Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Reducing waiting time for patients for hospital operations and procedures is a key priority for Government. Budget 2019 announced that the Government has 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.

The joint Department of Health/HSE/NTPF Scheduled Care Access Plan 2019 was published in March and sets out measures to improve care for patients waiting for scheduled care in 2019 by reducing waiting times for inpatient/day case treatment and outpatient appointments. The plan will place a strong focus on a number of high-volume procedures, including hip and knee replacements. When combined with HSE activity, it is projected that the NTPF will be in a position to offer treatment to all clinically suitable patients waiting more than 6 months for one of these high-volume procedures.

As of the end of March 2019, there were 1,565 patients on the orthopaedic inpatient and daycase waiting list at Tallaght University Hospital. This represents a decrease of almost 20% on the same period last year when there were 1,943 patients waiting. A further breakdown of the waiting list is provided for Deputy in the attached filed.

In relation to the waiting time for the patient concerned, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.