Serious concerns about the oversight of NTPF funding must be addressed
The executive team of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) must urgently appear before the Public Accounts Committee to answer questions about governance and oversight arrangements at the body, according to Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly.
“The budget of the NTPF has increased exponentially in recent years and now stands at more than €220 million this year alone.
“However, recent scandals at Children’s Health Ireland have raised serious concerns about the NTPF’s oversight of the allocation of public money for insourcing treatment.
“In fact, the NTPF itself is clearly not confident that adequate monitoring arrangements are in place given it has now suspended all funding for insourcing at CHI.
“This unprecedented action inevitably raises further questions for the NTPF about the adequacy of these arrangements not just at CHI, but across the country.
“It also prompts major questions about the level of oversight that is brought to bear when outsourcing of treatment is funded, in the private system, by the NTPF.
“I welcome the fact that the NTPF has now commenced a review of its operation at CHI but it must come before the Public Accounts Committee, at the earliest opportunity, to detail the results of that review.
“It must also provide assurances that the problems identified in insourcing at CHI are neither replicated across the country nor repeated when it comes to outsourcing treatment.
“I have therefore written to the Chair of the PAC today requesting that the NTPF be added to our work programme for the duration of this term.”