Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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27. To ask the Minister for Health if the outpatient action plan will contain measures to help children waiting long periods for rheumatology appointments. [28319/18]

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. 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 its 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 Children's Hospital Group (CHG) continues to work with the NTPF to manage long waiting lists for clinically appropriate groups. CHG has received investment in 2018 in Paediatric Orthopaedic services, that will assist rheumatology. An additional €9 million has been allocated in the HSE 2018 National Service Plan for paediatric orthopaedics, including scoliosis services, to further reduce waiting times for paediatric orthopaedic services and support the development of a sustainable paediatric orthopaedic service.

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.