Health | To ask the Minister the total number of patients currently seeking orthopaedic interventionism

To ask the Minister for Health the total number of patients currently seeking orthopaedic interventionism; the extent of any such waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

(See attached file: Orthopaedic waiting list_ April 2022.xlsx)(See attached file: Orthopaedic Initiatives Approved Nationally.xlsx)
It is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. While significant work continues to positively impact on waiting times and improve pathways to elective care, acute hospitals have been impacted by operational challenges arising from surges in cases related to the Omicron variants.

The HSE has confirmed to the Department that patient safety remains at the centre of all hospital activity and elective care scheduling. To ensure services are provided in a safe, clinically-aligned and prioritised way, hospitals are following HSE clinical guidelines and protocols.

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, including through increased use of private hospitals, funding weekend and evening work in public hospitals, funding “see and treat” services, providing virtual clinics, and increasing capacity in the public hospital system.

The NTPF have advised my Department that to date this year they have approved orthopaedic outpatient and in-patient initiatives which will facilitate appointments for 11,287 patients on waiting lists. Details of these initiatives are provided in the attached document.
The 2022 Waiting List Action Plan, which was launched on the 25th of February, allocates €350 million to the HSE and NTPF to reduce waiting lists. Under this plan the Department, HSE, and NTPF will deliver urgent additional capacity for the treatment of patients, as well as investing in longer term reforms to bring sustained reductions in waiting lists.

The plan builds on the successes of the short-term 2021 plan that ran from September to December last year. The 2021 plan was developed by the Department of Health, the HSE and the NTPF and was driven and overseen by a senior governance group co-chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of Health and the CEO of the HSE and met fortnightly.

This rigorous level of governance and scrutiny of waiting lists has continued into this year with the oversight group evolving into the Waiting List Task Force. The Task Force will meet regularly to drive progress of the 2022 plan.

This is the first stage of an ambitious multi-annual waiting list programme, which is currently under development in the Department of Health. Between them, these plans will work to support short, medium, and long term initiatives to reduce waiting times and provide the activity needed in years to come.

The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the total number of patients currently seeking orthopaedic interventionism has been provided to my Department by the NTPF and is outlined in the attached document.

Orthopaedics, In-patient Daycase (IPDC)                                                                            Waiting List, as at 28/04/2022
Time band (months)	0-6 Mths	6-12 Mths	12-18 Mths	18+ Mths	Grand Total
Apr-22	6,890	1,974	884	1,744	11,492
Orthopaedics, Outpatient (OPD)                                                                                         Waiting List, as at 28/04/2022
Time band (months)	0-6 Months	6-12 Months	12-18 Months	18+ Months	Grand Total
Apr-22	29,899	19,197	10,050	12,613	71,759

NTPF Insourcing Approved OPD Orthopaedic Proposals to date 24/05/2022
Hospital	Volume
St James’s Hospital	920
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital	343
St Vincent’s University Hospital	2,160
South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital	1,100
University Hospital Waterford	1,900
Croom Hospital	2,000
Total	8,423