Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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841. To ask the Minister for Health the number of inpatients and outpatients that have been treated on the NTPF; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35565/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge that waiting times are often unacceptably long and I am conscious of the burden that this places on patients and their families.

Reducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. Consequently, Budget 2017 allocated €20 million to the NTPF, rising to €55 million in 2018.

In order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, I asked the HSE to develop Waiting List Action Plans for 2017 in the areas of Inpatient/Daycase, Scoliosis and Outpatient Services. These plans have been published and their implementation is ongoing. The Inpatient / Daycase and Outpatient Plans focus on reducing the number of patients waiting 15 months or more for inpatient and daycase treatment or for an outpatient appointment by the end of October. The Scoliosis Action Plan aims to ensure that no patient who requires scoliosis surgery will be waiting more than four months for surgery by the end of 2017. Under these Plans, since early February, over 16,700 patients have come off the Inpatient/Daycase Waiting List and nearly 62,000 patients have come off the Outpatient Waiting List.

In addition, the NTPF is currently rolling out its Daycase Waiting List Initiative focused on those waiting longest for daycase treatment, with a view to ensuring that in excess of 2,000 patients waiting more than 18 months for a daycase procedure will have received an offer of an appointment for their procedure by the end of June.The NTPF has advised that to date over 3,200 patients files have been transferred to private hospitals under this Initiative, over 1,100 patients have accepted an offer of treatment in a private hospital and around 470 patients have received their procedure.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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842. To ask the Minister for Health the amount of the NTPF allocation for 2017 that has been spent; the way in which it has been spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35566/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge that waiting times are often unacceptably long and I am conscious of the burden that this places on patients and their families.

Reducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. Consequently, Budget 2017 allocated €20 million to the NTPF, rising to €55 million in 2018. Of this 2017 allocation, €15 million has been set aside for the treatment of those patients waiting longest for inpatient and daycase procedures.

In December 2016, I granted approval to the NTPF to dedicate the first tranche of €5m to a Daycase Waiting List Initiative with a view to ensuring that in excess of 2,000 patients waiting more than 18 months for a daycase procedure will have received an offer of an appointment for their procedure by the end of June. The NTPF has advised that to date over 3,200 patients files have been transferred to private hospitals under this Initiative, over 1,100 patients have accepted an offer of treatment in a private hospital and around 470 patients have received their procedure.

The second tranche of €5m is to be used in an Insourcing Initiative whereby approximately 3,000 patients will receive inpatient and daycase treatment in a public hospital by the end of October 2017. This initiative is currently in process.

Finally, a further €5m will be used in another outsourcing initiative in which a further 2,000 patients will receive inpatient and daycase treatment in the private hospital system. Development of this initiative by the NTPF is ongoing and will be rolled out in 2017. These Plans will utilise both the capacity within the private hospital system through outsourcing, whilst maximising existing capacity in our public hospital system through insourcing within hospital groups.

Embedded in all NTPF Initiatives are procedures to report on the type, nature and cost of treatments commissioned, including controls to ensure quality patient treatment, value for money and efficient processes. My Department has implemented a robust monitoring framework in this regard.

The NTPF submit regular reports to the Department of Health on the number of patients treated, referring hospitals, treating hospitals, and treatment specialty. It may not be possible to make specific information on costs in relation to individual private hospitals available due to its commercial sensitivity however, the NTPF provide to the Department financial reports regarding the waiting list initiatives.