Written answers

Thursday, 1 December 2016

Department of Health

National Treatment Purchase Fund Data

Photo of Denise MitchellDenise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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43. To ask the Minister for Health if data is being collected on the type of treatment, the cost of treatment and the patient outcome for services commissioned from the private sector by the NTPF, National Treatment Purchase Fund; if so, the details of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37866/16]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The NTPF was established on a statutory basis in 2004 and previously arranged for the provision of hospital treatment to classes of persons determined by the Minister. Since 2011 this function has been suspended.

I include with the official report a tabular statement setting out details of the annual budget of the NTPF and the number of patients treated per annum since its inception.

Budget 2017 provides for the treatment of our longest-waiting patients. €20m is being allocated to the NTPF, rising to €55m in 2018. Planning for these initiatives is currently being finalised with the NTPF. As part of this process, I have requested that the NTPF put in place a robust monitoring and evaluation process of the outputs and outcomes to ensure that the learning gleaned informs future initiatives.

Finally, the NTPF launched the 2016 Endoscopy Initiative in June and I receive monthly reports on the overall progress of this initiative, which is on track to achieve its target of no patients waiting more than 12 months for a routine scope by the end of the year. The NTPF will be submitting a final report to me by the end of January 2017 which will set out the overall performance of the initiative including; number of patients referred number of patients who received a procedure, a total cost of procedures and a breakdown of where these procedures were provided.

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