Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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390. To ask the Minister for Health the measures he is taking to address the increased waiting lists that will result from the suspension of many procedures due to the recent cyber-attack. [28663/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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It is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted in the last year as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While significant progress was made in reducing waiting times from June 2020 onwards, the surge in Covid-19 cases in the first quarter of 2021, and the resultant curtailment of acute hospital services, is reflected in the current waiting list figures.

On 23 March 2021 the HSE published the “Safe Return to Health Services Plan”, outlining a three phased approach for the proposed restoration of services across Community Services, Acute Hospital Operations, Cancer Services and Screening Services. It sets target times for their safe return and details the conditions and challenges that will have to be met. However, the implementation of this plan has been suspended pending the resolution of the recent ransomware attack, which is having a significant impact on acute hospitals. The HSE is focusing on urgent and time critical appointments and procedures until this incident is resolved. Once the incident is resolved the focus will return to restoring routine elective services.

Due to the ongoing IT issues triggered by the HSE cyber-attack, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has been unable to receive weekly national hospital waiting list data or downloads. The latest available waiting list information was collated by the NTPF on 13th May 2021. This data highlights that the Inpatient/Daycase waiting list increased by 6% to 76,510 since the start of the year, the Outpatient waiting list increased by 4% to 630,270, while the GI Scopes waiting list by 6% to 34,377 in the same period.

My Department does not have full access to information on the impact of this ransomware attack on elective waiting lists but will provide an update as soon as one is available.

My Department, the HSE and the NTPF are putting in place plans to improve access to elective care and reduce waiting times for patients. These plans include increased use of private hospitals, funding weekend and evening work in public hospitals, funding “see and treat” services where minor procedures are provided at the same time as outpatient consultations, providing virtual clinics and increasing capacity in the public hospital system.

An additional €240 million has been provided in Budget 2021 for an access to care fund, €210m of which has been allocated to the HSE and a further €30m to the NTPF. This will be used to fund additional capacity to address the shortfall arising as a result of infection control measures taken in the context of COVID-19, as well as addressing backlogs in waiting lists.

My Department, the HSE and the NTPF are currently in the process of finalising a Multiannual Waiting List Reduction Plan to address waiting lists and bring them in line with Sláintecare targets over the coming years.