Scheme to cut waiting lists will let people claim back costs from overseas treatment
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has announced a package of initiatives to tackle hospital waiting lists in Northern Ireland, including a reimbursement scheme.
An initial £10 million will be invested in the scheme, allowing people to claim back costs when they receive treatments outside Northern Ireland, subject to qualifying criteria.
Beginning in June, it will apply to procedures obtained in the Republic of Ireland and will subsequently be extended 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.
Northern Ireland currently has the worst hospital waiting lists of any area in the UK.
Patients who take part in the new scheme will require prior approval from the Department of Health.
The health minister 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.
“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.”
He added: “Only £50 million of the ringfenced £215m total has involved additional monies for my department.
“The initiatives being announced today are in large part being funded by monies diverted from my core budget for day-to-day services.
“That will have unavoidable consequences for wider health and social care provision.”
Other initiatives announced by Mr Nesbitt include targeting long waits of four years or more, including hip, knee and other orthopaedic treatments, and significantly reducing waiting lists for children requiring some specialist procedures.