John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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327. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he has taken to reduce waiting lists for children and adolescents with scoliosis in the children's hospital group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33449/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In order to reduce the long waiting times for scoliosis surgery for children and young people, I asked the HSE to develop an Action Plan for 2017. The HSE Scoliosis Waiting List Update and Service Development Plan has been finalised and details of it are available on the HSE website. The Plan aims to ensure that no patient who requires spinal fusion or other scoliosis procedures will be waiting more than four months for surgery by the end of the year, where that is appropriate clinically. The HSE has advised the Department that every patient, including children under the age of 14, who needs to be treated in 2017, has been considered and is included in the overall plan for scoliosis services.

The Plan includes both measures to increase capacity in the children's hospitals as well as proposals to outsource some spinal procedures to other hospitals nationally and internationally. The Children's Hospital Group is monitoring progress made and is reporting to the Department on a weekly basis. Recent recruitment success has resulted in several new theatre nurses now in post in Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin. Additional nurses and a consultant surgeon are due to commence work shortly which will increase theatre capacity by three days a week since the beginning of the year.

While the Plan endeavours to deliver on short to medium term reduction in the waiting lists, in tandem the HSE is working to develop a long-term sustainable solution for scoliosis and paediatric orthopaedic cases. The numbers of patients on each of the waiting list categories is being taken into account in planning the future service requirements.