Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent)
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362. To ask the Minister for Health the wait times for young adults of 16 to 21 years of age in need of scoliosis care to see a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Mater Hospital when referred by a general practitioner. [26499/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The long-term strategy to develop sustainable scoliosis services from 2018 has been prioritised by my Department and the HSE in the 2018 HSE National Service Plan. An additional €9 million has been provided to the HSE in 2018 specifically to develop paediatric orthopaedic services, including further increasing access to scoliosis services. The Children's Hospital Group is committed to a two-year service development plan to implement an orthopaedic service that provides timely access for Outpatient and In-Patient services. The HSE has confirmed that as part of this plan it will maintain the 4-month target in 2018 and beyond, which is international best practice, for all patients who are clinically deemed to require surgery now.

In addition, a Paediatric Scoliosis Services Co-Design group is in place, which includes clinicians, hospital staff and representatives from the scoliosis advocacy groups, to design a comprehensive, contemporary, and patient-centred approach to the delivery of scoliosis services.

Furthermore, two new consultant posts for paediatric orthopaedics have been provided for in the HSE 2018 National Service Plan. The two new posts are currently being processed through the Consultant Appointment Approval Committee process and are expected to be appointed in quarter 4 of 2018. These posts are allocated to Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin and Temple Street Children’s University Hospital for paediatric orthopaedics and are expected to have a positive impact on current patient waiting times.

In relation to waiting times for scoliosis care at the Mater Hospital for 16-21 year olds, as this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent)
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363. To ask the Minister for Health the actions being taken to address the outpatient waiting lists for children who are waiting up to 36 months for an appointment. [26500/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Improving waiting times for hospital procedures and outpatient appointments is a key commitment in the Programme for Government. While the Inpatient and Day Case (IPDC) Action Plan was published in April to address waiting times for IPDC procedures, the Outpatient waiting list remains a significant challenge to be addressed in 2018.

Each year, 3.3 million patients attend Hospital Outpatient clinics for appointments. The HSE has commenced the development of an Outpatient Department Action Plan for 2018. The HSE will work with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and the Department of Health to finalise a joint plan focused on improving overall use of resources and ensuring timely access to treatment and care for our patients.

The Children’s Hospital Group (CHG) continues to work with the NTPF to manage long waiting lists for clinically appropriate groups, and with the HSE’s Acute Hospital Division to secure year on year investment in critical pressure areas. Capacity challenges are managed daily with each of the three children’s hospitals supporting each other in terms of bed utilisation and availability.

Part of the rationale for the development of the new children’s hospital is the challenges with existing physical infrastructure across the hospitals in the Group. The design of the new children’s hospital and Paediatric Outpatient and Urgent Care Centres at Connolly and Tallaght Hospitals is based on a thorough analysis of capacity and demand and services will be provided in line with best practice and the National Model of Care for Paediatrics and Neonatology, the acute strand of the HSE’s Integrated Care Programme for Children.