David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1561. To ask the Minister for Health the allocation that has been made for the access to care fund; the amount that has been spent to date; the programme lines or equivalent; the amount allocated to and spent on community services; the amount spent by service type in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29735/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Total 2022 allocation

The Minister published the 2022 Waiting List Action Plan in February of this year, through which €350m has been allocated to the HSE and NTPF to reduce the number of people waiting for acute scheduled care, make progress towards achieving Sláintecare maximum waiting time targets, and initiate key waiting list reform actions.

Of the €350m, €150m has been allocated to the NTPF to remove 273,000 patients from waiting lists through both additional activity and validation.

Of the remaining €200m, a significant proportion is being used to further increase activity so as to achieve a net reduction in waiting lists by the end of 2022; €15m has been dedicated to priority areas of gynaecology, paediatric orthopaedics and bariatric / obesity treatments, and €20m has been allocated to initiatives to reduce specific community care waiting lists (including orthodontics, primary care child psychology / counselling, CAMHS and autism).

The following table breaks down the planned expenditure:

The remaining €48m will be allocated to specific acute scheduled care reform initiatives, including modernising scheduled care pathways.

Expenditure to date

The below table provides a summary of expenditure to date. Figures are subject to change throughout the year.

To date, of the €350m allocated:

- The HSE has spent an estimated €35m securing additional activity and progressing reforms.

- The NTPF has spent an estimated €45m securing additional activity and completing validations.

- The HSE has committed a further €82m based on plans to secure additional activity, and progress work in the identified priority areas of gynaecology, paediatric orthopaedics, and bariatrics / obesity.

- A further €57m has been identified with plans to be refined. This work is underway.

- Of the €20m allocated to address specific community waiting lists, the below table summarises expenditure to date and activity under way: