Written answers

Thursday, 24 June 2021

Photo of Bríd SmithBríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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378. To ask the Minister for Health the number of applicants for public funding to access inpatient treatment at private hospitals and facilities since 2010; the number of these applicants who successfully accessed funding either under the treatment purchase fund or other schemes; the number of applicants refused funding for inpatient treatment for eating disorders and related illnesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26162/21]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) works with public hospitals, as opposed to with patients directly, to offer and provide the funding for treatment to clinically suitable long waiting patients who are on an inpatient/day case waiting list for surgery, having been referred on to such a list following clinical assessment by a consultant/specialist at an outpatient clinic.

The key criteria of the NTPF is the prioritisation of the longest waiting patients first. While the NTPF identifies patients eligible for NTPF treatment, it is solely on the basis of their time spent on the Inpatient/Daycase Waiting List. The clinical suitability of the patient to avail of NTPF funded treatment is determined by the public hospital.

As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.

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