Written answers

Tuesday, 29 May 2018

Department of Health

Hospital Appointments Delays

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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83. To ask the Minister for Health the reason more than 12,000 adults and children had been waiting over a year for an outpatient appointment in Tallaght in April 2018. [23520/18]

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

The HSE service plan 2018 sets out a target that 80% of patients waiting for a first outpatient appointment will be seen within a 52 week wait timeframe. HSE figures for March 2018 show that Tallaght University Hospital is seeing 64 % outpatients within 52 weeks.

Each year 3.3 million patients attend Hospital Outpatient clinics for appointments, with demand for services growing year-on-year. A key component of the management of waiting lists by hospitals is the categorisation of patients by clinical priority to ensure that all patients receive care in timely and clinically appropriate matter.

In 2017, Tallaght University Hospital had over 121,000 (121,521) Outpatient Department attendances. However, over 20,000 patients did not attend their appointments last year.

Tallaght University Hospital has advised that it has undertaken a number of actions to address the issue of long outpatient appointment waiting times. This includes the a 'see and treat' initiative for same-day minor procedures and the recruitment of additional consultants in ENT, orthopaedics and neurology. The hospital further advises it is working closely with the Acute Hospital Division of the HSE and with the NTPF to identify additional resources required to assist a reduction in waiting lists, including a joint initiative with local GPs on new patient pathways.

In addition, the HSE is working with the NTPF and my Department to finalise a joint plan focused on improving overall use of resources to tackle long patient waiting times and ensuring timely access to treatment and care for our patients. I hope to publish this Plan shortly.

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