Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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435. To ask the Minister for Health the number of the current public patient waiting lists for rheumatology, ophthalmology and neurology in Cork University Hospital in tabular form; and the number of months patients that are waiting. [17399/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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It is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. While significant work continues to positively impact on waiting times and improve pathways to elective care, acute hospitals have been impacted by operational challenges arising from surges in cases related to Omicron variants.

The HSE has confirmed to the Department that patient safety remains at the centre of all hospital activity and elective care scheduling. To ensure services are provided in a safe, clinically-aligned and prioritised way, hospitals are following HSE clinical guidelines and protocols.

The Department of Health continues to work with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to identify ways to improve access to care, including through increased use of private hospitals, funding weekend and evening work in public hospitals, funding “see and treat” services, providing virtual clinics, and increasing capacity in the public hospital system.

The 2022 Waiting List Action Plan, which was launched on the 26th of February, allocates €350 million to the HSE and NTPF to reduce waiting lists. Under this plan the Department, HSE, and NTPF will deliver urgent additional capacity for the treatment of patients, as well as investing in longer term reforms to bring sustained reductions in waiting lists. The plan builds on the successes of the short-term 2021 plan that ran from September to December last year. The 2021 plan was developed by the Department of Health, the HSE and the NTPF and was driven and overseen by a senior governance group co-chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of Health and the CEO of the HSE and met fortnightly. This rigorous level of governance and scrutiny of waiting lists has continued into this year with the oversight group evolving into the Waiting List Task Force. The Task Force will meet regularly to drive progress of the 2022 plan.

This is the first stage of an ambitious multi-annual waiting list plan, which is currently under development in the Department of Health. Between them, these plans will work to support short, medium, and long term initiatives to reduce waiting times and provide the activity needed in years to come.

The information requested by the Deputy, the number of the current public patient waiting lists for rheumatology, ophthalmology and neurology in CUH in tabular form including a breakdown of the number of months patients are waiting is outlined in the attached document. The information is provided for In-patient - Daycase (IPDC) and Outpatient (OPD) and shows the number of patients on the neurology, ophthalmology and rheumatology waiting lists by time-band in Cork University Hospital. The OPD information requested by the Deputy is available on the NTPF website at: www.ntpf.ie/home/nwld.htm. The IPDC information is aggregated on the NTPF website to preserve patient confidentiality, given the small numbers involved .

Total Waiters for an Inpatient (IPDC) Neurology, Ophthalmology or Rheumatology Appointment in Cork University Hospital by Wait Time Band as at 24/02/2022

Total Waiters for an Outpatient Neurology, Ophthalmology or Rheumatology Appointment in Cork University Hospital by Wait Time Band as at 24/02/2022