Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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252. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which the treatment purchase scheme can be used to target waiting lists in the short and medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51219/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Improving access to hospital treatment is a key priority for Government.

This year has seen ongoing improvements with the number of patients waiting for inpatient and daycase procedures (IPDC), now at 72,001 from the peak of 86,100 in July 2017. This represents a 16% reduction in the overall number of patients waiting for an inpatient or day case procedure. The number of patients waiting over 9 months has reduced from over 28,100 to just over 17,500 in the same period equating to a 37% reduction.

The ongoing collaboration between the HSE and NTPF to maximise the number of patients treated in both a public and private capacity has resulted in over 21,200 patients accepting offers of treatment for a hospital procedure to the end of October this year.

Budget 2019 announced that the Government had further increased investment in tackling waiting lists, with funding to the National Treatment Purchase fund (NTPF) increasing from €55 million in 2018 to €75 million in 2019.

In 2019, the NTPF plans to deliver 25,000 Inpatient Day Case treatments. In addition, 5,000 Gastro Intestinal Scopes will be carried out, bringing to 9,000 the additional scope activity provided by the NTPF since the start of 2018. Furthermore, 40,000 Outpatient appointments will be arranged as part of 2019 activity. It is expected that a further 34,000 patients who no longer need treatment will be removed from the waiting lists by the NTPF Central Validation Unit.

As a result, the number of patients waiting for a hospital procedure is projected to fall to below 59,000 by the end of 2019.

My Department is working closely with the NTPF and the HSE to finalise a Scheduled Care Access Plan for inpatient/daycase and outpatients for 2019.

In 2019, the NTPF and HSE will continue to work closely with Hospital Groups, inviting proposals to improve access for patients waiting for either inpatient/daycase or outpatient procedures.