Cost to you
Nothing for the treatment itself
If the offer is accepted, you do not pay for the treatment linked to that procedure in the private hospital. Many people turn down the letter because they think it is a scam or a bill. It is neither.
Quick facts
- Cost to you
- Nothing for the treatment itself
- Application
- None: ask your hospital's waiting list office
- Where
- 20 private and 39 public hospitals
- After you accept
- Contact usually within 6 weeks
- Not covered
- Travel, accommodation, medication
Who can be offered treatment
You need to be on a public hospital waiting list. The NTPF may consider you for a private hospital if these things are true:
- You are on a waiting list.
- You are ready, fit and available to go ahead with treatment.
- Your public hospital says you are clinically suitable to be treated elsewhere.
- The NTPF has found capacity for the treatment you are waiting for.
What it covers
You do not pay for any part of the treatment for that procedure in the private hospital. For an outpatient offer, this can include the consultation, tests and any related procedure.
The NTPF does not pay for medication, travel to and from hospital, or accommodation. It also cannot refund treatment you arranged and paid for privately yourself.
How to get seen through the NTPF
Ask your hospital's waiting list office
Contact your public hospital's waiting list office and ask about being seen in a private hospital through the NTPF.
Watch for the offer from your hospital
All offers of outpatient appointments and treatments come from your public hospital, by letter, phone or text.
Answer the offer letter
At the bottom you choose to accept the offer, stay on your local list, or be removed from the list.
Wait for the private hospital to call
In general, the private hospital should contact you within 6 weeks of you accepting.
Answer any waiting list check letter
The NTPF writes to check you still need care; you can reply online or in the free post envelope.
Things to watch
The private hospital may not be the nearest one. You can be offered a place further away if closer hospitals have no capacity.
A real NTPF QR code never asks for bank details or personal details that are not on your letter. If you were taken off a waiting list by mistake, contact your hospital.
Phone, forms and how long it takes
- NTPF
- 01 6427101
- NTPF
- ask@ntpf.ie
- Reply to a waiting list check letter
- waitinglist.ie
- After you accept an offer
- The private hospital should usually contact you within 6 weeks of you accepting an offer.
From the official pages (ntpf.ie), re-checked every night. Numbers and times can change, so check the official page before you send anything.
Common questions
How do I apply for the National Treatment Purchase Fund?
There is no application process. Contact your public hospital's waiting list office and ask about being seen in a private hospital through the NTPF.
Do I have to pay for NTPF treatment?
No. You do not pay for any part of your treatment for that procedure in the private hospital. Medication, travel and accommodation are not covered.
How long after accepting an NTPF offer will I be seen?
In general, the private hospital should contact you within 6 weeks of accepting the offer.
Why did I get a letter asking if I still need my appointment?
The NTPF regularly writes to people on public waiting lists to check they still need care. Reply online or by post so you keep your place.