John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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356. To ask the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) did not have their adenoids removed as arranged at the same time as their tonsils under the treatment purchase fund scheme; if they will now be offered an early date for the operation; and if the urgent operation will be expedited. [49867/19]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.

In 2015 and 2016 the NTPF did not have a direct role in the commissioning of patient treatments. The procurement of treatments was carried out by the HSE and the role of the NTPF was in the administration of the payments to the hospitals.

The National Waiting List Management Policy, a standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, since January 2014, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.

In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.