Written answers

Tuesday, 12 July 2022

Department of Health

National Treatment Purchase Fund

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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874. To ask the Minister for Health the number of patients removed from National Treatment Purchase Fund waiting lists as a result of validation for the months of January to May 2022, broken down by month; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37406/22]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware from my previous responses on this issue, including Parliamentary Question No. 404 of the 23rd June 2022 (PQ 33335/22), the validation process is carried out through cycles where the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) works with individual hospitals, via specified waiting lists, in order to identify appropriate patient cohorts to validate, generate reports, contact patients, allow for response time, response collation, and patient removal. As such a breakdown of validation figures by hospital each month does not reflect the appropriate activity and removal rates of the validation cycle. In addition, to generate such a report would require significant manual intervention as it does not correlate with how the validation process operates in practice.

The NTPF has advised my Department that the number of patients removed from Acute Hospital Waiting Lists through their validation programme year to date up to 3rd June 2022 was 3,082 from Inpatient/Day Case and 36,046 from Outpatient waiting lists.

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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875. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated total cost incurred by the HSE, his Department and the National Treatment Purchase Fund in validating health waiting lists, the cost incurred in 2021 and from January to May 2022 by the National Treatment Purchase Fund on validation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37407/22]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In relation to the particular query raised, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has provided the table below to my Department which outlines the cost incurred in 2021 and from January to May 2022 by the National Treatment Purchase Fund on validation.

NTPF Validation Costs

2021 2022 (January – May)
Staff WTE 7 WTE 9 WTE
Staff Cost €406,000 €213,000
Validation Process Costs €951,000 €505,000
Total €1,357,000 €718,000

In relation to the total cost incurred by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in validating health waiting lists, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.

The validation of acute hospital waiting lists is carried out by agencies (HSE and NTPF) under the aegis of the Department of Health. Staff of the Department are not directly involved in the validation process.

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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876. To ask the Minister for Health the total number of staff employed by the Department and the National Treatment Purchase Fund, HSE or his Department who are involved in validating health waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37408/22]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In relation to the particular query raised, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has advised my Department that a total of 9 staff employed by the NTPF are involved in validating health waiting lists - 1 Validation Manager, 2 Team Leads and 6 validators.

In relation to the number of staff employed by the Health Service Executive (HSE) who are involved in validating health waiting lists, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.

The validation of health waiting lists is carried out by agencies (HSE and NTPF) under the aegis of the Department of Health. Staff of the Department are not directly involved in the validation process.

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