Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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1059. To ask the Minister for Health the outpatient validation exercises dated 1 January to 30 November 2020, the reason for a zero return from the outpatients list in both Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda and Louth County Hospital, Dundalk; if both hospitals have an alternate plan to manage and reduce outpatient lists; the details of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1657/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Good practice around the management of hospital waiting lists recommends periodic validation of waiting lists.

Validation is the process whereby hospital administration contacts patients on waiting lists at pre-planned intervals during the year to ensure that patients are ready, willing, suitable and available to attend a hospital appointment or wish to be removed.

Importantly, the validation process allows for situations where, if requested by the GP/referring clinician, patients can be reinstated back to their original place on to the Waiting List.

For a number of years validation was conducted at individual hospital level in Ireland but in 2018, the Minister for Health approved the establishment of the National Centralised Validation Unit (NCVU) within the NTPF. The NCVU delivers a standardisation of approach to validation across all waiting lists and all hospitals in line with the best patient-centred practices. The validation of waiting lists better informs the true demand for hospital services and enable improved efficiency and patient scheduling.

Following engagement with public hospitals, the NCVU commenced issuing waiting list validation correspondence on the 2nd November 2018.

The report referenced by the Deputy relates to the number of patients removed from Outpatient waiting lists between 1 January and 30 November 2020 by hospital as a result of validation exercises carried out by the NCVU.

In relation to the zero returns from both Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital (OLOL) and Louth County Hospital in this report, the NCVU has advised that the RCSI Hospital Group, with the exception of the Rotunda Hospital, do not engage in the NCVU process.

In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy regarding alternate plans to manage and reduce outpatient lists at OLOL and Louth County Hospitals, and the details of same, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.