Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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139. To ask the Minister for Health the outpatient waiting times in Tallaght Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49887/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Improving access to hospital treatment is a key priority for government. Each year, 3.3 million patients attend Hospital Outpatient clinics for appointments. While the total numbers on the outpatient waiting list continues to grow, a targeted approach by the HSE in late 2017 and into 2018 has impacted on the level of growth. From January to September 2018, the rate of growth of the outpatient waiting list was a quarter of what it was in the same period in 2017.

This year €55 million was allocated to the NTPF to provide treatment for patients. This has been increased to a total of €75 million for 2019 and as a result of this additional funding, my Department is working closely with the NTPF and the HSE to finalise a Scheduled Care Access Plan for inpatients/day case and outpatients for 2019.

I recently met with the CEO's of all hospital groups and requested that they develop innovative proposals to address their outpatient lists in 2019.

In 2019, the NTPF will continue to work closely with Hospital Groups, inviting proposals to facilitate the trialling of funded interventions, including weekend and out of hours clinics, to tackle Outpatient Waiting lists. This year has seen the NTPF approve almost 12,700 additional first-time outpatient appointments and this is projected to increase to 40,000 appointments next year. In addition, validation will play a key in ensuring the accuracy of the outpatient waiting list, and it is envisioned that 30,000 patients will be removed from the outpatient waiting list through the validation consultation process in 2019.

As part of its work to address long-waiters, I understand that Tallaght University Hospital has engaged with the NTPF to propose a number of insourcing and outsourcing initiatives that can help to address the outpatient lists. This has seen the NTPF approve proposals to treat more than 2,200 outpatients across a range of specialties at Tallaght, through the provision of an additional 177 outpatient clinics.

Tallaght University Hospital advises that it has also sought innovative solutions to long waiting lists, including investment in a Waiting List Decision Support System (DSS) which plans and forecasts outpatient demand, allowing the hospital to ensure planned improvements are delivered. Tallaght has also recently recruited new consultants in orthopaedics, neurology, and ENT, in order to arrest the growth in waiting lists for these areas. In addition, the appointment of additional Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANP) in areas such as Rheumatology, and the establishment of more physio led clinics in specialties like Gynaecology, is projected to have a positive impact on outpatient waiting lists as we move into 2019.

The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the table below.

Outpatient Waiting List in Tallaght Hospital - Based on latest published NTPF figures