Public hospitals told to reduce NTPF procedures

The Government has reportedly decided to halve the number of surgical procedures being carried out in public hospitals under the National Treatment Purchase Fund initiative.

Under the scheme, the State buys private treatment for people who have been on public hospital waiting lists for lengthy periods.

Reports this morning said Minister for Health Mary Harney had ordered that the proportion of public hospital activity devoted to NTPF work should be reduced from 20% to 10% - the "10% guideline".

Under the new guidelines, people not treated in public hospitals will still have access to the same treatment in private hospitals.

An NTPF spokesman said: “Patients' treatment is not affected by the 10% guideline, as patients not treated in public hospitals are scheduled for treatment in private hospitals”.

The move was reportedly prompted by concerns that public hospital beds were being overused to treat patients under the scheme.

The NTPF spokesman said: "We are continuing to work towards the target of treating 16,000 patients this year.

"Our goal that no public patient should be waiting over three months for an operation remains unchanged and there is no need for any NTPF patient who is currently scheduled for an operation to have their operation cancelled or delayed."

The NTPF has arranged treatment for more than 35,000 patients to date.