John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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237. To ask the Minister for Health the way the National Treatment Purchase Fund will be fully accessible; the way it will be applied for; the criteria for persons to access; the hospitals, both public and private, that will be participating in the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12385/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In December 2016, I granted approval to the NTPF to dedicate €5m to a daycase waiting list initiative with the aim of ensuring that no patient will be waiting more than 18 months for a daycase procedure by 30 June 2017. In excess of 2,000 daycases will be managed through this process. The NTPF is currently undertaking a tender process to identify participating private hospitals and expects that patients will start to receive their appointments in March. The majority of daycase procedures delivered under this Initiative will be in the areas of ENT, Ophthalmology, General Surgery Dental , Urology and Vascular Surgery.

The HSE is currently developing a 2017 Waiting List Action Plan for inpatient/daycase procedures to ensure that no patient is waiting more than 15 months by the end of October. The Plan is being developed in conjunction with the NTPF's approach for utilisation of its remaining €10m funding for patient treatment in 2017. The Draft Plan is currently being reviewed by my Department and engagement is ongoing with the HSE and the NTPF towards its finalisation.

The NTPF will be asked to submit monthly reports on the number of patients treated, referring hospitals, treating hospitals and treatment specialty.