Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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26. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which he is satisfied that issues affecting long waiting lists in public hospitals, overcrowding at accident and emergency units and other contributory factors affecting the fast, efficient and effective delivery of public health services are fully addressed or are in the course of so being; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20878/19]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am committed to tackling the key challenges our health service faces in relation to long waiting times and hospital overcrowding. Improving timely access for patients to scheduled and unscheduled care is at the heart of Sláintecare. Building upon the process made in recent years in this area, the Sláintecare Action Plan 2019 published by my Department, includes a specific workstream on Access and Waiting Lists. In addition, many of the other service reforms and enhancements included in the Action Plan and in Sláintecare will support timely access to care for patients in the coming years.

Progress has already been made in implementing the Sláintecare Action Plan Waiting List and Access actions this year.

In March, I published the Scheduled Care Access Plan 2019. The plan includes a target to reduce the overall number of patients on the waiting list for hospital operations and procedures to 60,000 by year end. It is worth recalling that the number of patients waiting was 86,000 in July 2017 and significant progress has been made over the past two years.

The Access Plan sets out the activity levels for the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) who, following an increase in funding in Budget 2019 to €75 million, will supply additionality to HSE activity in order to reduce waiting times experienced by patients for a hospital appointment, operation or procedure.

With regard to unscheduled care, the Winter Plan 2018/19 was designed to ensure that the Health system was well prepared, within existing financial and capacity requirements, to meet the increased demand for services over the Winter period. In Q1 2019 the overall number of patients attending Emergency Departments increased by 8%, admissions increased by 5%, however, trolleys reduced by 12%. The 8am trolley count, while still too high at just under 29,000 in Q1 2019, was the lowest level recorded in five years. Work has commenced on preparations for Winter 2019/20.

The Health Service Capacity Review published last year, highlighted the need for a major investment in additional capacity in both hospital and community. Progress has also been on the increasing capacity and the average number of open inpatient beds has increased by 3% between 2017 and Q1 2019 to 10,969 and further investment is scheduled in 2019 and 2020.