Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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135. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on her review of the use by the health service of third-party insourcing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52366/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Insourcing and outsourcing have been used as tactical responses to waiting list pressures and have delivered real benefits. However, they must be seen as transitional tools, not permanent fixtures.

I firmly believe that we are overly reliant on insourcing and private sector outsourcing to deal with our waiting lists. The long-term goal remains, to build sustainable internal capacity within the public system and ensure that this is maximised to the greatest extent through greater productivity and efficiencies.

Given my concerns about the operation of the insourcing model in particular, earlier this year I asked the CEO of the HSE to conduct a review of insourcing and outsourcing. Having considered the Review with my officials and the HSE, I wrote to the CEO in August authorising him to introduce a number of control measures to restrict the use of third-party insourcing.

These enhanced safeguards required other capacity to be fully utilised before third-party insourcing could be considered, including:

• All core capacity
• Standard overtime and Agency staffing for specialist clinics (traditional insourcing), and
• Approved offsite outsourcing.

• Through the full implementation of the Public Only Consultant Contract (the POCC) for more efficient rostering of services across 6/7 days.
• Better scheduling of outpatients to maximise existing resource utilisation.
• Improved benchmarking and standardisation of scheduled care, and
• Maximising physical assets including diagnostics, surgical hubs, and virtual wards where appropriate.