Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe TD has called on the Government to back a Sinn Féin plan that seeks to make the health service a better place to work and tackle dangerously long waiting times for appointments and procedures.

There are 1.34 million people on some form of health waiting list across hospitals, diagnostics, and primary and community services across the state, including 36,363 adult outpatients at Tallaght University Hospital.

Teachta Crowe said:

“Health waiting lists have spiralled out of control under government after government. Patients, workers, and their families bear the costs for dangerously long hospital waiting lists.

“There are now 1.34 million people on waiting lists for community, hospital, and diagnostic services.

“There are 36,363 adult outpatients on Tallaght University Hospital’s waiting lists alone. This is totally unacceptable and ordinary people are paying the price for this government’s failure on health.

“The issue of long health waiting lists is well known but despite this, the government has failed time and time again to deliver the necessary change that is needed. We need to see a step change in investment and workforce planning to fix our broken health service.

“The Minister for Health’s Waiting List Action Plan is a short-term wish list that will not address the fundamental problems causing long waiting lists.

“No waiting list plan is credible without a workforce strategy which deals with two-tier pay, excessive hours, unsafe conditions and staffing levels, and outstanding industrial agreements which have not been implemented.

“We need to restore trust with the health service workforce and show the new generation of graduates that we value their skills and want to keep them here.

“Sinn Féin would invest in more training places and give health graduates a job guarantee. Major workforce deficits need to be addressed as a matter of urgency, including targeted increases in training places.

“We would also put in place new structures for good management of the health service which can be held to account for waiting times and waiting lists.

“This Government does not have the appetite or vision to fix our broken health service. Sinn Féin in government would deliver the change needed to secure a better health service that works and delivers for all.”