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.

In April this year I published the Inpatient and Day Case Action Plan 2018, a joint initiative between my Department, the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). The Plan outlines the combined impact of HSE and NTPF activity in 2018 to reduce the number of patients waiting for treatment.

The NTPF authorises public hospitals to offer outsourced treatment to clinically suitable long waiting patients who are on an inpatient/day case waiting list for surgery, having being referred on to such a list following clinical assessment by a consultant/specialist at an outpatient clinic. These authorisations are made in respect of the longest waiting patients first.

In addition, under the Plan, the NTPF, working closely with the HSE, has invited all hospital groups to develop proposals to maximise the use of existing facilities and capacity. The NTPF advises it has received 70 different proposals across all hospital groups.

The NTPF works closely with the Department of Health, the HSE, and acute public hospitals to arrange treatment for eligible patients, but does not provide funding to CHO areas.