Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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323. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the provision of bariatric care in the west of Ireland, specifically Letterkenny University Hospital, University Hospital Galway and Sligo University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22025/18]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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324. To ask the Minister for Health the amount of funding provided for hospital based bariatric services in County Galway in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22026/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 323 and 324 together.

The HSE advise that there are two central weight management programmes operation within the Saolta Hospital Group. Saolta, in association with the National Clinical Programme for Health and Wellbeing, commenced the 'Croí Clann' programme in January 2017 and funding of €200,000 per year for a 3 year period will support 400 places on the Croí Clann programme per year. The ‘Croí Clann’ programme adopts a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach, focusing on weight management as part of a comprehensive cardiovascular risk reduction strategy.

In addition, Galway University Hospital provide the 'Milk-based Intensive Lifestyle Intervention' programme (MILIS programme), which is an intensive meal-replacement programme involving 14 visits over six months to the bariatric outpatients department for patients with severe complications of obesity. Currently there are 244 patients on the waiting list for this programme, with the longest waiting on the list since April 2016.

The HSE advise that funding of €110,000 was allocated to Galway University Hospital in 2016 and 22 bariatric surgeries were undertaken. 

In line with the Government’s commitment to improve waiting times for patients, the Inpatient/Day Case Action Plan was launched last month. The Plan outlines the combined impact of HSE and National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) elective activity in 2018.

The Action Plan has been developed to ensure an appropriate balance between high volume activities and offering treatment to complex long waiting patients. For very long waiting patients, the Action Plan sets a target that the NTPF will provide 1,200 procedures in 2018. This could include those waiting for bariatric surgery. As outlined in the Plan, the NTPF will do this by inviting public hospitals to seek solutions for very long waiters either in the private sector or through insourcing. The NTPF will provide funding to the solutions proposed if appropriate. 

The NTPF confirm that they have received proposals from Ireland East Hospital Group for bariatric services and these are currently being reviewed.

The Galway University Hospital outpatient waiting list, outpatient activity table, inpatient waiting list and inpatient activity table are in tabular form.

The HSE advise that there is no bariatric service in Sligo University Hospital.

I have asked Letterkenny University Hospital for similar data, and will provide this directly to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available. 

The table represents the current Bariatric Medicine OPD Waiting List at GUH.

OPD Bariatric Medicine 2016 and 2017 YTD

The following table represents the Bariatric Surgery IP Waiting List at GUH

The following table represents Bariatric Surgery activity 2017 and 2018 YTD

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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325. To ask the Minister for Health the amount of funding provided for hospital based bariatric services in County Dublin in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22027/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Bariatric services in County Dublin are provided through the Ireland East Hospital Group.

The weight management programme (WMP) in the Ireland East Hospital Group is delivered by St. Columcille’s Hospital (SCH) and St. Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH). The medical multidisciplinary weight management component of the programme is delivered in St. Columcille’s Hospital, whilst patients deemed suitable for surgery are referred to the surgical component of the programme in St. Vincent's.

The HSE advise that since 2015 funding of €300,000 per annum has been allocated to St Vincent's to support the provision of bariatric surgery enabling 30 bariatric surgeries each year. In 2015, 28 bariatric surgeries were performed in St Vincent's University Hospital. In 2016, 29 bariatric surgical procedures were performed and this increased to 34 procedures in 2017.

In August 2017 a second new bariatric surgeon commenced in St. Vincent's and the hospital has made available significant additional theatre capacity to accommodate these cases.

In line with the Government’s commitment to improve waiting times for patients, the Inpatient/Day Case Action Plan was launched last month. The Plan outlines the combined impact of HSE and National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) elective activity in 2018.

The Action Plan has been developed to ensure an appropriate balance between high volume activities and offering treatment to complex long waiting patients. For very long waiting patients, the Action Plan sets a target that the NTPF will provide 1,200 procedures in 2018. This could include those waiting for bariatric surgery. As outlined in the Plan, the NTPF will do this by inviting public hospitals to seek solutions for very long waiters either in the private sector or through insourcing. The NTPF will provide funding to the solutions proposed if appropriate.

The NTPF confirm that they have received proposals from Ireland East Hospital Group for bariatric services and these are currently being reviewed.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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326. To ask the Minister for Health if bariatric surgeries will be carried out under the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22029/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Improving waiting times for hospital procedures is a key commitment in the Programme for Government and in 2018 €50 million was allocated to the NTPF to provide treatment for patients.

The recently launched Inpatient/Day Case Action Plan outlines the combined impact of HSE and National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) activity in 2018.

Under the Plan, the HSE will deliver 1.14 million hospital operations or procedures. In addition, the NTPF will provide 20,000 inpatient day cases across a range of specialties through both outsourcing and HSE insourcing.

The Action Plan has been developed to ensure an appropriate balance between high volume activities and offering treatment to complex long waiting patients. For very long waiting patients, the Action Plan sets a target that the NTPF will provide 1,200 procedures in 2018. This could include those waiting for bariatric surgery. As outlined in the Plan, the NTPF will do this by inviting public hospitals to seek solutions for very long waiters either in the private sector or through insourcing. The NTPF will provide funding to the solutions proposed if appropriate. 

The NTPF confirm that they have received proposals from two Hospital Groups for bariatric services and these are currently being reviewed.