Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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It is recognised that waiting times for many scheduled appointments and procedures were too long before and have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic.

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.

The 2023 Waiting List Action Plan builds on the foundational work done in the 2021 and 2022 plans, both of which reversed the annual trend of rising waiting lists.

For 2023, funding totalling €443 million is being allocated to tackle Waiting Lists with €363 million of this being allocated to the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, to reduce hospital waiting lists by implementing longer term reforms and providing additional public and private activity to clear backlogs exacerbated during the pandemic. The remaining €80 million of the €443 million is being targeted at various measures to alleviate community/primary care waiting lists.

With the funding from Budget 2024 (€407 million), we are taking the next steps in the multi-annual approach towards achieving the vision of a world-class public healthcare system in which everyone has timely and transparent access to high-quality scheduled care, where and when they need it, in line with Sláintecare reforms.

In relation to the specific query raised, the attached table shows the number of patients on the Dermatology outpatient waiting list by the requested time bands for the Saolta Hospital Group at the end of September 2023 compared with end September 2022.

Saolta University Health Care Group Dermatology Outpatient waiting list end Sept 23 vs Sept 22

In relation to the correspondence referenced, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.