Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The National Treatment Purchase Fund works with public hospitals to offer and provide funding for treatment to clinically suitable long waiting patients on an inpatient or day case waiting list.

The clinical suitability of a patient to avail of NTPF funded surgery or procedures is determined by the public hospital where the patient is on an Inpatient or Daycase waiting list.

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 National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has advised my Department that while the NTPF this year will seek to arrange over 150 different types of procedures in public and private hospitals, covering the full range of complexity on the waiting lists, there will be a particular focus on 15 procedures which, prior to NTPF engagement, accounted for more than 50% of the inpatient/day case waiting list. For the following high volume procedures the NTPF will offer treatment for all clinically suitable patients waiting more than 6 months:

-Cataracts

– Cystoscopies

– Hip replacements

– Knee replacements

– Skin lesions (General Surgery and Plastic Surgery)

– Varicose Veins

– Angiograms

– Tonsillectomies

– Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

– Septoplasties

– Dental

– Hysteroscopy

– Laparoscopy (Gynaecology)

– Total abdominal Hysterectomy

– Inguinal Hernia Repair.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has advised my Department that the NTPF funds treatments for long waiting patients on hospital waiting lists (Inpatient and day cases, G.I. Scopes, Outpatients) and diagnostics.

The NTPF has provided the attached list which outlines the main procedures and appointments which are outsourced.

Please see below list of main outsourcing procedures.

Ablation for SVT/Flutter/WPW; Comprehensive EPS with atrial ablation, single focus; includes electrophysiologic evaluation including insertion and repositioning of multiple electrode catheters with induction or attempted induction of an arrhythmia with right atrial pacing and recording, right ventriculuar pacing and recording (when necessary) with intracardiac catheter ablation of arrhythmogenic focus, with treatment of supraventricular tachycardia by ablation of fast or slow atrioventricular pathway, accessory atrioventricular connection, cavotricuspid isthmus or other single atrial focus or source of atrial reentry.

Angiogram/Coronary Angiography

Cardiac electrophysiological study

Cardioversion

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) by Transcatheter Placement of a Drug Eluting Stent more than one vessel

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) by Transcatheter Placement of a Drug Eluting Stent single vessel

Bilateral Pinnaplasty/ Pinna, partial excision with flap reconstruction/Otoplasty

Ethmoidectomy

Frontal sinusectomy (also known as FESS)

Laryngoscopy

Laryngoscopy, direct, operative with biopsy

Mastoidectomy

Myringotomy, with or without grommets, bilateral

Nasal/sinus endoscopy, diagnostic, unilateral or bilateral

Nasal/Sinus endoscopy, surgical with frontal sinus exploration, with or without removal of tissue from frontal sinus, including ethmoidectomy and/or nasal sinus endoscopy

Nasal/Sinus endoscopy, surgical, with antrostomy, bilateral

Nasal/Sinus endoscopy, surgical, with antrostomy, unilateral

Nasal/sinus endoscopy, surgical, with control of nasal haemorrhage

Nasal/Sinus endoscopy, surgical; with biopsy, polypectomy or removal of diseased mucosa, lesions or debridement (I.P.)

Septoplasty

Tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy

Tympanoplasty

Anal Canal EUA

Bilateral inguinal hernia repair

Excision of lesion or lesions of skin - general surgery

Haemorrhoidectomy

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Removal of toenail

Repair of incisional hernia, unilateral

Repair of umbilical hernia, unilateral

Wedge resection of ingrown toenail

Hysteroscopy +/- dilation and cutterage

Laparoscopic salpingo-oophorectomy, complete or partial, unilateral or bilateral

Laparoscopy

Repair of pelvic floor prolapse to include cystocele and/or rectocele repair

Total Abdominal Hysterectomy

Total Vaginal Hysterectomy

Surgical Removal of 2 or more Teeth

Surgical Removal of a Tooth or Tooth Fragment

Blepharostomy

Cataracts

Correction or Repair of ectropion

Correction or Repair of entropion

Dacryocystorhinostomy [DCR]

Excision of ophthalmology lesions one or both eyelids - chalazions, papillomas, dermoids or other cysts or lesions

Excision of pterygium

Excision of pterygium and conjunctival graft

Strabismus procedure involving 1 or 2 muscles

Administration of agent into joint or other synovial cavity, not elsewhere classified

Administration of agent into soft tissue, not elsewhere classified

Anterior spinal fusion, 1 level

Anterior spinal fusion, 2 or more levels

Arthroscopic reconstruction of cruciate ligament of knee with repair of meniscus

Arthroscopy of hip

Arthroscopy of knee

Arthroscopy of shoulder

Cervical discectomy, 1 level

Cervical discectomy, 2 or more levels

Correction of hallux valgus by osteotomy of first metatarsal, unilateral

Correction of hammer toe

Decompression of lumbar spinal canal >= 2 levels

Decompression of lumbar spinal canal 1 level

Discectomy for recurrent disc lesion, 1 level

Discectomy, 2 or more levels

Epidural infusion of other or combined therapeutic substance(s)

Palmar fasciectomy for Dupuytren's contracture

Palmar fasciectomy for Dupuytren's contracture involving 2 digits (rays)

Posterior spinal fusion, 3 or more levels

Posterolateral spinal fusion, 1 or 2 levels

Reconstruction of cruciate ligament of knee with repair of meniscus

Release of carpal tunnel - Orthopaedics

Removal of pin/screw/wire/plate

Removal of pin/screw/wire/plate

Total arthroplasty of hip, unilateral

Total arthroplasty of knee, unilateral

Bilateral Pinnaplasty/ Pinna, partial excision with flap reconstruction/Otoplasty

Excision of lesion or lesions of skin - plastic surgery

Palmar fasciectomy for Dupuytren's contracture involving >= 3 digits (rays)

Palmar fasciectomy for Dupuytren's contracture involving 1 digit (ray)

Palmar fasciectomy for Dupuytren's contracture involving 2 digits (rays)

Release of carpal tunnel - Plastic surgery

Colonoscopy

Endoscopy / Gastroscopy (OGD)

Left Colonoscopy

Proctoscopy/Sigmoidoscopy

Circumcision

Cystoscopy

Excision of hydrocele

TURP

Ureteroscopy or urethroscopy

Ureteroscopy or urethroscopy

Urine flow study

Interruption of sapheno-femoral junction varicose veins (laser)

Interruption of multiple tributaries of varicose veins

Interruption of sapheno-femoral junction varicose veins (surgical)

Interruption of multiple tributaries of varicose veins

For Outpatients there is a particular focus on the following high volume specialties:

Gynaecology

Orthopaedics

Urology

ENT

Cardiology

Ophthalmology and

Vascular Surgery

Pain

Plastic Surgery

Orthopaedic Surgery - Spinal

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In relation to the query raised, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has advised my Department that the number of patient care episodes carried out for Inpatient and day cases, G.I. Scopes, Outpatients and diagnostics funded by the NTPF in 2021 was 133,661.