John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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17. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 33 of 14 May 2014, if he will confirm the appointments that have been made to the physiotherapy staffing complement in University Hospital Waterford in the past year; the improvement that has been seen in the waiting times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8046/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The physiotherapy staff level in University Hospital Waterford is currently 20.65 whole-time equivalents, which represents an increase of 2 whole-time equivalents over the past year.

Waiting list figures for January 2015 compare favourably with those of June 2014, with 63 people waiting for an appointment in January 2015 compared to 115 in June 2014, despite an increase in new referrals. None the less, the position requires close ongoing attention and can vary depending on volumes of referrals, prioritisation of inpatient care and other acute complex demands.

The HSE has advised that University Hospital Waterford will be seeking to retain current staffing levels in 2015 and replacing vacancies caused by resignations and retirements where they occur in this service.