Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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84. To ask the Minister for Health the reason 1,425 persons were waiting more than a year for inpatient and day case treatment in Waterford University Hospital in October 2014; and the reason the numbers waiting more than a year have jumped so much since April 2014. [38023/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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This Government is committed to improving waiting times for patients. While recognising that demand for acute hospital services has increased this year with a 4% increase in inpatient and day case activity to end October compared with the same period last year, the important issue for patients is how long they wait.

According to the October waiting list data published by the NTPF, 83% of patients on the inpatient/day case waiting list for University Hospital Waterford are waiting less than 15 months. The September HSE Management Data Report points to a 2.7% increase in in-patient discharges and a 10% increase in day cases compared with the same period in 2015.

In August, I asked the HSE to develop a Waiting List Action Plan for 2016 to reduce by year end the number of patients waiting over 18 months on the inpatient/daycase waiting list. Since then, approximately 6,500 patients have been removed nationally from the waiting list. Additional funding of €11.25m has been allocated under the Winter Initiative in order to support patient treatment under this Action Plan.

As part of the Winter Initiative an additional five home care packages per week will be funded to support timely discharge from University Hospital Waterford. This funding will provide for 15 additional surge capacity beds and two complex delayed discharge cases will be transferred from the hospital by the end of the Winter Initiative reporting period.

Finally, the Budget 2017 provides for the treatment of our longest-waiting patients. €20 million is being allocated to the NTPF, rising to €55 million in 2018. Planning of this initiative is at an advanced stage by the NTPF, my Department and the HSE.