Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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476. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which it has been found possible to identify the precise issues within the health services that continue to cause delays and long waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43926/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge that waiting times are often unacceptably long and I am conscious of the burden that this places on patients and their families.  Improving waiting times for hospital procedures is a key commitment in the Programme for Government. Investing in additional capacity, including beds and theatre space; the progression of recruitment and retention of staff; the delivery of the NDP project, including dedicated elective only hospitals and the ambitious reform agenda in the Sláintecare Report will improve waiting times and access for patients.

In the recent Budget the Government further increased investment to tackle hospital waiting lists, with funding to the NTPF to increase from €55m in 2018 to €75m in 2019.

The latest Waiting list figures for September, published by the NTPF show that the number of patients on the inpatient and daycase waiting list now stands at 72,700.  This represents a 16% reduction in the overall number of patients waiting for an inpatient or day case procedure from a peak of 86,100 in July 2017. The number of patients waiting over 9 months has reduced from over 28,100 to under 19,200 in the same period equating to a 32% reduction.

While the total numbers on the Outpatient waiting list continues to grow, a targeted approach by the HSE and Hospital Groups in late 2017 and into 2018 has impacted on the level of growth. The period January-September 2017 saw growth of almost 57,800 while growth has reduced to 14,800 in the same period in 2018. In addition, the NTPF is working closely with Hospital Groups inviting proposals to facilitate the trialling of funded interventions, and at the end of September had approved almost 12,700 outpatient appointments.

In addition, the recent Budget provided an increase of €1.05 billion in Health funding. This brings the health budget for 2019 to €17 billion. This is the highest level of Health investment in the history of the State and will allow the health service to meet additional demands due to the demographic pressure of a growing and ageing population. The additional funding provided as part of Budget 2019 will directly support a range of additional services including initiatives proposed in the Sláintecare Report and committed to in the Sláintecare Implementation Strategy. Sláintecare will focus on meeting the demand for health care that our population currently has, and which will continue to grow in future years.