Written answers

Thursday, 28 September 2017

Department of Health

Hospital Waiting Lists Data

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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204. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons on waiting lists for hip replacements at various hospitals throughout the country; the longest period of time a person has been on this waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41177/17]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon 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. The Inpatient/Daycase Action Plan is being delivered through a combination of normal hospital activity, as well as insourcing and outsourcing initiatives utilising NTPF funding. Under the Inpatient/Daycase Plan, since early February, over 23,800 patients have come off the Inpatient/Daycase Waiting List.

The NTPF has advised that to date 5,901 patients have been authorised for treatment in private hospitals under its Initiatives, 2,235 patients have accepted an offer of treatment in a private hospital and that 1,112 patients have received their procedure. T he NTPF has also indicated that 2,841 patients have been authorised for treatment in public hospitals under the Plan’s insourcing initiatives, 910 offers of treatment have been accepted and 285 patients have been treated. Long-waiting orthopaedic patients are receiving treatment under the insourcing initiative.

Under the Outpatient Plan, since early February, more than 84,200 patients have come off the Outpatient Waiting List .

In response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.

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