Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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40. To ask the Minister for Health the reason 3,635 persons were waiting more than a year for inpatient and day-case treatment in University Hospital Galway in October 2016; and the reason the numbers waiting more than a year have increased by 5,000% since April 2014 [38042/16]

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 nationally to end October compared with the same period last year, the important issue for patients is how long they wait.

Under the HSE Service Plan 2016 targets, 95% of people should be waiting less than 15 months for their inpatient or daycase appointment. The latest NTPF inpatient/daycase waiting list figures indicate that the total number of people on the inpatient/daycase waiting list for Galway University Hospital is 11,822 and that 78% of people at the hospital are waiting less than 15 months for their inpatient or daycase appointment. 8,187 or 69% of people are waiting less than 12 months for their inpatient or day case appointment.

There are a number of ongoing and planned construction projects at Galway University Hospital that will increase capacity in the future.

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 from the waiting list nationally. Additional funding of €11.25m has been allocated under the Winter Initiative in order to support patient treatment under this Action Plan.

Budget 2017 provides for the treatment of our longest-waiting patients. €20m is being allocated to the NTPF in 2017, rising to €55m in 2018. Planning of these initiatives is currently being finalised. I will shortly be asking the HSE to develop a Waiting List Action Plan for 2017 working collaboratively with the NTPF to address inpatient, daycase and outpatient waiting times.