Patients waiting for two years or more for treatment will be allowed to apply for procedures outside the north and claim back costs, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said on Tuesday.
Under the plan, backed by an initial £10m, patients from June will be able to apply to have procedures in the Republic, followed by an extension to the rest of the European Union.
The reimbursement scheme will be available to patients waiting two years or more on a hospital treatment waiting list in Northern Ireland, which currently has the worst of any area in the UK.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt reinstating a cross-border healthcare scheme (Brian Lawless/PA)
Concerns are being raised over the ability of some patients to pay upfront and then be reimbursed, while others will not be able to do so.
Patients taking part in the scheme will need prior approval from the Department of Health. The scheme is part of a package of measures announced by Mr Nesbitt.
Mr Nesbitt said: “These planned investments reflect the executive’s ringfencing of up to £215 million in this year’s health budget for waiting list activities, in line with the finalised Programme for Government.
“This breaks down into £85 million for red flag and time-critical care; £80 million for building up capacity to address the long-standing mismatch with demand; and up to £50 million to start tackling the backlog in care.
“Investment at this level will need to be sustained for at least five years to bring hospital waiting times down to acceptable levels.
“We are only at the foothills of what will be a long uphill trek.”
Other initiatives announced by the minister include:
– Targeting long waits – four years or more – including hip, knee and other orthopaedic treatments; tonsillectomies; hernia treatment; gallbladder removal and colonoscopy.
– Significantly reducing waiting lists for children requiring specialist procedures such as peg tubes, scopes and scoliosis surgery, as well as waiting times for women waiting for gynaecology mesh removal procedures.
– Partnership arrangements with independent sector providers to clear outpatient waits of four years plus in ophthalmology, orthopaedics; general surgery; gynaecology, ENT and other specialties.
– £10m in funding for “mega clinics” for an estimated 20,000 additional patients. These will provide groups of patients with a “one stop shop” which can involve, for example, surgical review and anaesthetic preoperative assessment in a single appointment.
– Expansion of red flag and time-critical capacity across a range of specialties including: endoscopy; diagnostic imaging; urology, breast surgery; dermatology; systemic anti-cancer therapy and cardiac surgery.
– Expansion of primary care elective service capacity in dermatology, minor surgery and gynaecology.
“I will provide more details on the different initiatives later this month with publication of an implementation plan for my department’s Elective Care Framework.”
SDLP MLA Colin McGrath asked if the cause of the pseudomonas outbreak at the maternity hospital was known (Oliver McVeigh/PA)
SDLP health spokesperson Colin McGrath MLA said the “only way we can judge the success or failure of this plan is through results”.
“We cannot continue to rely on outside health providers over whom we have no control and this plan also wishes to repurpose existing staff at a time when many are already at the point of burn out and trusts are being asked to make further savings,” the South Down MLA said.
“While the return of cross-border healthcare is welcome and a long-standing ask of the SDLP, we are also concerned that people are being asked to pay upfront and then be reimbursed. Nobody’s access to healthcare should depend on how much money they have.”
Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly
Alliance health spokesperson Danny Donnelly MLA welcomed Mr Nesbitt detailing plans to address “appalling” waiting lists in Northern Ireland, but said the lack of reference to those on mental health waiting lists is cause for great concern.
“With over over 400,000 waiting for a first outpatient appointment and over 170,000 waiting for a diagnostic test, far too many people here are living the reality of the dire state of our waiting lists every day,” Mr Donnelly said.
“With that in mind, the announcement of this plan from the health minister is to be welcomed.
“However, actions speak louder than words and we must now see tangible action undertaken to deliver real change to the experience of those waiting for care.”
Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan said that “given the recent and very concerning publication of cancer waiting times, the minister must take urgent action to bring red flag referral figures back under target”.
He added: “It’s also positive that it was announced today that the Cross Border Directive Scheme — which has helped many patients here access timely healthcare — is to be available from June.”