Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
Question:2 Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn asked the Minister for Health the proposals, if any, he has to improve the out-patient clinics' system of appointments to ensure that the waiting periods in clinics are reduced. [4614/95]
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Out-patient Clinics.
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
Question:44 Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn asked the Minister for Health the proposals, if any, he has to improve the out-patient clinics' system of appointments to ensure that the waiting periods in clinics are reduced. [4570/95]
(Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 44 together.
Under the charter of rights for hospital patients, patients have the right to be given an individual appointment time for out-patient services. My Department has reviewed the implementation of the charter of rights for hospital patients and I am satisfied that, in general, health boards and hospitals have implemented its provisions.However, I am aware that a small number of hospitals are experiencing some difficulty in giving individual appointment times to patients attending out-patient clinics. In some of these cases, individual appointments are being gradually introduced to out-patient clinics. My Department is pursuing these matters with the hospitals involved.
In addition, the Programme for Competitiveness and Work contained an undertaking by the then Government to evaluate the effectiveness of the charter of rights for hospital patients to make any necessary improvements and to ensure that it provides a properly structured system of patient rights. This work is ongoing and is now being viewed in the context of the health strategy's provisions in relation to service quality. The strategy gives an undertaking to reorientate the health services so that they are more responsive to patients' needs. This Government is committed to the whole area of service quality from clinical outcome through to patient satisfaction.This commitment is shown in the programme A Government of Renewal which has endorsed the health strategy as a basis for Government policy in the health area.
Does the Minister believe that consultants recall patients far too often to out-patient clinics and that their role, following a consultation, should be to refer a patient back to the general practitioner and that if this was to happen on a more regular basis fewer people would be waiting at out-patient clinics throughout the country?
(Limerick East): I am not sure if the Deputy has a particular case in mind but difficulties are being encountered with individual consultants in making appointments for public patients. It is the policy to make individual appointments for public patients but in some hospitals individual consultants will not co-operate and continue to make block appointments. This leads to delays.
In hospitals throughout the country 40 people are called for appointment at 10 a.m. but the 40th person may not be seen until 4 p.m. or 4.30 p.m. In the meantime they have to wait in a small area with few facilities. I appreciate that many hospitals and consultants no longer do that but the practice continues in certain hospitals. Has the Minister any plan to ensure that the general provisions in relation to this area in the charter are enforced?
(Limerick East): The Programme for Competitiveness and Work provides for a review of the charter of patients' rights. That review is ongoing and it is now being viewed in the context of the health strategy provisions in relation to the quality of service.I can control the situation in public hospitals and the health boards are co-operating fully in this regard. The policy of health boards now is to allocate a 15-minute appointment to a public patient. Some individual consultants are not co-operating fully with this practice but they are small in number. I understand the health boards expect to make further progress in this regard. The same level of direction is not available to the health boards in voluntary hospitals but progress is being made there also. Rather than trying to direct these hospitals or to impose mandatory conditions on them I will continue to seek their co-operation. I believe the situation is improving on a monthly basis.
Will the Minister continue with these consultations in a vigorous manner? Sometimes vigour is necessary to ensure that provisions which are included in a charter of rights for patients are enforceable and enforced in the various hospitals. Are consultants paid on the basis of the number of people they see?
(Limerick East): I am not an expert on consultants' remuneration but if the Deputy tables a question on that I will get the information for her. In regard to my commitment to the charter of patients' rights, that is absolute. The Deputy is advocating that I take vigorous action but I prefer to adopt a “softly softly” approach at the moment. The ongoing review, which is part of the commitment in the Programme for Competitiveness and Work, is progressing satisfactorily and there is co-operation. I hope it will be possible to grant what the Deputy requests, namely, that there should no longer be block booking of public patients in outpatients clinics and that every patient will be allocated a 15 minute appointment.That would eliminate the possibility of a delay stretching from early morning until late afternoon.
May I suggest to the Minister that as he undertakes his visits to hospitals around the country he give priority to those where there is not the kind of co-operation with the provisions of the charter that he would like?
(Limerick East): I will take the Deputy's views into account but when I visit hospitals I want to be a benevolent Minister, not some type of health inspector arriving to check on what is happening in the hospital.