Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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220. To ask the Minister for Health the number of patients on outpatient waiting lists in tabular form at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda; if he will provide a breakdown or medical speciality of those numbers by department in tabular form; and the length of time that patients have been on the list. [45517/21]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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221. To ask the Minister for Health the number of patients on outpatient waiting lists in tabular form in Louth County Hospital; if he will provide a breakdown or medical speciality of those numbers by department in tabular form; and the length of time that patients have been on the list. [45518/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 220 and 221 together.

It is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted in the last eighteen months as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently as a result of the ransomware attack. While significant progress was made in reducing waiting times from June 2020 onwards, the surge in Covid-19 cases in the first quarter of 2021 and the associated curtailment of acute hospital services, coupled with the ransomware attack of May 2021, has impacted waiting times. However, the HSE advise that acute services are now almost all fully restored to pre cyber-attack levels, and are operating in line with relevant Covid protocols.

My Department, the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) are focusing on improving access to elective care in order to reduce waiting times for patients. These plans include increased use of private hospitals, funding weekend and evening work in public hospitals, funding “see and treat” services where minor procedures are provided at the same time as outpatient consultations, providing virtual clinics and increasing capacity in the public hospital system.

An additional €240 million has been provided in Budget 2021 for an access to care fund, €210m of which has been allocated to the HSE and a further €30m to the NTPF. This is to be used to fund additional capacity to address the shortfall arising as a result of infection control measures taken in the context of COVID-19, as well as addressing backlogs in waiting lists.

My Department, the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund are currently working on a Multiannual Waiting List Plan to address waiting lists and bring them in line with Sláintecare targets over the coming years.

The waiting list information requested by the deputy is outlined in the attached documents.

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Outpatient Waiting List by Hospital

Louth County Hospital Outpatient Waiting List by Specialty