Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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394. To ask the Minister for Health the wait times for children for a first consultation with an orthopaedic specialist in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital and the Mater Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27883/18]

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 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.

The Scoliosis Co-Design Group is developing criteria for surgery based on clinical grounds and national and international best practice to ensure that children/young adolescents have surgery when clinically indicated for their individual case and within a time period that does not cause clinical deterioration of their condition.

There is a desire and a requirement to facilitate timely surgery. This will be enabled with the increased investment in the service in 2018, aimed at stabilising and expanding the current capacity, to meet the demand for timely scoliosis treatment.

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 terms of current wait times for orthopaedic consultations at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital and the Mater Hospital, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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395. To ask the Minister for Health his views on whether the HSE national service plan target that 80% of patients waiting for a first out-patient appointment for scoliosis will be seen within a 52 week timeframe is an acceptable target wait time for children that live with scoliosis; the steps being taken to ensure that children have timely access to their first assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27884/18]

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 (CHG) 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. I look forwards also to the publication of the Scoliosis Action Plan which the Children's Hospital Group advise will be published in July of this year.  

In addition to the increase in funding, 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.

While positive results have been witnessed through the work of the Inpatient Day Case (IPDC) Action Plan, 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.

In order to address the issue of growing outpatient waiting list numbers, my Department, the HSE and the NTPF are in the process of finalising an Outpatient Action Plan for 2018. This plan will support the HSE’s compliance with their National Service Plan targets, reduce the growth in the number of patients waiting for outpatient services, improve the accuracy of the waiting list, and trial a number of NTPF funded interventions, including weekend and out of hours clinics.

The CHG advise that in May Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin commenced an Outpatient Department Spinal Review Clinic as an interim measure until the two new consultant posts are filled. Its aim is to reduce first OPD appointments to 6 months by September.