Plans to reduce waiting times for children and teenagers who need orthopaedic surgery for conditions such as scoliosis and spina bifida have been approved by the Minister for Health.

The plans set out a number of ambitious targets, including ensuring that by the end of the year, no child has to wait longer than four months for scoliosis surgery.

Overall, the aim is to reduce the total scoliosis waiting list from 224 at the end of January to 128 by the end of the year. An additional 107 spina bifida cases will also be treated.

The plans involve Children’s Health Ireland and Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital and an extra €19 million in funding has been made available.

“I recently held a number of meetings with the clinical teams from Crumlin, Temple Street and Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital, along with senior management from these hospitals and the HSE, to discuss the development of an orthopaedic waiting list plan for children in Ireland.   

“I have approved the plan and welcome the target to ensure that no scoliosis patient is waiting over four months for a procedure by the end of this year. Time is a critical factor in ensuring children with conditions such as scoliosis and spina bifida have a positive outcome from their surgeries,” Minister Stephen Donnelly said.

In order to reach these targets, a number of actions will be implemented, including:

-An increase in inpatient/day case capacity through increased access to theatres at Crumlin, Temple Street and Cappagh, as well as additional theatre space, beds, and MRI capacity  

-Expansion/reconfiguration of outpatient cases and additional active clinical triage  

-Ringfenced and protected orthopaedic theatre time and beds  

-Increased activity in Cappagh

-Enhanced use of private sector facilities.

Responding to the plans, the CEO of Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland (SBHI), Gerry Maguire, said he was delighted about the news, but he warned that SBHI would be “monitoring developments very closely to ensure that the promises made will become promises delivered”.