better than it really is are no benefit to me.