2,700 children ‘could be helped’ by treatment fund

UP to 2,700 sick children are on waiting lists for surgery or other procedures because they are not being referred for private care that they are entitled to under the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).

Management of the fund accused some children’s hospitals of failing to avail of it on behalf of patients.

But the hospitals last night rejected this, saying a cap has been placed on the number of children they can refer under the scheme.

The fund said at least 188 children on waiting lists for more than a year in Crumlin and Temple Street hospitals could be treated quickly if management cooperated with the scheme.

Its chief executive, Pat O’Byrne, told the Dáil Public Accounts Committee: “If some of these children were referred to us, we could deal with these cases… We’re not happy with the level of engagement that Crumlin has with the NTPF because it’s patchy to say the least.”

He added that the fund was also encountering problems with Temple Street, the National Children’s Hospital in Tallaght and Tullamore Hospital.

Crumlin hospital said last night it “rejects completely” the claims and “remains firmly committed to working with the NTPF”.

“Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, can confirm that the National Treatment Purchase Fund placed a limit of 450 patient treatment slots for the hospital in 2009.

“Our Lady’s can confirm that as a result, 450 patients were treated under the NTPF scheme in 2009.”

The hospital will be asked to give a more detailed explanation to the committee in the coming weeks.

Committee chairman Bernard Allen TD said: “The fact that Mr O’Byrne told us that, in his opinion, many of the children waiting for surgery could receive treatment within weeks if this cooperation was forthcoming is a scandal.”

The National Children’s Hospital in Tallaght said it has an “excellent relationship” with the fund, and like Crumlin, was subject to a limit on referrals.

“In 2009, the hospital met its quota of referrals to the National Treatment Purchase Fund and in two quarters was stopped from referring any further patients as it would have resulted in the hospital exceeding its quota,” a statement said.

In a statement, the Children’s University Hospital at Temple Street (CUH), acknowledges its waiting list times are lengthy in certain specialities. “In 2009, the NTPF placed a limit of 200 patient referrals for treatment under the scheme for CUH. This quota was fully used. CUH would welcome an increase in its NTPF referral quota in 2010 as part of its plan to reduce waiting times for surgery.”

Asked what the Department of Health was doing about the situation, its secretary general, Michael Scanlan, said they were “chipping away” at the issue.

But Mr Allen responded: “This is something that we should be more than chipping away at. This is an absolute scandal.”

At the end of last year, there were 18,517 patients around the country on waiting lists for more than three months. Of these, 1,108 are waiting more than a year for surgery or treatment.