Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North-West, Fianna Fail)
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88. To ask the Minister for Health the immediate plans to increase the current resources at the Mater hospital to reduce the waiting time for those seeking an oncology appointment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52563/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Mater Hospital is one of eight designated cancer centres and has a range of services for cancer patients, including rapid access clinics for Lung, Prostate and Symptomatic Breast Disease, also providing surgical and medical oncology.

While the Mater is meeting the national targets for its lung rapid access clinics and is improving waiting times for patients accessing systemic therapies, there have been significant delays for patients referred to the Symptomatic Breast Disease Clinic.

At the beginning of July I wrote to the REO and the manager of the Mater Hospital expressing my concerns over the performance of the SBD Clinic. I also discussed the issue with the hospital management directly.

Since then, the Mater has implemented a number of measures to improve access and waiting times.

A revised mammogram-first initiative is being implemented, providing additional mammography and clinical assessment, in parallel with increased Triple Assessment Clinics.

This has reduced waiting times for patients with urgent referrals from 16 down to 4 weeks.

Within current referral rates the service is on track to meet the 10 working day KPI by the end of the year. The number of patients waiting for urgent appointments has also reduced from 700 to 165.

The HSE National Cancer Control Programme continues to work with the hospital on pathways and triage guidelines and has allocated additional resources in 2025 to provide expanded Consultant Radiologist hours at the Mater.