Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
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32. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the long delays for patients awaiting spinal surgery at Galway University Hospital. [14641/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Improving waiting lists for scheduled care is a key priority for me and for the Government. Taking into account current pressures on acute hospital services, I have put in place a target that by mid-year nobody will wait more than 18 months for in-patient, day case treatment or an out-patient appointment, with a further reduction to a wait time of no more than 15 months by year end. The HSE is currently working on an implementation plan to achieve these targets and this will be monitored throughout the year.

I have been assured by the Saolta University Health Care Group that the waiting list for spinal surgery is a priority for the Saolta University Health Care Group. I understand that a number of arrangements are being put in place in order to facilitate the level of complexity involved in relation to this type of surgery. The Group is currently reviewing a number of resources in the context of bed availability, access to diagnostics, purchase of specialist spinal equipment and access to theatre. Plans in this regard are progressing and every effort is being made to facilitate potential surgery dates for this cohort of patients.

In addition, the National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014,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.